Mourners from throughout New Jersey and the country packed a Paterson cathedral Wednesday morning to bid farewell to a son of Paterson, the late Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Attendees at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist celebrated the life of Pascrell, who served in Congress for nearly three decades until he died last Wednesday at 87. The congressman’s three sons — Bill, David, and Glenn — spoke in honor of their father during the two-hour Catholic ceremony.
“He grew to become fiercely dedicated to doing everything he could for his family, his friends, and anyone who needed help,” said Bill Pascrell III, the congressman’s eldest son. “It was Bill Pascrell’s commitment to serving others rather than mere political ambition that led to his steady ascent to many high positions, including United States Congress and mayor of the city of Paterson.
Gov. Phil Murphy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended the ceremony, as did other state and local political leaders.
Elsie Pascrell, the congressman’s wife, sat in the front row. In an emotional moment, the hundreds of mourners in the cathedral stood to applaud Elsie after Glenn told the crowd, “There would be no Bill Pascrell without Elsie.”
“He was not impressed by titles or money, he loved people, their stories, their journeys, their struggles, and their humanity,” Glenn said of his father. “I think the most important achievements of his life came from those personal connections.”
Pascrell served in the U.S. Army before earning two degrees from Fordham University and teaching at Paramus High School for a dozen years. Voters elected Pascrell to the state Assembly in 1987, the Paterson mayoralty in 1990, and the House of Representatives in 1996.
Paterson firefighters, police officers, and first responders participated in the funeral procession to the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa, where Pascrell will be buried. Glenn said his father became inspired to become a staunch supporter of firefighters and first responders after the death of John Nicosia in a 1991 fire in Paterson. Glenn said the then-mayor modernized the Paterson Fire Department’s equipment after the fire, and the congressman later led the police and fire services causes in Congress.
“He had experiences and friendships that spanned the loftiest and most humble, but he was mostly drawn to those who could least speak for themselves,” David Pascrell said. “‘If not me, then who?’ whispered his lifelong inner voice.”
The congressman’s daughter-in-law, Kelly Pascrell, read from Isaiah 25, and his granddaughter Megan Pascrell read from Colossians 3:12-17.
The Bishop of Paterson, Kevin Sweeney, gently chastised the state for not yet having a sign on Route 19, more than four years after it was designated as the William J. Pascrell Highway. The New Jersey Globe has learned that the Department of Transportation is working to rectify that now.