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November 13, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Friday, November 16, 2012 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 17, 2012 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where a 10:00 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
John, J. “Jack” McKeown, age 80 of Lakewood, NJ and formerly of Wayne, died peacefully on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
Jack was one of four of John and Grace McKeown’s children, born and raised in Paterson near St. John’s Cathedral. As a child he attended St. John’s Grammar School and later, St. John’s High School where he was part of the 1949 state champion St. John Ramblers varsity basketball team while his wife-to-be was captain of the cheerleading squad.
Following graduation from high school, Jack took a job with The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company. After work, he’d customarily get together with his buddies and eventually they all decided to join the U.S. Navy. Enlisting in 1951 during the period of the Korean Conflict he served in France, Denmark, England, Copenhagen and the Caribbean.
Upon his return to the United States, Jack made a call from Norfolk, VA to that captain of the cheerleading squad he never forgot from high school. Her name was Margaret Lyness but everyone called her Alice. Their first date was December 31, 1951…..New Years Eve! They enjoyed a wonderful evening of celebration and first date excitement at the Northwood Dinner Club in Butler. That date lead to more dates, and eventually to engagement followed by a marriage ceremony on September 5, 1953 at St. George Parish on Getty Ave. in Paterson with Monsignor Brestel officiating. Following the ceremony and reception, the young newlyweds honeymooned for three days at the Paradise Valley Lodge in the Poconos before settling down in their first home at 70 Genessee Avenue in Paterson.
With his days of service to his country behind and with his new wife by his side, Jack returned to his work at the A&P. The family eventually moved to Rosedale Ave. in Clifton where he and Alice welcomed and raised their son Jack in 1954 and Kathleen in 1957. Jack continued to ascend the ranks at the A&P working his way up from store clerk to store manager in Westwood all the way up to director of management information systems at the corporate level. The McKeown’s eventually moved to Wayne and after 31 his years with the A&P Jack took a position with National Cash Register (NCR) where he served as a financial consultant until fully retiring in 1994.
There is a Chinese proverb that says “A family with a grandfather has a living treasure of gold.” Jack was that treasure of gold to his four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He loved each one of them passionately and to him they were the treasures of gold. One of the favorite memories of Jack was a little event that he called “Donut Day.” Every Saturday, Jack would take his grandchildren to mass at his parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wayne. After mass, they were off to the Packanack Lake Bakery for donuts and then to the little candy store next door. Jack knew every detail of his grandchildren’s lives, in some cases even more than their own parents knew. After retiring, he coached the two youngest grandsons, Danny and Tommy at the Wayne Boy’s Club for basketball. He would call them regularly, even when they were in college! He was most proud of knowing that his granddaughter Jennifer received her Masters in Education while one of his grandsons, Daniel had become a lawyer and his other two grandsons Brian and Thomas were presently in law school.
Jack enjoyed good food, good friends, watching television—especially Giants, Yankees and Notre Dame games, any golfing event, and cowboy western movies. Throughout his life he enjoyed his many dogs: Rascal, Kelly, Daisy and Isaiah. He enjoyed good times vacationing with his entire family, most notably on trips to Puerto Rico and the 50th wedding anniversary cruise to Nova Scotia. So great was his love for the ocean, in 1998, he and Alice moved to Lakewood, NJ, right across the street from his brother Bob and his wife Marie. His other brother Jim and wife Jay would visit frequently! Jack loved this as they all enjoyed a very special and close relationship.
Jack is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Alice (Lyness), his dear daughter Kathleen and husband Brian McGrady, his four grandchildren: Jennifer Tafuri and husband Nicholas, Brian McGrady and wife Elaine, Daniel McGrady and wife Jessica, and Thomas McGrady; his two great-grandchildren: Michael and Brandon Tafuri; and his two brothers and one sister: James and wife Jay McKeown of Wayne, Robert and wife Marie McKeown of Lakewood, and Florence Cronin of Vernon. John was predeceased by his son John J. McKeown in 1976.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory to Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 0750, would be appreciated. For more information and a photo visit www.vandermay.com.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Friday, November 16, 2012 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 17, 2012 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where a 10:00 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
November 13, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 7-9 PM on Friday, November 16, 2012 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Funeral services will be held 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 17, 2012 from the funeral home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where a 10:00 AM Funeral Mass will be offered.
Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Totowa.
John, J. “Jack” McKeown, age 80 of Lakewood, NJ and formerly of Wayne, died peacefully on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
Jack was one of four of John and Grace McKeown’s children, born and raised in Paterson near St. John’s Cathedral. As a child he attended St. John’s Grammar School and later, St. John’s High School where he was part of the 1949 state champion St. John Ramblers varsity basketball team while his wife-to-be was captain of the cheerleading squad.
Following graduation from high school, Jack took a job with The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company. After work, he’d customarily get together with his buddies and eventually they all decided to join the U.S. Navy. Enlisting in 1951 during the period of the Korean Conflict he served in France, Denmark, England, Copenhagen and the Caribbean.
Upon his return to the United States, Jack made a call from Norfolk, VA to that captain of the cheerleading squad he never forgot from high school. Her name was Margaret Lyness but everyone called her Alice. Their first date was December 31, 1951…..New Years Eve! They enjoyed a wonderful evening of celebration and first date excitement at the Northwood Dinner Club in Butler. That date lead to more dates, and eventually to engagement followed by a marriage ceremony on September 5, 1953 at St. George Parish on Getty Ave. in Paterson with Monsignor Brestel officiating. Following the ceremony and reception, the young newlyweds honeymooned for three days at the Paradise Valley Lodge in the Poconos before settling down in their first home at 70 Genessee Avenue in Paterson.
With his days of service to his country behind and with his new wife by his side, Jack returned to his work at the A&P. The family eventually moved to Rosedale Ave. in Clifton where he and Alice welcomed and raised their son Jack in 1954 and Kathleen in 1957. Jack continued to ascend the ranks at the A&P working his way up from store clerk to store manager in Westwood all the way up to director of management information systems at the corporate level. The McKeown’s eventually moved to Wayne and after 31 his years with the A&P Jack took a position with National Cash Register (NCR) where he served as a financial consultant until fully retiring in 1994.
There is a Chinese proverb that says “A family with a grandfather has a living treasure of gold.” Jack was that treasure of gold to his four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He loved each one of them passionately and to him they were the treasures of gold. One of the favorite memories of Jack was a little event that he called “Donut Day.” Every Saturday, Jack would take his grandchildren to mass at his parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wayne. After mass, they were off to the Packanack Lake Bakery for donuts and then to the little candy store next door. Jack knew every detail of his grandchildren’s lives, in some cases even more than their own parents knew. After retiring, he coached the two youngest grandsons, Danny and Tommy at the Wayne Boy’s Club for basketball. He would call them regularly, even when they were in college! He was most proud of knowing that his granddaughter Jennifer received her Masters in Education while one of his grandsons, Daniel had become a lawyer and his other two grandsons Brian and Thomas were presently in law school.
Jack enjoyed good food, good friends, watching television—especially Giants, Yankees and Notre Dame games, any golfing event, and cowboy western movies. Throughout his life he enjoyed his many dogs: Rascal, Kelly, Daisy and Isaiah. He enjoyed good times vacationing with his entire family, most notably on trips to Puerto Rico and the 50th wedding anniversary cruise to Nova Scotia. So great was his love for the ocean, in 1998, he and Alice moved to Lakewood, NJ, right across the street from his brother Bob and his wife Marie. His other brother Jim and wife Jay would visit frequently! Jack loved this as they all enjoyed a very special and close relationship.
Jack is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Alice (Lyness), his dear daughter Kathleen and husband Brian McGrady, his four grandchildren: Jennifer Tafuri and husband Nicholas, Brian McGrady and wife Elaine, Daniel McGrady and wife Jessica, and Thomas McGrady; his two great-grandchildren: Michael and Brandon Tafuri; and his two brothers and one sister: James and wife Jay McKeown of Wayne, Robert and wife Marie McKeown of Lakewood, and Florence Cronin of Vernon. John was predeceased by his son John J. McKeown in 1976.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory to Eva’s Village, 393 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 0750, would be appreciated. For more information and a photo visit www.vandermay.com.
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