Elbertus “Bert” Prol formerly of Ringwood, NJ passed away October 28 after a recent disabling accident. He is survived by his wife Ann C. (Gurnee) Prol, a son, Timothy J. Prol and his fiancée Teresa Cintron, his brother Dr. Paul J. Prol and his wife L. Jean (Haas) Prol of Grand Rapids Michigan, and many cousins.
Bert was born December 17, 1943 – exactly 40 years after the Wright Brothers’ famous first-flight at Kitty Hawk – to the late Ruth Jeanette (Verblaauw) Prol and the late Elbertus J. Prol. Bert grew up in Prospect Park NJ, attending Christian schools, and graduating from Eastern Christian High School. Despite a limitation of Cerebral Palsy (he never considered it a handicap), he attended Shelton College in Cape May, NJ and The Kings’ College in Briarcliff Manor, NY, graduating in 1968 with a BA in History. He was hired by the State of New Jersey as the first Park Service curator of the Manor & Forges of Ringwood State Park, where he worked for 40 years. During his tenure as curator of Ringwood Manor he was vital to the procurement of many of the artifacts currently on display, including a number of paintings from the Hudson River School, and was responsible for restoring the Grand Hall to its original appearance by mounting the Manor’s collection of historical firearms.
In 1976, Bert helped organize a celebration of the US Bicentennial by forming an historic re-activated militia in honor of Robert Erskine who had been one of Ringwood’s early iron masters. This company of men and women recreated Colonial life via tent camping, parades and military-style drills, as an education to the general public. Bert received a great deal of kudos for his efforts to the extent that the Governor of Rhode Island conferred upon him the rank of Major in the state inactive reserve. Bert traveled to France as part of the Bicentennial project and was honored there as well, receiving the Order of St. Louis from the French Ambassador to the United States.
Bert was appointed the Borough Historian by the Ringwood Borough Council in the 1990's, a position he held for 30 years and, not being one to let a little thing like a state line stand in his way, was a founding member of the Tuxedo Historical Society as well. In collaboration with award-winning photographer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Ken Carroll, he authored an elegant, 140-page coffee table style book entitled Great Estates of Ringwood which discusses and showcases not only Ringwood Manor but, among others, St. Elizabeth’s Chapel, where he and his wife Ann were married, and where he will be interred.
He had the original idea for a St. Patrick's Day Parade in Ringwood which was started on a shoestring budget and is to this day the only parade of its type in Passaic County. In 2005 he was instrumental in organizing the participation of the Thomas McDonagh Pipe Band of Templemore Ireland in the Ringwood Parade. He also worked to have that band be the first and only Pipe Band from Ireland to march in the First Division of the New York City Parade, also in 2005. He marched annually in the New York Parade with the Veterans Corps of New York's 69th Infantry Regiment known as the "Fighting 69th," which leads the parade. Bert was also made an Honorary Member of the Regiment. In addition, he was responsible for having the 69th Regiment Armoury listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.
Due to his physical limitations, Bert was unable to serve in the US Armed Forces, but he loved his country. He was on the Fighting 69th Regimental Historical Board at the Regimental Armory in New York City. He was a Knight Templar and was persistent in his successful effort in forming a Knight Templar Commandry in Ireland. As a Templar he was inducted into the Honorable Order of St. Barbara, as well as the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem in the Cadet Chapel at West Point, NY, where he held the rank of GOTI. He read the Declaration of Independence on July 4th each year at his beloved Ringwood Manor (in full Revolutionary War era dress). He had a keen knowledge and was a student of Irish history which was second only to his love of American History.
Bert enjoyed singing both in church, where he was a member of the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Church (Franklin Lakes, NJ) for many years, and in their choir when he was in his twenties. His love for classical music was evidenced by his membership in the Musical Heritage Society, and the LP records that were frequently played in his home when his son Timothy was a child.
Those who knew Bert remember him as a dedicated, very knowledgeable, generous to his friends, and devout Christian who kept the Sabbath without fail. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.
The family will receive friends on Friday, November 5, 2021, from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM at the Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home, 530 High Mountain Road, Franklin Lakes, NJ. Funeral service on Saturday, November 6 at the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Church at 9:30 AM where Bert was a member. Please note that ladies are requested to wear hats to the church service. Interment to follow at St. Elizabeth’s Cemetery in Tuxedo Park, NY.