John G. Merrick

John George Merrick. 

Sunrise 09/25/1946. Sunset 10/11/2023. 

John was born in Bayonne, NJ to his pre deceased parents Winifred (Kuhl) Merrick and Thomas Joseph Merrick Sr., 77 years ago.

Beloved husband of Sandra (Mongelli) Merrick. Beloved brother of James Merrick and Alma Merrick. Predeceased by his brothers Thomas, Ronald, Richard and William Merrick. 

Beloved Father of Jennifer (Merrick) Martiak and Thomas Martiak; Jacqueline (Cosgrove) Aiello and Vito Aiello; Robert Stanzione and Jessica Stanzione and James Cosgrove. Beloved Grandfather of Rebecca (Aiello) Mitchell, Sophie Martiak, Jacob and Vincent Stanzione. Great Grandfather of Elizabeth Mitchell. Beloved uncle to many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

John lived in Bayonne for nearly 71 years, before retiring to Toms River , NJ. 

He attended Roosevelt Elementary School  and was under the beloved guidance of Father DelMonte. Then he attended Bayonne High School and went on later in his life to attend Jersey City State College (the teachers college as he referred to it) for continuing education credits. 

John enlisted in the army in 1966 and went into the Vietnam War in 1967. He proudly served his country until 1968 and was a loyal member of the Vietnam Veterans until recently. Upon his arrival home he entered the police academy and became one of our very own finest in blue and served his City of Bayonne until retiring in 1994. John was a member of the Bayonne Police Department Color Guard. He was especially known for covering the beat from First street to 8th street until he moved into his assignment at Bayonne City Hall where he worked until he retired from the police department. He was known around town by the old timers all the way to the newcomers as being a fair and just police officer who played the books. He admired his colleagues, was respected by his peers and was loved by the citizens of Bayonne. He went on after retirement to work as an armed courier for a company in Nutley, NJ and then back to Bayonne to work as an armed courier for BCB Bank until he retired in 2017. 

John loved his family, friends, his community and his dogs and cats with his whole heart. He was extremely bright and loved reading and learning about history and watching the discovery channel. He was a beloved Mets and Giants fan. And always rooted for New Jersey teams. He was our Hero. He was a tough Irish guy with grit, humility and honesty, a true gentleman among gentlemen. He was our hero and will be eternally missed. 

The family will receive relatives and friends on Sunday, October 15, 2023 12:00pm - 4:00pm with a 3:30pm funeral service at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 145 St. Catherine Blvd., Toms River.  

Condolences maybe sent to the family by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com. 

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