William Goldenberg

William Goldenberg, 92, of Cranford, N.J., passed away peacefully at Overlook Hospital, Summit, N.J., on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 8, at 1 p.m. at Menorah Chapels at Millburn, 2950 Vaux Hall Rd., Union, N.J. Interment will be at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge, N.J. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Mr. Goldenberg was a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, Elizabeth, and Ohio Northern University, where he received a degree in civil engineering.

While employed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, he was a resident engineer for several major projects in the metropolitan area, including the construction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers, the third and final tube of the Lincoln Tunnel, and the original control tower at Newark Airport.  He was responsible for preparing the official code book for concrete used in nuclear power plants.

Mr. Goldenberg served proudly in the Army Air Corps as a navigator of a B-17, part of the Eighth Air Force 388th Bomb Group, flying 25 bombing missions in the European Theatre. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with clusters. He had completed two years of college before enlisting in the service and returned after the war to complete his education.

He was active in Temple Beth El, Cranford, N.J., since 1949 and served as cub master for Pack 175 from 1961 to 1965. Also a pilot, he took his future bride-to-be on a flight over her parents' house in Cranford on their second date. Bill was married for 61 years to the one and only love of his life, Sally (Scher) Goldenberg. He was an incredibly loving and devoted father to his sons, Jeffrey and his partner, Frances Willing, and Barry and his wife, Carol. He was a gentle man, kind and honest to all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Published in Star-Ledger on March 7, 2011