Charles Francis Harrop, 69, of West Caldwell, passed away on Tuesday, April 18, after having never fully “recovered” from surgery on March 14.
Charlie was born and raised in Livingston, and always considered Livingston to be his home. Charlie was autistic before autism was a diagnosis. His mother, Loretta Harrop, advocated strongly for his education before there were many (if any) special education services available. Through her efforts and the Livingston Board of Education, Charlie was able to graduate from Livingston High in 1974 in the top 20 percent of his class.
Growing up, Charlie enjoyed many family activities: camping trips through out the northeast; Nova Scotia; Niagara Falls; and as far south as the Great Smokey Mountains. He also enjoyed time at the Jersey shore whether it was the spring, summer or fall, sailing on the Barnegat Bay or the Great South Bay; building sand “monuments”; rafting in the waves, or swimming no matter the water temperature. He especially enjoyed being a boy scout with Troop 75.
Charlie was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, especially anything historical. This led to actively participating in archaeological digs in Illinois and on Minisink Island in the Delaware River. For many years, he attended archaeological conferences in New York state and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Over the years, Charlie collected many things. Most notable were his books; model sailing ships; model cars; an extensive collection of memorabilia from the1964 NYC World’s Fair; and, of course, the “Department 56” Christmas houses.
Charlie worked for 15 years at Foster Wheeler Inc. in the mailroom. When the company moved from Livingston to Clinton, Charlie relocated to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He lived independently for many years. Eventually, he moved to an assisted living facility in West Orange. Five years ago, he broke his hip and had to move to a nursing home in West Caldwell. The staff affectionately cared for him, and he was well liked by the staff and residents. He had a great quality of life there.
Charlie was predeceased by his parents, Ann Loretta (Forsyth) Harrop in 2000, and Charles R. Harrop in 2009. He is survived by his siblings, Ellen (Harrop) Kiskel, her husband Keith Kiskel; Susan Harrop; Joan Harrop, her husband Donald Diefendorf; Robert Harrop, his wife Peggy (Fitzgerald) Harrop; their children, Michelle Sloneker and her husband Zachary Sloneker, and Megan Harrop.
Charlie had many caring and loving cousins, their spouses, children, and grandchildren and extended families.
