Obituary of George Moussab

Moussab, George of West Paterson, on May 19, 2007, age 89. He served as Superintendent of Water Pollution Control for the Borough of West Paterson for twenty-five years, retiring in 1980. George served during World War II in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. He served as an Instructor in the Fire Training School at Pearl Harbor, and then went on to serve on the USS Munsee (ATF 107) a firefighting and salvage ship where he received several Navy Citations for Excellent Service, Courage, and Devotion to Duty for fighting fires on ships in extremely hazardous conditions. He then continued as a professional firefighter for five years at the Veterans Administration in New Jersey. During his work as superintendent for West Paterson he was charged with implementing and maintaining the one-million gallon water tank atop Garret Mountain. Over the years, George also belonged to the American Legion, the VFW, the N.J. Water Environment Assn., the Civil Defense and Disaster Council, and numerous fire department organizations, including the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs, the N.J. Fire Chiefs Assn, and the W.P. Exempt Firemans Assn. George became a volunteer member of the West Paterson Fire Department in 1938 at the age of 21, advancing through the ranks to Captain in 1942, to 1st Assistant Chief in 1943, and then from 1946 to 1952.,and election to Department Chief from 1953 through 1971. During his tenure and leadership, Chief Moussab designed and implemented most of the infrastructure and training that exist today in the WPFD. Chief Moussab was a lifetime member of Engine Co. 1.Devoted husband of Lucy (nee: Longobardi). Beloved father of Nicholas and his wife Antoinette and George H. Cherished grandfather of Nicholas Jr. and Stephanie. He was predeceased by his siblings, the late Charles, Mary Agaty,Rita Tashjian,Lillian Mason,Anthony and Albert.. Friends and relatives are invited to attend the funeral from Santangelo Funeral Home, 635 Mc Bride Ave., West Paterson, on Wednesday, May 23, 2007, at 8am thence to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Longhill Rd. Little Falls, N.J., where a service will be offered at 9am. Burial to follow at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa, NJ. Visitation, Tuesday, 2-4pm & 6-9pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of George Moussab may be made to The West Paterson Fire Department, P.O. Box 511, West Paterson, NJ, 07424.