John J. Kane, Jr.

John J. Kane, Jr. died on March 14, 2021, at North Shore Medical Center in Salem, MA, surrounded by the people who loved him. During a global pandemic, the surrounding was both live and via Zoom. He is predeceased by his parents, and following the "according to age” standard, he is survived by his younger siblings, Michael, Peter, Maryanna, and their families; his wife, Millice, and his children and grandchildren.

John, born on August 12, 1941 to Mercita Loyola Brett Kane and John J. Kane, Sr., was lauded for his large cranium, which required an equally large set of forceps for delivery. As a proud graduate of Notre Dame (class of 1963), he did not outgrow his large skull and thus earned his nickname “Little Dome” at South Bend.

As an Army Officer Candidate in Fort Sill, OK, John met a blind date who turned out to be the love of his life: Millice (rhymes with police) Frey. From a blind date to love letters, from a European courtship to a Thanksgiving proposal, and finally, a September wedding. Their union resulted in 10 exceptional children (per John; apologies if you’ve been forced to praise any report cards) and 54 years of wedded bliss (give-or-take 1986-1987 when there were 5 teenagers at once).

John followed in his dad’s footsteps at Finnessy Body Corp., and subsequently worked as a manufacturer’s representative until he found his true calling as the Director of Community Development for Collingswood, NJ, where he served his community for over 15 years and was integral in transforming the town to the vibrant, destination community it now is.

Although anonymity is fundamental in Alcoholics Anonymous, John K. would publicly celebrate that he was only 3 days away from his 36th anniversary of sobriety. He committed to sobriety on March 17, 1985 and never looked back. He spent much of his free time, and a great amount of energy, in service to AA, an organization he loved and was committed to entirely.

On a more personal note, John was enormously proud of his novel, "Deliver Us from Evil", which was published in 2020. A labor of love, John was thankful to have it published and would want you to know it is available as a hardcover (click directly on the link), https://amzn.to/3tvWHD2, paperback at https://amzn.to/3qZZuT8, and as an ebook at https://amzn.to/38QQ5qH.

John’s greatest joy in life was his family. Once told by a priest that “go forth and multiply” was not the responsibility of one couple; John’s pride and purpose was in being the best father he could be to his TEN children: Gabrielle (Chris Casieri), Jessica (Michael Strauss), Sean (Araceli Anderson), Meaghan (James Benjamin), Samantha (Giovanni Rosato), Brett, Brian (Sylvia Szczerbicki), Matthew (Nootik Risek), Kevin (Kajal Patel), and Andrew (Susie Dyer). John took credit for having 23 amazing grandchildren: Ivy & James Casieri; Julia, Alexander, Naomi & Sophia Strauss; Liam, Ethan, Brendan & MaryGrace Kane; Mercita, Jersey, Stella & Elias Benjamin; Gianni, Leonardo & Matteo Rosato; MacKenzie & Sasha Kane; Anya & Maximilian Kane; Arthur & Owen Kane. He also loved his granddogs: Tony, Ziva, Stanley, Rosie, Morgan, Millie, Natoma, Luther, Dutch, Archer, Phoenix, Tully, Monkey, Rhino, and Tiber.

John’s advanced Parkinson’s Disease did not stop him from doing his favorite things: feeding the ducks, checking the mail, and eating all the chocolate. He was the best that he could be, and the world was better while he was in it. Perhaps the best thing that can be said is that he will be missed by many.

Private interment. Celebration of Life will follow when COVID restrictions allow. If you would like to view the services, they will be streamed on the following link beginning at 9:30 AM, 3/20/2021: https://m.twitch.tv/kanefamily1.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Maryville Addiction Treatment Center via websites listed below.