Michael Quinn, “Quinny”, age 58, of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday morning, February 8, 2017.

Mike was born in Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and raised in Paramus where, while attending Paramus Catholic High School, he excelled at cross country and won many races and awards as a member of the Paramus Catholic Paladins. After graduation from high school he began attending Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. As a communications major, Quinny had dreams of working in some capacity in television or radio. It’s not surprising therefore that, while at Susquehanna, he was the voice of the university’s radio station WQSU, spinning vinyls and serving up all they latest hits to those who turned the dial to 88.9 FM on their radios. This job was perfect for Mike as he just loved music, especially musical artists like Yes, Jon Anderson and musical genres like reggae, Cajun, and other eclectic stuff. As the years rolled on, his vinyl records were slowly replaced by CD’s of which he presently had over 600!

After college, Mike ended up in computer sales and distribution. Most of his thirty-five plus year career was with Micro America Corporation of Moonachie, serving as their outside sales representative for all of New Jersey. Most recently he was serving as a consultant with several computer retailers.

Mike met his wife Jodie while at Micro America. It turns out that the company had to let the inside sales rep go, so Mike added that role to his responsibilities while the company pursued a permanent replacement. Jodie was the inside sales secretary and the two of them soon took a real liking to each other. Their first official date was to Segovia Restaurant in Moonachie. They soon fell in love and the night came when Mike planned to ask for Jodie’s hand in marriage while at a restaurant. Mike just couldn’t contain his excitement and, getting down on one knee, he asked Jodie to marry him before they even went out. She was elated at the proposition of being Quinny’s wife and they married on Saturday, September 10, 1988. After a honeymoon in Aruba, they lived for a short time in Budd Lake, then moved to their home in the Lions Head Lake section of Wayne in 1989 where they have remained to the present time. In 1993 Mike and Jodie were blessed with the birth of their daughter Shannon.

If you were to ask Mike, he would no-doubt tell you that he was enjoying the blessings of a great life! He adored his wife of 28 years and his daughter Shannon, the bills were paid, and he had time for pursuits of leisure. Mike was never bored and one of his favorite hobbies was working in the kitchen. Ask his daughter Shannon. She would tell you that he made the best orzo salad in the world. He had high standards in the kitchen so nothing came out of a can. Instead, he would make his own stocks and freeze them. Every summer when the corn was in season, he’d make a big production out of husking, cooking, blanching and removing the corn from the cob and freezing it for future use in favorite recipes like corn pudding and corn soup. With his daughter Shannon working by his side in the kitchen he was the happiest – sharing two of his greatest loves. Quinny especially loved spicy foods including Cajun recipes like jambalaya, and gumbo. Mike liked to bribe Shannon to try certain foods by offering her money as an incentive. One time he offered her $20 if she would just try a little bit of duck.

When he was younger, Mike liked to downhill ski. He’d often go with his friends to Vermont and he loved to visit his brother in New Hampshire when he’d ski at Loon Mountain. In recent years, Mike and Jodie got to travel a bit more. They enjoyed trips to Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and to Spain where they got to visit Shannon when she was there for college. They also visited California, Mexico and, while in Ireland and Scotland, Quinny got to participate in another love…..golf. He also played locally but eventually his love of Golf was overcome by his love of fishing. He and his buddy Kevin shared a small fishing boat and they loved to drop their fishing lines, early in the morning, in the saltwater down in Sandy Hook. He especially loved sea bass, fluke and flounder. He’d come home and quickly prepare it for Jodie and Shannon and he would often excitedly say something like, “Just think, this delicious fish that you are enjoying was caught just five hours ago. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!”

Mike’s family always adored his friendly, fun, good-natured disposition. He loved the simple things of life like gummy bears, sour candies, ice cream, singing the song playing over the loudspeaker in the mall and trying on funny hats, just for a laugh when shopping with his family. He was spontaneous and had difficulty keeping a secret if he had something special planned for you. One time while out shopping with Jodie, she saw a beautiful article of jewelry at an estate sale. She loved it very much but figured it was too expensive. This took place right before Christmas so Mike secretly went back and bought it for Jodie. Just like when they got engaged Mike couldn’t contain his excitement and couldn’t wait to see Jodie’s reaction so he surprised her with the gift before Christmas. His actions were always motivated by his love of family, friends, or anyone he’d meet. More concerned about others than himself, Mike was always willing to help and he would give you his last dollar if you needed it.

Mike is survived by his beloved wife Jodie (nee Tulko); his very much-loved daughter Shannon of Providence, RI; dear parents Jack and Adele Quinn of Wayne; his brother John “Jack” and wife Beth Littman-Quinn of Cape Cod, MA; his sister Lisa Arias of Wayne; and nieces and nephews: Jason, Ryan, Anna, Nicki, Stephanie, Polina, Victoria, Patrick, Joseph, and Melody. He was predeceased by his brother Jim Quinn, and his nephew John.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Michael’s name are asked to consider the NJ Sharing Network, Attn: Foundation, 691 Central Ave., New Providence, NJ 07974 (njsharingnetwork.org).