Obituary of Dirk Schoneveld

Dirk Schoneveld passed away peacefully on March 17, 2023 at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ at the young age of 61. Dirk was a loving husband, father, PopPop, brother, uncle, and friend to many.

Dirk was born in Boonton, NJ and raised in Lake Hiawatha where he lived with his parents who immigrated from the Netherlands and his 4 siblings. Soon after meeting his wife, Lauren, he made the Indian Lake section of Denville his community and family. Dirk was very proud of his Dutch heritage and was not afraid to let everyone know it. His famous saying – “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much”. He successfully completed his education at Parsippany High School class of 1980. After high school Dirk established his profession as an HVAC mechanic and later finished his career as a Facilities Engineer for Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ. No matter what was happening in the hospital he always made people laugh and put a smile on their face. He was a proud Atlantic Health worker even through the pandemic. He loved helping others in need and was known to his family as “our hero”.

Dirk was a true family man with a sensitive soul. He loved and supported his kids all throughout their sports, life, and now adult hood. He was always found on the sideline cheering or with the team coaching. Every summer he looked forward to family vacations to the Jersey shore where he found time to relax, drink a cold one, and enjoy the ocean air.

When he was home the most common place to find him was in his garage or in front of the television watching a New York Giants game, New York Yankees game, or Nascar on a Sunday. He always looked forward to the Daytona 500. Dirk was a big M.A.S.H fan, so much so that no matter what he was doing he had to make sure he was home by 7pm everyday to watch it. He was known to be the life of the party and the star of the show. He played an excellent air guitar and had superb dancing skills. Dirk was a proud husband and father, but out of all his titles, his greatest and proudest was “PopPop”.

Dirks memory will live on forever through his devoted wife of 33 years Lauren Schoneveld. His beloved children Kelly (Marvin) Santos and William “Bill” Schoneveld. His sweet grandchildren Peyton and Carson Santos. His siblings Nelie (David) Zerman, Jack (Diane) Schoneveld, Rosalia Johnson, and Cornelia (Carl) Fales. His brother and sister-in-law Kathleen (Jack) Doran and Thomas (Julia) Ahern. His mother-in-law Elizabeth Ahern. Along with his nieces and nephews, Meghan, Daniel, Patrick, Kayla, Emily, Brent, Kyle, Sean, and Kevin. He is predeceased by his parents Ephriam and Neeltje Schoneveld and his father-in-law Thomas Ahern.

Public Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 21st from 4 - 8 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville. Funeral Service will take place on Wednesday, March 22nd at 10 am at Parsippany Presbyterian Church, 1675 US-46, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Boonton.  In lieu of flowers, his Memorial Donations are being accepted in his memory to The Comprehensive Stroke Center at Overlook Hospital Foundation and can be made by way of www.inmemof.org. Please leave a condolence, light a candle, and share your favorite memory of Dirk here to continue to celebrate his incredible life and to let his light shine.