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Filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille visited this church in Pompton Lakes
Cecil B. DeMille, the director of The Ten Commandments and other religious epics, attended Christ Episcopal Church in New Jersey in his youth.
POMPTON LAKES — Jerry McMinn, a retired emergency medical technician whose family owned the wildly popular Old Barn Milk Bar in neighboring Wayne for more than five decades, died Wednesday. He was 93.
An obituary said McMinn died peacefully at his county home surrounded by family, including his wife of 67 years, Joan McMinn, whom he met while volunteering at an area hospital.
The business, an ice cream shop known for its huge portions and rustic beauty, was an institution until it closed in December 2001. The property at the intersection of Dawes Highway and Hamburg Turnpike is now home to a QuickChek convenience store and gas station.
McMinn initially owned the barn with his older brother, the late Robert McMinn, an Army veteran who bought it after returning from combat duty after World War II. Their sons later took over the operation and expanded the menu to offer everything from calorie-conscious frozen yogurt to tuna sandwiches.
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But ice cream was what sustained the family business for so many years. According to a July 1996 newspaper article, there were 21 flavors and the scoops were “almost the size of melons.”
McMinn was also very successful in his volunteer work.
During his 65 years with the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale First Aid Unit, he responded to hundreds of emergency calls and delivered 13 babies. The unit’s headquarters on Ramapo Avenue bears his name.
Gerald A. McMinn, an Army veteran of the Korean War, grew up in Butler and graduated from the public high school there.
In addition to his wife, McMinn leaves behind three children, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The family will receive visitors from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the M. John Scanlan Funeral Home, 781 Newark Pompton Turnpike in Pequannock Township.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your local community, subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: [email protected]
