Obituary of George S Byrnes

George S. Byrnes, 90, a Bernardsville resident for 52 years passed away peacefully surrounded by his children on February 27, 2015 at Morristown Medical Center. The only child of George W. and Pauline Byrnes he was born September 8, 1924 and spent his younger years in Elmhurst, Queens, NY. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 59 years Kathleen "Kay" Daily Byrnes and his daughter Eileen Marie Byrnes. George joined the army as a young man of 18 in 1943 and proudly served in the 246 Signal Operations Company which sailed through Bristol England before landing in Normandy and continuing on to the Battle of Ardennes. He was preparing to be deployed to the Japanese theater but the end of the war allowed him to come home on his 21st birthday. Upon returning home George attended Seton Hall University in South Orange NJ and graduated with a BS in Chemistry. He worked for Liberty Mutual insurance in NY, then many years as a safety engineer at Bell Labs in Whippany and Murray Hill NJ, and ultimately retired from AT&T. George's interests included history, reading, and extensive travel. He and Kay drove throughout the country and visited nearly every state and national park from Maine to Alaska. He also loved his home, the "Cottage" of the former Anderson estate, and spent countless days building beautiful rock walls. George is survived by his children George E. Byrnes and his wife Betty of Gladstone NJ, Mary Byrnes of Laramie WY, Kathleen Byrnes of Bethlehem PA, Edward Byrnes and his wife Amy of Bernardsville NJ, and James Byrnes of Laramie WY, along with 9 loving grandchildren. His sharp mind, quick humor, generosity, and bear hugs will be greatly missed by all. Visitation will be held on Monday, March 2, 2015 at Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home, 101 S. Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge from 5:00 – 7:00pm. A Catholic funeral mass will be on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, 10:00am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Bernardsville. Interment will be at Holy Cross cemetery in Basking Ridge. Any donations may be sent to the Bernardsville First Aid Squad ( http://bernardsvillefire.org/ ) on his behalf. For further information please contact Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home at 908-766-0250, or to light an online condolence candle please visit our website at www.gcfuneralhome.com.