"Everything I have to say has already been said. I'm ready." Rudolph Sellitti spoke those words just a few days before he died at home surrounded by family at the age of 92 on the morning of June 25, 2023. If death can ever be perfect, it was a perfect passing for a man who spent his life and career providing others with boundless support, compassion, and love.

Dr. Rudolph Enrico Sellitti, Rudy, was the youngest son of parents who immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1920s. He was born in 1930 and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. Rudy enlisted in the United States Navy following high school and served for four years as a supply clerk at a naval station during the Korean War. Following his military service, he attended Paterson State Teacher's College, now William Paterson University, and graduated with a B.A. in elementary education. He went on to earn a Master of Elementary Administration and Supervision from Seton Hall University and a Ph.D. from Fordham University. He began his career in education as a teacher in Ramsey and became a school principal in Pleasantville and then in Ringwood. He served as superintendent of schools in Hasbrouck Heights from 1972 until 1981 and as Ringwood's superintendent of schools from 1981 to 1995. He was active in planning the new Ryerson Middle School and the addition to E.G. Hewitt School during his tenure in Ringwood. He was instrumental in bringing programs that celebrated the diversity and cultural heritage of Ringwood into the school curriculum. He also served as an adjunct professor at William Paterson University where, in addition to teaching classes, he supervised students in the classroom as they began their careers.

Rudy was an active member of the community both while he was superintendent and in his retirement. He served as a trustee of the Ringwood Public Library for thirteen years and worked tirelessly with others to get a new library built. He served on the board of the Center for Family Resources for many years and was a member of the vestry at Christ Church in Pompton Lakes. Each year, he stole the show at the church's annual talent night by dressing in costume, performing at least one musical number, and telling old jokes. One of his favorite activities was playing the organ on Sundays at the Church of Good Shepherd in Ringwood. He often played the piano at Shepard's Haven Adult Day Care Center and at various nursing homes on holidays. Rudy was an artist, who spent his spare time painting watercolor landscapes, and started an annual tradition of creating hand-painted Christmas ornaments, which he distributed each year to an always-growing list of family and friends.

In addition to his accomplishments as an educator and a community member, his family remembers the little things like waking up to the sound of him playing the piano in the early morning and checking his late-night Facebook posts. He loved to observe local wildlife but had to be reminded not to go outside and feed the bears that often visited his backyard. He loved the opera and the ballet but sprang from his seat whenever the opportunity to sing and dance the "YMCA" presented itself. He was an avid reader but never missed a Godzilla marathon on cable TV.

Rudy is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Barbara, and his three children Larry, Amy, and Jennifer. He is further survived by five grandchildren, Abby, Emily, Matthew, Adam, and Timothy, grandsons-in-law Jordin and Tyler, and two great-grandchildren, Aubri and Jonas. Everyone who met Rudy instantly fell in love with him. He will be missed.

Friends and loved ones may pay their respects at Christ Church, 400 Ramapo Avenue in Pompton Lakes on July 12, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A memorial service, which is open to all, will take place at the church on July 13 at 6:30 p.m.  

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