David Dryerman, Michele Dryerman, and Brooke Dryerman of Woodcliff Lake, NJ Obituary, Death: A Family Lost, A Community United in Mourning

The town of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, continues to carry the weight of profound grief following the devastating loss of David Dryerman, his beloved wife Michele, and their cherished daughter Brooke. Their lives were tragically cut short in an accident that occurred last fall on the Garden State Parkway, a busy arterial roadway that so often serves as a corridor of daily life but, on that day, became the scene of unimaginable sorrow. In the wake of their passing, what remains is a void that continues to echo through the homes, schools, streets, and hearts of the community they so deeply touched.

The Dryerman family was not only known—they were felt. They were fixtures of Woodcliff Lake’s tightly knit social and civic landscape. Their kindness was not abstract but tangible: expressed in neighborhood events, local outreach efforts, and everyday interactions marked by warmth and sincerity. In the months since the accident, as the town has come to terms with its loss, a clearer picture has emerged—not just of the incident itself, but of the enduring legacy this extraordinary family left behind.

A Sudden, Shattering Loss on the Garden State Parkway
The accident that claimed the lives of David, Michele, and Brooke Dryerman took place on the Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s most heavily trafficked highways. Though details of the collision are not specified in public releases, the phrase “tragically passed away due to an accident” points to a fatal incident of high severity. As is often the case on major roadways—where speed, congestion, and human error intersect—accidents can be sudden and irreversible. For the Dryermans, a family outing or ordinary drive ended in a moment that would fracture the lives of everyone who knew them.

The Garden State Parkway, stretching more than 170 miles through the state, has long been both a lifeline and a liability. While it enables commutes, family visits, and commerce, it also bears a grim legacy of traffic fatalities. According to historical state data, dozens of fatal accidents occur annually along its stretch, particularly in high-speed zones or during inclement weather conditions.

Though the investigation into the Dryerman accident is not the focus of this memorial, it exists in the backdrop: a reminder that even the most ordinary moments—an afternoon drive, a return from a weekend trip—can be reshaped by forces beyond one’s control.

The Dryerman Family: Anchors of Community Life
The loss of one life is painful enough. The loss of an entire family is shattering. David, Michele, and Brooke Dryerman were more than a nuclear unit—they were a nucleus around which much of Woodcliff Lake’s community life quietly revolved.

David Dryerman, remembered for his generosity and civic-mindedness, was described by friends and neighbors as a man who carried himself with a rare blend of integrity and humility. Whether participating in local boards, helping organize neighborhood projects, or simply being a dependable presence in times of need, David earned a reputation for being someone others looked to—not for leadership in title, but for leadership in action.

Michele Dryerman, his wife, shared that same spirit of generosity. She was known for her warmth, her creativity, and her steadfast support of local schools and community programs. Parents from Brooke’s classes remember Michele as a regular presence—whether volunteering at events, baking for fundraisers, or simply offering a reassuring word to other parents navigating the joys and stresses of raising children. Michele’s approach to life was deeply relational: she built trust and friendship one gesture at a time.

Their daughter, Brooke, was the light at the center of their lives. Young, bright, and full of promise, she represented the family’s hope and future. Whether participating in local activities, excelling in school, or simply making others laugh, Brooke left her own quiet mark on those around her. Her death, layered atop that of her parents, intensified the heartbreak for the entire community.

The Response: A Community Brought to Its Knees—and to Its Feet
News of the accident spread rapidly through Woodcliff Lake and neighboring towns. The shock was immediate, followed closely by a wave of collective grief that would set into motion one of the most heartfelt public responses the town had ever seen.

At the center of this response was a candle lighting ceremony, held in the days following the tragedy. Such ceremonies are, by their nature, acts of communal mourning—but this one became something more. Residents gathered in silence, holding flickering flames that illuminated both the darkness of loss and the shared strength of the town. Eulogies were read. Prayers were whispered. And in the hush of that night, a singular truth emerged: the Dryerman family was not gone. They were present in memory, in spirit, in the very fabric of the town they helped build.

The ceremony marked not only a moment of mourning but a declaration. That the lives of David, Michele, and Brooke would not be reduced to headlines or statistics. That their contributions—large and small, public and private—would be remembered. That their legacy of kindness, so casually and generously lived, would become a standard to aspire to.

Woodcliff Lake: A Town That Remembers
Nestled in Bergen County, Woodcliff Lake is a small but vibrant suburban enclave known for its tight-knit neighborhoods, strong schools, and community-driven values. It is the kind of place where people know their neighbors by name, where local events draw multigenerational crowds, and where tragedies such as this do not pass quietly.

In the months following the Dryermans’ deaths, signs of remembrance began to emerge across town. Local schools held moments of silence. Churches offered special services. Civic groups spoke of honoring the family through ongoing initiatives—scholarships, tree plantings, or charitable partnerships that would reflect the causes they believed in.

This community response was not orchestrated from the top down, but grew organically. People brought flowers to the family’s home. Others brought meals, condolences, or simply sat in silence with grieving relatives and friends. In many ways, these actions reflected exactly what the Dryermans themselves would have done.

Legacy Through Action: What It Means to “Live Generously”
The statement that the Dryerman family was “known for their strong ties and contributions to the community” is more than a platitude. It reflects a lived ethic—a belief that the health of a community depends on the engagement of its members. David and Michele modeled that ethic consistently, in visible and invisible ways.

It may have been a donation to a local cause. A voice raised at a town hall in support of an underserved program. A visit to a sick neighbor. A Saturday afternoon spent helping a friend move. These are the actions that rarely make headlines but which build the kind of resilient, compassionate communities that towns like Woodcliff Lake are known for.

The tragedy of their deaths underscores the fragility of life, but their legacy reaffirms the strength of values—the kind that endure long after the people who lived them are gone.

The Pain of Collective Grief
When an entire family is lost, the grief that follows is complex and layered. It is not just the absence of individual lives, but the erasure of shared futures. Friends may grieve the loss of companionship. Coworkers mourn reliability. Classmates of Brooke mourn a peer whose life was just beginning to unfold. Each relationship contained its own world, and each mourner is left to reconstruct what that world meant.

Collective grief also brings logistical questions: How do we remember them appropriately? How do we support extended family left behind? How do we help children process such trauma? In the case of the Dryermans, the town responded with remarkable cohesion, recognizing that healing requires both space and solidarity.

Remembering the Dryermans: The Shape of a Legacy
To speak of a legacy is not to speak in abstraction. In the case of the Dryermans, legacy takes tangible form: in the lessons they imparted, the community they strengthened, and the example they set. Their names may be etched into plaques or programs in the future, but their true memorial lives in action.

When a neighbor checks in on another without being asked. When a young student is encouraged to be kind above all else. When a local fundraiser succeeds because someone was inspired by Michele’s generosity or David’s commitment to service. When someone stops to light a candle and remember Brooke’s smile—these are the moments in which legacy is lived, not just recalled.

Moving Forward, Together
In time, the daily routines of Woodcliff Lake will resume. Children will return to school. Meetings will be held. Life will unfold, as it must. But nothing will be quite the same. The Dryermans’ absence will remain a quiet presence. It will live in the chair left empty at a PTA meeting, the volunteer list with three names missing, the silence at a corner of a classroom.

But there is also a different kind of presence: the inspiration to live as they lived, to care as they cared, to build what they built.