John Hackett

John James Hackett, age 77, of Wayne passed away on Tuesday, December 02, 2025, surrounded by his family and an immense amount of love and gratitude.

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John was born on February 13, 1948 to his loving and adoring parents, John and Margaret Hackett. John was raised in Ridgefield Park and enjoyed his childhood in small town America.  He spent his days with the neighborhood kids riding his bike all over town, playing stickball and stoopball, and coming home when the street lights came on.  One of John’s favorite things to do as a child was to run and grab the family camera when his Dad was leaving for work. That camera would then capture the “big smooch” shared by his parents, for all to see in the family photo albums.  When John was four years old, he reluctantly welcomed his sister Anne into his life but that reluctance quickly turned to seventy-three years of love and admiration.  There was nothing that John wouldn’t do for his sister and he left this world with her knowing that.

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John attended St. Frances Grammar School in Ridgefield Park and was a proud graduate and member of the inaugural freshman class of St. Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale.  He later went on to attend William Paterson College for a short time.  On March 19, 1970 John followed in his father’s footsteps and reported to ARMY boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.  The Missouri sun and John’s pale Irish skin proved to not be a friendly match.  After days of blistering sunburns, John’s commanding officer approached him and in his southern drawl stated, “Son, unless we’re fighting war in Siberia, you ain’t going to no war!”  Can’t fight in warm weather climates then became a notation in John’s ARMY file.  After bootcamp, John completed his service agreement with the New Jersey National Guard and he was Honorably Discharged.

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John was employed for thirty-five years by the SEARS Roebuck and Company, which John referred to as the Great American Company.  Throughout his thirty-five years he worked in many store locations (Hackensack, Irvington, Union City, Livingston, White Plains, Wayne, Maywood,  Paramus) and served in many different roles.  John found his niche was in working in Loss Prevention.  John took great pride in protecting the store and the company from theft and fraud and did so with a way of professionalism and grace that people noticed.  John built relationships with the local police departments that very few other Loss Prevention managers were able to do before or since.  While working at Willowbrook Mall, John even had his own typewriter in the Wayne Police Department Detective Bureau and was once honored as the Wayne PBA Citizen of the Year.  John also worked sixteen years as a security manager at Giants Stadium.  Two of his favorite events that he worked for were World Cup ‘94 and Pope John Paul II’s mass.  He loved working Giants games and he slightly tolerated working Jets games.  After retiring from SEARS, he worked briefly with the MarMAxx company, in their fraud division.

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John’s favorite things in life always revolved around his family, his faith, and dogs.  The 4th of July, to John, was like no other holiday.  Being a son of Ridgefield Park can have that effect on you, as it hosts the longest continuous running parade in America.  John could be seen standing at Preston Street and Main Street for every year of his life, minus just a few.  For years that parade ended and the party continued at the family home in Clifton.  Where family and friends gathered in John’s manicured backyard, with beautiful gardens, and the kids splashed around in the pool that he was so proud of.  John thrived in being a part of whichever church community he was in.  He was an active member as a teen and young adult in the St. Frances CYO.  At St. Phillip’s in Clifton he helped run Thursday night bingo and the annual carnival.  John took great pride in working with his hands and doing things for himself.  There wasn’t much he couldn’t fix or much he couldn’t figure out how to fix in his way (he was like MacGyver). John’s greatest trait though was his personality and humor was his greatest asset.  He had the ability to draw people in and allow them to feel seen in his presence.  If you ever met John, then you met John.  He was love personified and extended that love and grace to all that he met, even those that may not have deserved it at the time.  His heart was big and his nature was forgiving.  John found love in the many dogs that graced his life, especially his grandpuppies.  It was apropos that in his own home he welcomed two golden retrievers, a breed that shares and exudes the same qualities that he did. 

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One night in 1965 John was in the presence of the love of his life; he just didn’t know it.  You see, because on that night John was trying to avenge the honor of his cousin who had been wronged by a man and as he was being dragged out of the house screaming obscenities, he was pulled past Donna Hausler, a friend of his other cousin Noreen, who promptly asked who was that and she stated, “Oh, that was just my cousin John, don’t worry about him!”  Their second and more formal meeting came at the St. Frances car wash, where John saw Donna pull into the parking lot in her Ford Mustang and told her he needed to wash that car.  After that car wash, they were inseparable for the next sixty years.  They walked through this life, wherever they were and whoever was around, hand in hand.  Their love was one for the ages and a guide to those who witnessed it.  They were married on November 29, 1970 at St. Frances followed by a reception at The Fiesta.  They settled into an apartment in Leonia, and on January 26, 1974 welcomed their son John.  In 1975, their family of three moved into a two-family home in Clifton on Normal Avenue, after the insistence of the home owner Erik who they had met several times.  On November 14, 1977 they welcomed their daughter Kerri Anne and thought at the time, their family was complete.  In 1981, Erik came to them and said he wanted to sell them the house because they had helped him so much with the gardens and helped keep pride in the house he loved so much.  On February 8, 1983 they welcomed their son Bryan and now their family was finally complete.  The role of father came as naturally to John, as his dad jokes did.  He loved hard, he loved often, and he disciplined with love.  He believed in family dinners, he believed in having an open door for his children’s friends, and he believed in whatever it is that you did, make sure people know you care.  He was there for all the big moments and all the quiet moments, and whatever it was that his kids were doing they knew if they looked over their shoulder, he would be there.  John will miss him during Giants and Yankees games, Kerri will miss the love in his eyes as he looked at his daughter, and Bryan will miss him every time he steps foot into Rutt’s Hut.  In those memories and in those moments they will know how lucky they were to have a man like him as their father.  He also welcomed in Michael and Lauren, not as in-laws, but as a new son and a new daughter into his life.  They both were held in the same amount of love as his children.

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There was no greater role in John’s life, than that of Poppy. Bryn (his Baby doll), Caitrin (his Princess), Brady (his Best Pal), and Delaney (his Pumpkin).  The four of them brought a light to his life and he could never get enough of them.  Whether he stopped by to see them or stopped by the house when they weren’t home, they always knew Poppy was there because their favorite snack or candy was left on the counter or their favorite ice cream was left in the freezer.  A little something to say here is something you love left by someone who loves you immensely.  John relished in the fact that, in retirement, he was able to enjoy his grandchildren in a completely different way than he was able to enjoy his children.  When they came to the house for the day he was up making breakfast, he was taking them on walks in the stroller, he thoroughly enjoyed partaking in nap time with them, and he always ended the day with a trademark Poppy hug and kiss.  They will live their lives knowing what unconditional love is because Poppy helped teach them that.

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John is survived by his devoted wife of fifty-five years, Donna (nee Hausler), their three children John, Kerri O’Rourke and her husband Michael, and Bryan and his wife Lauren, his grandchildren, Bryn, Caitrin, Brady, and Delaney, his sister Anne, and his adored cousin Noreen and her husband Ron (a childhood friend of John’s), Brother-in-law Jack Hausler and his wife Kathy, along with nieces and nephews that he loved as his own.  John was predeceased by many people in his life that he had great love for but most importantly his father John and mother Margaret, who we know were waiting in front of the gates of Heaven to bring their Johnny home.

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In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in the name of John Hackett to Found Abilities, 30 Woodridge Terrace Wayne, NJ 07470.  John had great love for the special needs community and nothing would make him happier than knowing his name is helping keep them active in this world.