Nicholas D. Kaltneckar

Nicholas D. Kaltneckar, 81, of Westfield entered eternal life on August 5, 2024.

Carving his skis around the gates on the icy racecourse was his idea of living. Nighttime skiing was even better. He loved his teammates and members of the Short Hill Ski Club. They raced in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont and competed against local ski clubs.

Before the skiing started, Nick played school sports. He was a member of the Farmers Wrestling Team of Union High School. The team was a powerhouse. They won the state championship frequently. Nick won the individual state championship in his weight class regularly.

He continued wrestling at Seton Hall University. This was another powerhouse team that collected team and individual championships.  Nick won a tri-state championship in his weight class. The competing states were New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

After college he joined the Navy for several years. Nick served at sea. He went onto to work in business. His first job was Bamberger’s. Nick was the control manager, responsible for the finances.  He went on to computer work, or IT. Nick worked for Johnson and Johnson, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch.

Nick always came back to water: liquid or solid. Sailing on his secondhand sailboat with his first mate, Betty Ann, and oh yes the dog went too. Scotch was second mate. He sailed in New Jersey and New York waters. He later added on his third mate, Kerry, and then his fourth mate, Daniel.

Fishing was another sporting event for Nick. He took Betty Ann, Kerry, and Dan. Somehow Betty Ann became too busy to go. But she was willing to cook the fish.