Patterson, N.y. Fire Department Brings Birthday Festivities To Glen Arden To Honor 104-year-old

March 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Goshen, N.Y. – Glen Arden’s oldest living resident, S. Delvalle Goldsmith was honored recently with a surprise 104th birthday party that included roughly a dozen members of the Patterson, N.Y. Fire Department, where Del served as department chaplain and fire policeman for 50 years.

Arrangements for the party were made by Patterson, N.Y. Fire Department Lt. John Bodor, under whom Del served while with the department.

The department’s current chaplain, Paul Maass, began the festivities by delivering an invocation and acknowledging that, although he does his best, “Del’s surely a hard act to follow!”

Along with many cards and gifts, Del, the department’s Chaplain Emeritus, was presented a white chaplain’s cap and new department “class A” uniform jacket bearing ten gold stripes on the sleeve. Each stripe represents five years of service to the department.

“The white hat is a real mark of honor normally reserved for a chief,” said Del, who was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1942. “I’d never worn a white hat in the past, just a blue one.”

Also on hand to enjoy a large sheet cake bearing the department logo were Del’s son Steve, his daughter Debby Franz, and more than 50 residents of Glen Arden, a continuing care retirement community where Del has lived independently since 2000.

To commemorate his 100th birthday, the Patterson, N.Y. Fire Department in 2000 officially named its main firehouse the “Patterson, N.Y. Fire Department, S. Del Goldsmith-Station 1” in his honor.

“Del is our treasure and it is a privilege to be one of his brother firefighters,” Chief Smith said.

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