Obituary of Henry Rowe VanHouten

Honorable Henry Rowe Van Houten Judge and Distinguished Lawyer Honorable Henry Rowe Van Houten, 83, of Boonton, NJ, passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at Compassionate Care Hospice in Dover, NJ. Born in Chicago, IL to his parents, Charles and Esther, Henry was raised in Michigan, graduated from Hope College in Holland, MI in 1954 and earned his Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University, Chicago, IL in 1957. Judge Van Houten was a member of the Morris Plains law firm, Bangiola & Van Houten from 1958 - 1970 when he started his own law practice in Boonton. He was extremely proud to serve as Municipal Court Judge for the Towns of Boonton, Montville and Boonton Township, where he was also the town attorney. In addition to being on the Boonton Board of Education, he taught legal courses at Rutgers University and at the American Institute of Banking. He was a member of the Morris County Bar Association and on the Ethics Committee, the Commission to draft the Uniform Traffic Violations Code of NJ, The League of Municipalities and past president of the Morris County Municipal Judges Association. Henry was a dedicated member of the First Reformed Church of Boonton where he was active in the Consistory and church choir. He was an honored member of the B.P.O. Elks No. 1405 as well as a Free & accepted Mason. Henry was also a board member of the local YMCA. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 45 years, Carol Dodds in 2000. Surviving are his devoted daughters and their husbands, Carolyn and Thomas Reminsky, Marilyn Van Houten and Robert DeVito, Jane and Christopher Castello; loving sisters, Esther Van Ark, Jane Wiersma, Celesta Root and a brother, Adrian Van Houten; cherished grandchildren, Justin, Colleen, Jamie and Dana; and dear step-grandchildren, Michael, Diana and Daniel DeVito Services to honor and celebrate his life begin with visitation at the Codey & Mackey Funeral Home, 107 Essex Avenue, Boonton on Sunday, April 12 from 2-6 pm. A Funeral Service will be held in the First Reformed Church of Boonton, 236 Washington Street, Boonton on Monday, April 13 at 11:00am. The interment will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Boonton. To share a memory or extend condolences, please visit www.codeymackeyfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to the First Reformed Church of Boonton or Compassionate Care Hospice would be greatly appreciated.