Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 9-10 AM. A 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will follow at Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne. Burial will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery, N. Arlington, NJ.
John J. Zarych, age 89 and formerly of Clifton, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 in New Brunswick.
John grew up in Newark, the youngest of six children, and attended St. Casimir’s RC School. While he was in high school, World War II captured John’s enthusiasm and he joined the U.S. Navy in 1945, just before turning eighteen. Joining the Navy was a big step for a city kid from Newark, considering that he only recently learned to swim after his brothers threw him into Newark Bay. Enlisting as a Seaman Apprentice, he was trained as a photographer and captured countless images for the Navy during a career that spanned twenty seven years. He retired from the Navy in 1972 after earning the Vietnam Service Medal with a Bronze Star. Being such a young ‘retired’ man didn’t suit him, so he took a job at the Montclair Post Office where he worked until officially retiring in 1987.
John remained very close with his family and lived with his siblings and mother as they moved from Newark to the new family home in Clifton in 1959. John cared for his mother at home until her passing and he lived with and cared for each of his siblings throughout his many years in Clifton. He was a loving and caring man who was devoted to his family. John, along with his brother Ted, moved to Cedar Crest Village in 2010 where he enjoyed meeting many new people.
John also enjoyed gambling and was a very careful card player, no doubt a skill he honed during his many years in the Navy. His annual tradition every March, right after his birthday, was to drive out to Las Vegas where he would play cards for two weeks before making the drive home again. When the long trip to Las Vegas was too much for him to handle, Atlantic City became his new go-to place for playing Blackjack and slot machines. He really loved his time in the casinos. He also enjoyed being a part of the life of events of his nieces and nephews and their families. He was also devoted to his church, St. Andrews in Clifton, and he loved his cars.
John is survived by five nieces and nephews; Mary Di Tore and her husband Peter of Wayne, Ken Karnas of Wantage, Anthony Karnas and his wife Claire of S. Carolina, Stephen Karnas and his wife Barbara of Florida, and Michael Karnas and his wife Kathleen of New York, and many more great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by his siblings Albina, Helen, Thaddeus, Walter, and Mary.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 9-10 AM. A 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will follow at Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne. Burial will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery, N. Arlington, NJ.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, March 21, 2016 from 9-10 AM. A 10:30 AM Funeral Mass will follow at Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne. Burial will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery, N. Arlington, NJ.
John J. Zarych, age 89 and formerly of Clifton, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 in New Brunswick.
John grew up in Newark, the youngest of six children, and attended St. Casimir’s RC School. While he was in high school, World War II captured John’s enthusiasm and he joined the U.S. Navy in 1945, just before turning eighteen. Joining the Navy was a big step for a city kid from Newark, considering that he only recently learned to swim after his brothers threw him into Newark Bay. Enlisting as a Seaman Apprentice, he was trained as a photographer and captured countless images for the Navy during a career that spanned twenty seven years. He retired from the Navy in 1972 after earning the Vietnam Service Medal with a Bronze Star. Being such a young ‘retired’ man didn’t suit him, so he took a job at the Montclair Post Office where he worked until officially retiring in 1987.
John remained very close with his family and lived with his siblings and mother as they moved from Newark to the new family home in Clifton in 1959. John cared for his mother at home until her passing and he lived with and cared for each of his siblings throughout his many years in Clifton. He was a loving and caring man who was devoted to his family. John, along with his brother Ted, moved to Cedar Crest Village in 2010 where he enjoyed meeting many new people.
John also enjoyed gambling and was a very careful card player, no doubt a skill he honed during his many years in the Navy. His annual tradition every March, right after his birthday, was to drive out to Las Vegas where he would play cards for two weeks before making the drive home again. When the long trip to Las Vegas was too much for him to handle, Atlantic City became his new go-to place for playing Blackjack and slot machines. He really loved his time in the casinos. He also enjoyed being a part of the life of events of his nieces and nephews and their families. He was also devoted to his church, St. Andrews in Clifton, and he loved his cars.
John is survived by five nieces and nephews; Mary Di Tore and her husband Peter of Wayne, Ken Karnas of Wantage, Anthony Karnas and his wife Claire of S. Carolina, Stephen Karnas and his wife Barbara of Florida, and Michael Karnas and his wife Kathleen of New York, and many more great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by his siblings Albina, Helen, Thaddeus, Walter, and Mary.
Guestbook