Obituary of Albert Henry Desnoyers, Jr.
Mr. Albert Henry Desnoyers Jr., age 97, passed away on Tuesday morning, February 7th, 2023, at the Baptist Medical Center on Amelia Island, FL. Born in North Plainfield, NJ, he was one of four children and the last living child born to the late Albert Henry Desnoyers, Sr., and Martha Chevrolet Desnoyers. Being raised in North Plainfield, he was a graduate of North Plainfield High School. After high school, Albert enlisted in the US Navy and was sent to The University of Pennsylvania for officer training, followed by a flight school in Chapel Hill, NC. He earned an honorable discharge as a lieutenant and returned to civilian life in North Plainfield, NJ.
Albert worked with his father at Easy Electric & Gas Appliance Shop before taking over himself and changing the name to Desnoyers Appliances. In 1947, while at church choir practice, He met a young woman, Ruth Reid, with whom he had attended high school. They would marry in 1949 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in North Plainfield. Mr. and Mrs. Desnoyers remained in North Plainfield, bringing each of their six children home from the hospital to the same house. Mrs. Desnoyers stayed home raising children while Albert worked in the family appliance business.
Through the years, the family vacationed at lakes in New England and eventually built a summer home in Maine, which helped create many lifelong memories. In 1976, the family moved to Watchung, NJ, where Albert retired and sold the family business in the mid-1980s. In 1997, Mr. and Mrs. Desnoyers built a home on Amelia Island, into which they eventually moved full-time.
Mr. Desnoyers enjoyed tennis and golf, playing the violin, and painting. The couple continued to be active parish and choir members in each community they lived. Albert invested in several small banks and served as a board member of North Plainfield State Bank, later acquired by Valley National. His philanthropy included endowments for The Boys & Girls Club and Baptist Medical Center on Amelia Island, FL, Saint Michael’s parish, and other worthy causes. He was also a licensed pilot and enjoyed flying the family's Cessna to Amelia Island and Augusta, ME, with Ruth. Fond family memories include Sunday night Chinese food, hundreds of fishing trips, and nights trolling around the rocks in search of the legendary bass ‘Uncle Josh.’ Each summer, someone would inevitably capsize the Sunfish or run the centerboard into a rock. Fish fries were an annual event to clear out the freezer full of small mouths and enjoy lively conversation around the dinner table. All the children were enlisted to work at the store during summer break, learning life skills from accounting to hardwiring a central A/C system.
In addition to his parents and siblings, he is preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Reid Desnoyers, in 2013 and his daughter, Suzanne Marie Desnoyers, who passed away in 2002.
Albert leaves behind his children, Charles Albert "Chip" Desnoyers (Jacalyn), Harleysville, PA; Mark Reid Desnoyers, MD (Dana), Mattapoisett, MA; Martha Claire Kranjc, McDonough, GA; Peter James Desnoyers (Jacqueline), Watchung, NJ, Rita Marie Desnoyers-Garcia (Enrique), South Orange, NJ, ten grandchildren, Andrew Reid Desnoyers, Adrienne Lin Desnoyers, Alexander Clifton Desnoyers, Memphis Autumn Leichter, Ethan Otto Leichter, Jessica Ruth Burshtynskyy, Melissa Marie Baldino, Isabella Marie Garcia, Susana Alicia Garcia, Diego Enrique Garcia “Bonnie,” and four great-grandchildren, Emma Andrea Burshtynskyy, Mariana Ruth Burshtynskyy, Callie Lynn Baldino, and Joseph Albert Baldino, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
His family will receive friends on Friday, February 17, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Higgins Funeral Home, 752 Mountain Blvd. Watchung, NJ. A second viewing will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, February 18, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. His Mass of Christian Burial will follow the visitation and be held at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Stony Hill R.C. Church in Watchung, NJ. Mr. Desnoyers will be laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery, Piscataway, NJ.
In Lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Nassau County, Florida (bgcnas-sau.org).
