Water View’s Lena Sickal now twice honored

Back in July, the Upper Middlesex Volunteer Fire Department’s (UMVFD) Independence Day parade and festivities had Lena Sickal as its grand marshal for the second time in parade history.

Sickal, 91, was grand marshal in 2014 and again in 2024. “It had been 10 years since she was our grand marshal,” said UMVFD Fire Chief Billy Collier. “We took a break from doing the parade for a while because of COVID-19 and other reasons.”

“We brought it back last year but did not name a grand marshal. When it came up this year we felt Mrs. Sickal should be it again as she is one of the last surviving members of our early women’s auxiliary still living in Water View.”

Lena Sickal and her late husband, Bernard Sickal, were involved in the start of the Water View Fire Department and ladies auxiliary.

The couple settled in Water View where they raised their son, the late Dean Sickal. Bernard Sickal ran a bulldozer business and Mrs. Sickal started in 1956 working for Garrett’s Marina Inc. at Center Cross in Essex County and retired from there after 45 years. Mr. Sickal was also a coach on the Church View Little League baseball team at the start of the Middlesex Little League Program in 1958.

“We were honored to have Mrs. Sickal as our grand marshal again,” said Collier. “She represents all the folks who had the foresight to start the fire department in this end of the county.”