Obituary of Earl Dow

Earl L. "Boydie" Dow, 86, of Freehold passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Boydie was born in Norwalk, CT and raised in Fair Lawn. He had lived in Fair Lawn before moving to Redwood City, CA returning to Fair Lawn and then settled in Freehold in 2007. Boydie was a graduate of Fair Lawn High School and was inducted into the High School Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in baseball. He was U.S. Army veteran during the Korean War serving as a paratrooper. Boydie was a graduate of Fordham University and Seton Hall University. He began working as a social worker for St. Vincent Home for Boys and then for Boys Town in Kearny. Boydie then worked as a private practitioner before becoming the Director of Guidance at Paramus Catholic High School, Paramus. He retired as a counselor in the Guidance Department at Bergen Catholic High School. Boydie was a professional banjo player and was the leader of the "Zing-Alongs". His passion was for the game of baseball and the Boston Red Sox. Boydie was predeceased by two sisters, Harriet and Nancy. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Dorothy McGinnity Dow; three children, John Bemben and wife, Jennifer Hedges of Bridgewater, Cathleen Otten and her husband, William of Fair Lawn, and Kelly Dow of Montclair; and two grandchildren, Matthew Bemben and Ryan Bemben. Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 from 3:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 9:00 AM for the procession to his 10:00 AM Mass at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township. Interment will follow in Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle NJ Veteran's Memorial Cemetery, Arneytown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Boydie's name may be made to the The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.