Scene Around: Celebrating a Rumson-Fair Haven Area Icon’s Family-Style 90 Years

An area icon turns 90 today. That’s 32,874 days. It’s 47,338,560 minutes (and counting). That’s a lot of time on this planet. And it’s been time spent with family — family at home and in the community. Call it a youth elixir. Family time.

The icon, former longtime Rumsonite turned Fair Havenite, Walter Cuje, has, as many have seen for themselves, fully lived all those family days down to this anti-aging minute.

How? He feels and spreads the multi-family love. For starters, he’s still working part-time with his work family at the John E. Day funeral home, driving that hearse and greeting, spreading his exuberant spirit enough to, well, wake the dead. He got married again 10 years ago to Patricia Gray Meyer, extending family. He dances a lot, from square to disco and every fancy step in between, joining hands for a dance-floor all-in-the-family twirl. He cares for and shows his classic cars, his other babies, at car shows, chatting the community family up. He ushers at Nativity church, showing family around the towns the way … to their seats and those baskets. He tools around the families’ yards, fixing everything with his hedge-clippers, hammer and smile. He lives. He laughs. He loves. A lot. With family.

So, when handed the mic on his 90th celebration at Nauvoo Grill Club in Fair Haven on Sunday, he gave up his longevity secret that was never so secret.

“I’ve really learned a lot about family,” Cuje said. “I’ve learned your family is really your biggest asset, no matter how old you are, how young you are, how many kids you have. Your family is your biggest asset. I am very lucky to have my family …” As he looked around the room and started counting, he realized that pretty much the entire community was family in one way or another. Even his close circle, though, just kept getting bigger with each year, week, day, hour, minute … At this point, he said, laughing, “I’m involved with about five different families.”

And outside that close, not-so-small family circle, there are many in that much bigger circle with their own unbeknownst special seat at Walter Cuje’s family table. More invites are coming, too.

After all, it only takes a moment to touch someone’s life, making them a different kind of family. Cuje is still reaching out for the hold of the dear. He has been for 47,338,560 minutes. And the clock is still running. Who will be added that next minute in time with the icon his daughter Loujeanne called an “awesome dad, friend, teacher, guiding light?” One never knows …

So, when you see that birthday boy, Walter Cuje, around the towns today, know that when you wish him a Happy Birthday, it’s coming from family, too.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Walter Cuje! Get those invites out! The family table is getting bigger than the boroughs!

— Photos/Loujeanne Cuje