Obituary of William Walter Handley Jr.

William W. Handley Jr., 84, of Morristown, N.J., passed away, surrounded by his loving family, at Morristown Medical Center. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect St., South Orange, N.J., on Monday, Feb. 15, at 8 a.m. Interment will follow at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, Pa. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave, South Orange, on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. Born in Newark, N.J., Mr. Handley lived in South Orange from 1954 until moving to Morristown in 2014. He was director of economic growth for the County of Essex before retiring. Active politically in the community and in Essex County, Mr. Handley was the GOP chairman for 18 years in South Orange for Essex County. He was a church worker and a proud Cubmaster from 1951 to 1967. A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. Handley served from 1951 to 1954 and was stationed in Berlin during the Korean War/Cold War era. His hobbies included photography and deep sea fishing, and he considered himself an "amateur horticulturalist" with his house plants and garden. Mr. Handley was the beloved husband of Florence (Cappaze) Handley; loving father of Sharon Handley and her husband, Tony; William W. Handley III and his wife, Katy, and Lisa Rites and her husband, Jerry; devoted grandfather of Amanda, Meghan, Jennifer, Joseph, David, and Sarah, and dear great-grandfather of Hunter. In lieu of flowers, donations to www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 1430, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301 would be appreciated. For more information or to send condolences please visit prestonfuneralhome.net.