Robert E. DeBlock Jr. of Wantage passed away on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at his home. He was 70.
Born in Paterson to Robert E. DeBlock Sr. and Elizabeth (VanHoven) DeBlock, Bob grew up in Hawthorne and lived in Oakland before moving to Sussex County in 2004.
He had been employed as an assistant manager at ShopRite in West Milford for the past 22 years.
He was a former member of the Wantage United Methodist Church.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Barbara Geisert, in 2023 and his brother-in-law, Peter VanDerVelde, in 2024.
Bob is survived by his devoted wife of 48 years, Mary (VanDerVelde); his son, Timothy DeBlock and his wife Tracy Praml of Oakland; his daughter, Kathryn Cook and her husband Ronald of Oak Ridge; his brother, Scott DeBlock and his wife Heidi of Scarborough, Maine; his sister, Joan Arfsten and her husband Ted of Leyland, N.C.; his four grandchildren, Thomas, Riley, Gabriella and Logan; his in-laws, Ruth Weiss and her husband Arthur of Franklin Lakes, Paul VanDerVelde and his wife Christine of Mahwah, and Lorraine VanDerVelde of Riverdale; and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may pay their respects to the family on Friday, Oct. 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pinkel Funeral Home, 31 Bank St. (Route 23), Sussex. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Old Clove Church, 889 Route 23, Wantage, with interment immediately following at Clove Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Robert’s memory to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Online condolences may be offered to the family at pinkelfuneralhome.com