John G. Mahoney

Fighting all the way to the end while remaining true to himself, John G. Mahoney, 93, of Chemung, NY died on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Friday, July 16, 2021 after a decades-long battle with metastasized skin cancer. He passed peacefully at home surrounded and supported by family amid lots of love.

Born in Jersey City to the late William and Ann (Tyrrell) Mahoney the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic, he had lived in Bayonne, Cherry Hill, Mt. Holly, Ridgewood, Toms River, New Providence (NJ); Henrietta, Churubusco (NY). He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 48 years, Dorothy L Mahoney, his cherished sons David and Jeffery, his dear sisters (and their husbands) Eileen Cullen (Frank), Patricia Elliot (Mort), and dear brothers William and Francis Mahoney.

He served in the U.S. Army in Germany immediately following WWII and was a graduate of St. Peter’s College. Jack’s kaleidoscopic career touched many roles & industries: selling newspapers as a Depression-era kid, night-time dispatcher, pharmaceuticals chemist, even supporting the US nuclear submarine program and the Apollo lunar module prime contractor. In the water treatment industry he serviced and supplied many businesses and state facilities (including hospitals, corrections facilities, and universities) scattered across the Northeast. This career culminated in his 24 years as the driving force (chemist, salesman, CEO) of Bond Water & Energy Consultants in Upper Saddle River, NJ. He retired in 1990.

Always ready with something to say regarding just about anything, he kindly—though sometimes bluntly—shared a wealth of wisdom with friends and family…even if he *occasionally* assigned humorously erroneous names to persons, places, and things (The McDonald’s Big Ben sandwich was infamous; often Pats became Kathys and Kathys Pats.). Any one conversation might twist & turn through the doings of his children or grandchildren to the common sense of St Thomas Aquinas to the strengths (or weaknesses) of the current occupant of the White House; from recent scientific discoveries to classic authors to the superior cinematic storytelling of 1940s Charlie Chan serials over Indiana Jones and Avatar; from Agatha Christie mysteries to Tom Clancy or John LeCarré thrillers to the nature of hearing loss; even the mechanism behind his misnomers intrigued him.

Jack took family, friendship, and personal obligations very seriously. When he helped his children with homework or enlisted their assistance with household tasks and repairs, he always kept his eye on the larger objective of mentoring them in the values of seeking understanding, pursuing competence, maintaining integrity, and achieving independence. His ‘test’ of friendship was captured in his bear-in-the-cave question: Could you trust this person completely to watch your back while you both entered? His parents and the Jesuits had trained him thoroughly in the Faith; he recounted often his serving as an altar boy. But being Jack—always seeking to distill things down to the essentials of both meaning and application—he largely manifested his faith by firmly embracing his responsibilities as son, brother, husband, father, friend, and businessman.

Jack is survived by 4 children (and 13 grandchildren): John J. Mahoney and wife Eleanor (Ian, Melissa); Richard E. Mahoney and wife Patricia (Caitlin, Eric); Suzanne M. Hyland and husband Brian (Thomas, Jessica (fiancé Mike McManamon), Daniel, Stephanie); Robert J. Mahoney and wife Marjorie (Cella (husband Mike Conaway), James, Matthias, Nathaniel, Nicholas). He is also survived by his especially dear sister-in-law Patricia Mahoney, widow of his brother Francis, and many loved nieces, nephews, and their families.

"To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

And to run where the brave dare not go"

From Man of La Mancha, his favorite musical

A visitation will be held Sunday, July 25, 2021 from 4-8 pm at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home, 26 Mule Road, Toms River NJ. A Mass of Christian burial will be held Monday, July 26, 10 am at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, 130 Maximilian Lane, Toms River. Interment will immediately follow (12:30pm) at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Province Line Rd, Wrightstown, NJ.

For more information, or to post a tribute online, please visit www.quinn-hoppingfh.com.