Justino Z. Benemerito

A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church 346 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ, on Saturday July 8, 2023 at 10:30am. Entombment will follow at The Chapel at Short Hills Mausoleum 451 Millburn Ave., Millburn, NJ.

Visitation will be on Friday July 7, 2023 from 4-8pm at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home 145 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ.

Born in Negros Oriental, the Philippine Islands (September 26, 1930), Justino was the second born of six children and eldest son. He spent his youth and early-adulthood there and went to the Cebu Institute of Technology, where he received two Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering in 1955. He then moved to Manila where he met his wife, Dolores Aguilar, at National Power Corp., where they both worked in 1964. The two were married in 1966 and started a family together, with the birth of their children Raymond, James, and Susan.

In 1971, Justino left the Philippines to immigrate to the USA (Newark, New Jersey), temporarily leaving his family behind, with the goal and success of bringing them over a year later. While in Newark, Justino was a hard working engineer at Western Electric with various management and supervisory roles and was a part of the Local 68 Operating Engineers Union. Justino and his family eventually left Newark in 1975, and created a home together in West Orange, NJ, where they lived for 46 years. While living in New Jersey, he started his own business 'Benemerito Electric' as a Licensed Electrical Contractor in 1984, and eventually retired in 2004 after a long and successful career, including time as a NJ State Electrical inspector.

Alongside and after his career, Justino saw his family grow, as each of his children started their own family and made him a beloved Lolo to six grandchildren: Matthew, Melanie, Mark, Lily, Chase, and Charlotte.

Justino was a life-long and devout catholic and was a dedicated member to St. Raphael’s Parish for 46 years, where he also participated in their choir. He will be remembered as a fun-loving, kind, and compassionate husband, father, Lolo, brother, uncle, and friend. He and his wife spent their free time with friends and family and traveling the world together.

He is pre-deceased by his parents, Santiago Benemerito and Christina Benemerito (nee Zerna); his sister, Rosario Villanueva, and her husband, Titoy; his brother, Dr. Eusebio “Boy” Benemerito, and his wife, Dr. Maria S. Benemerito; his sister-in-law, Odalea Benemerito; and his son-in-law Bill LaPointe.

His legacy and memory live on in his beloved wife, Dolores, of 57 years; his children, Raymond (husband to Kathleen), James, and Susan LaPointe; his darling Apos, Matthew, Melanie, Mark, Lily, Chase, and Charlotte; and his siblings, Orencita Castillo, Paul Benemerito, and Helen Parreno. In addition to an expansive network of family and friends.

We celebrate his life, his memories, and his legacy, and will always pray and remember him.

In Lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, with a designation to the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute (https://www.f4mmc.org/donate-now/). Justino received exceptional care at Gagnon during his several hospital stays in the past year.