I'm sad to report that Jack Elwood, a Ridgewood High School physical education teacher battling Lou Gehrig’s disease for years, died on Sunday at the age of 59.
Students at Ridgewood High School observed a moment of silence on Monday morning after the announcement of Elwood’s death .
In May 2003, Elwood was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, eventually leading to paralysis. RHS students, coworkers, friends and family held numerous fund-raisers in recent years to help the teacher and his family, including the annual "Everybody Loves Elwood" 5K Walk/Run. Elwood often expressed gratitude at the support he and his family got from the community.
Elwood,was assistant manager at Graydon Pool during the summer months and remained teaching at RHS during the early stages of the disease.
Elwood is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughter Tricia.
Visitation will be held at Feeney Funeral Home in Ridgewood on Tuesday, May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Wednesday, May 5 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 6 at St. Luke’s R.C. Church in Ho-Ho-Kus.
Feeney Funeral Home has a webpage where you can leave tributes, comments, etc. re: Mr. Elwood. Click here.
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2 comments:
RIP Mr. Elwood. Great guy. Prayers go out to his family.
What a nice man and an excellent teacher. I'm a 1983 graduate of RHS and Mr. Elwood was my driver ed. teacher. I had many excellent teachers at RHS, but Mr. Elwood stands out in my mind as among the very best. It was obvious that he truly loved teaching and loved the students - more than can be said of some of the teachers. I'm so saddened to hear of his untimely passing. Prayers to his wife, daughter, and family.
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