John Hric

John Hric, age 91 of Towaco passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 while receiving the loving care of his family.

John was born and raised in Passaic, NJ and was the oldest of three children to Steven and Anna Hric.  As a young boy, John’s parents instilled a strong work ethic in him that he never lost.  Following his graduation from Passaic High School in 1948, he played semiprofessional football for a short time.  He found work quickly becoming a construction contractor building and renovating homes in the Clifton area.  John continued building and renovating homes throughout his life even after leaving the industry.  John later became a machinist and accepted a position at Magor Car Corporation in Clifton where he aided in the manufacturing of parts for locomotive and railroad freight cars.  After many years of service to the Magor Car Corporation, the manufacturing plant closed up and John was forced to look for a new position.  He, again, found work quickly and accepted another position as a machinist at Remco Foam in Clifton where he worked for many years until his retirement in 2002.

One night in September, John was attending a Billy Graham Crusade and met an attractive young lady by the name of MaryAnn Pickett.  John and MaryAnn hit it off great and started dating.  If there was ever a case of love at first sight, this was it.  John and MaryAnn fell in love and were married only four months later on January 25, 1958.  While on their way to their honeymoon, they pulled over for a moment on the side of the NJ Turnpike so that MaryAnn could give John a birthday kiss since January 26 was indeed his birthday.  Not long after they got back on the road, they were pulled over by a NJ State trooper.  After hearing the explanation and finding out that it was indeed John’s birthday, the officer let them go on their way without any violations.

John and MaryAnn settled in a home in Clifton that John built himself. While living in Clifton, they welcomed the births of their first three children.  The family moved to Passaic in 1965 where the couple welcomed their next two children, twins.  As John’s family grew, they moved again in 1974 to Towaco where they have been ever since.

John and his family were members of the Rutherford Bible Chapel for many years and later Grace Bible Church in Pompton Plains.  John was an avid reader of the Bible and was truly devoted to his Christian Faith.  He was a hardworking man with an outstanding work ethic.  He was critically involved in the Machinist Unions at the places where he worked and was very well liked by his co-workers as well as his employers.

John never lost his love for sports as he got older.  He was a Sports Historian of sorts and treasured sharing historical sports information and stories with his friends and family.  He was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan.  It was well known that he was not a fan of the NY Yankees, but supported his grandchildren for being fans of the ball club.  John was also a fan of boxing. As a young boy, John would shine shoes outside of the pubs and taverns trying to get a glimpse of the boxing matches on TV or a bit of a listen on the radio.

But aside from all of John’s talents, hobbies, and interests, his greatest passions were for God and his family.  Nothing in the world meant more to John than his faith and  providing for and spending time with his children and grandchildren.  John and his family cherished their yearly family vacations to Florida and Tennessee.  He and his wife MaryAnn have celebrated sixty-three years of loving and loyal marriage together.  In 2018, John’s heart was broken by the passing of his daughter Deborah.  John was a gentle and humble man who would give you the shirt off his back.  He was truly loved by his friends, family and his community.  He was a sincerely special person who touched the lives of many people.   He will be sorely missed by his family and friends alike.  

John is survived by his wife MaryAnn (Pickett), four children; Jonathan Hric and his wife Caren of Washington Borough, NJ, Becky Holschuh and her husband Paul of Oak Ridge, NJ, David Hric of Lake Hiawatha, NJ, and Daniel Hric and his wife Jeannine of Newfoundland, NJ, seven grandchildren; Jonathan Hric Jr, Jesse Hric, Victoria Hric, Joshua Holschuh, Matthew Holschuh, Samantha Hric, and David Hric, and one brother Joseph Hric of Newfoundland NJ.  John was predeceased by his daughter Deborah Hric and his brother Steven Hric.