UPDATE: Tributes flow after death of Mt. Arlington Mayor Arthur Ondish

Tributes were pouring in Wednesday after municipal, county, state and national leaders learned of the death of Mount Arlington Mayor Arthur Ondish on Tuesday following a 2-1/2 year battle with cancer.

"This is Art's family wanting to let you all know that he has passed on to be with the Lord. Please don't be sad, but take this time to remember the good times and celebrate his life. .. we all know that's what he would want. Love to all ... ," his family posted on the mayor's Facebook page.

His wife, Yvonne Ondish, said on Wednesday that the entire Ondish family appreciated the hundreds of comments they have seen on social media since her husband's passing.

"Art did things not to get credit, he wanted to help people," she said. "He started the Mayor's Book Club and enjoyed reading to the kids. He enjoyed the tree-lighting ceremony because the kids would come around. Scouts, Halloween, anything with kids he loved. That's what people didn't know about him."

"He was just a great-hearted, loving person, kind and generous to all," said his brother, Robert Ondish. "And he never bragged or talked about (his public service). It was just from the heart."

Ondish was in the second year of his fourth term as mayor of the borough after running unopposed for re-election in 2014. Prior to his years in the mayor's office, Ondish spent six years on the borough council and was council president from 1999 to 2003.

"We became very close over the years," said Wharton Mayor William Chegwidden, who met Ondish before either one of them had been elected mayor. "I loved him to death. You can't say a bad word about Art Ondish. He was a friend to everybody, but he told it the way it was, in a nice way, without demeaning anyone. Always eloquent in his speech. We would go out to dinner together, travel together. It was a fun ride. He was a great guy, a great sense of humor."

Chegwidden said he last spoke to his friend on Saturday.

"He said 'I don't know if I can make my niece's wedding,' — which is Saturday, by the way — 'Can you do the ceremony for me?' " Chegwidden said. "Of course I said I would. Then he also said 'Can you also say a few words about me at my funeral?' That's when it hit me. I'm a basket case right now, to tell you the truth."

In 2010, Ondish was voted by other New Jersey mayors to the post of first vice president of the state League of Municipalities, a volunteer role in which he helped  the state's 566 municipalities get their concerns across to county, state and federal governments.

“I was terribly saddened to learn of the passing of Mount Arlington Mayor Art Ondish," Assemblyman Dave Rible (R-Monmouth) wrote in a statement on behalf of the New Jersey Assembly Republicans organization. "I had the privilege of getting to know Art when he served (with) the New Jersey League of Municipalities and I was incredibly impressed by his passion for public service. Most importantly, Art was one of the nicest people I have met in politics and I am thankful I had the chance to develop a friendship with him."

More tributes followed after news of the mayor's passing reached Trenton and Washington.

“This week, Mount Arlington lost one of the borough’s greatest public servants, Mayor Art Ondish," said Rep. Leonard Lance, who represents Mount Arlington and District 7 in Congress. "Mayor Ondish was a lifelong resident of the borough and had deep roots in Mount Arlington  ... Art worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the residents of Mount Arlington and left his mark on the local community for many generations to follow. He will be missed.”

"It takes a very special kind of person to serve in local government: one willing to devote countless hours, often with little or no thanks, for little or no pay, seeking only to improve the lives of one’s neighbors," said Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll, who represents Mount Arlington along with Anthony M. Bucco in the New Jersey Assembly. "Many folks give it a few years, but find the demands on their time too great. Mayor Ondish exemplified that spirit of service over self. He spent decades serving the people of Mount Arlington, helping guide the development of the municipality, working tirelessly to improve the lives of its residents, ever on the watch for innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. He was a frequent correspondent of mine, educating me on matters affecting local government which came before the Legislature, and I found his input invaluable."

“Mayor Ondish was a tireless public servant who clearly had the best interest of Mount Arlington at heart always," Bucco said. "History will prove the programs and policies that he implemented during his tenure on the council and as mayor will serve Mount Arlington well, not just for the present but for many years to come. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”

According to a 2010 Daily Record election profile, Ondish also was a member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and a member of the Mayors' Committee for A Green Future - Sustainable Jersey.

“Art Ondish was one of the most respected politicians in Morris County and in the State of New Jersey," said Parsippany Mayor James Barberio. "He was a true leader and a gentleman who was not only a dear friend to me, but was a friend of all the towns. Art was a caring individual who found his purpose in life and made every day count. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. May he rest in peace."

"He was a great guy," said Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi. "I know there were some difficult issues on occasion in Mount Arlington, but in terms of dealing with him, he could not have been nicer to me. He always worked very hard for the town he loved, and will be missed."

Ondish also served as chairman of the Lake Hopatcong Commission form 2004 to 2009, and enjoyed boating and water skiing on Lake Hopatcong, fishing and riding snowmobiles in the winter.

“We are sad to hear about Mayor Ondish’s passing and our hearts go out to his family," said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "We worked closely with Art for many years. Art really loved Lake Hopatcong and worked tirelessly to clean up and protect the lake. He was also a strong advocate for Highlands preservation and maintaining our clean drinking water throughout the region. I worked with him on issues such as open space, clean water and recycling. He was an environmental leader as mayor. Art will be missed."

"Unlike a lot of mayors, Art had the guts to be creative even when it hurt him politically," said longtime Daily Record political columnist Fred Snowflack. "I recall how he proposed doing away with the borough police and arranging coverage with another town. It proved to be unpopular, but it would have been a way to reduce, albeit a little, property taxes."

"My heart goes out to his family," said Sen. Anthony R. Bucco. "We didn't always agree, but it was never adversarial. We were good friends. He was a good man and a good mayor."

According to the borough website, Ondish's family traces its history in Mount Arlington back to the late 1930s when his grandparents built a summer home on Bertrand's Island.

"My mom and dad purchased a home on the island in the 1950s," Ondish wrote. "They were volunteers in the borough for over 30 years. My two brothers and I were raised in that house until I moved out in 1992. I made a big move across the street where I have lived since then with my wife."

"When we look at Lake Hopatcong, and see its sparkle, it will always remind us of Art," Tittel said.

According to his obituary, Ondish was employed at JCP&L for 20 years, left there and worked at an engineering firm for almost five years before taking a job with PSE&G in 2012 as a regional public affairs manager.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; his mother, Joyce; two brothers, Robert and John and his wife, Debra, and many nieces, nephews and close friends.

Memorial arrangements are being handled by the Leber-Lakeside Funeral Home, 150 Landing Road, Landing, NJ. A life celebration will take place there from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday. A private cremation ceremony will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks people to consider donating to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 203 Eyland Avenue, Succasunna, NJ 07876 or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at https://giving.mskcc.org/.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com