James John McGoldrick, Jr.

JAMES J. McGOLDRICK, JR. February 12, 1936 – August 3, 2019

James J. McGoldrick Jr. passed away on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home due to complications of Alzheimer’s and just being old.

Born to Harriet and James J. McGoldrick Sr., Jim was raised in Elizabeth, NJ with his four younger siblings, Harriet, Kathleen, Francis and Dorothy. He was a typical big brother, picking on them one minute and protecting them the next -- though the picking on was more prevalent. He graduated St. Mary’s H.S. and proudly enlisted in the U.S. Air Force towards the end of the Korean War. After his service he became an electrical engineering technician working at Curtis-Wright and Jet Industrial.

He married his high school sweetheart Barbara and they moved to Iselin, NJ in 1967. During his 83 years, Jim did some interesting, and not so interesting things. He serviced Air Force One during the Eisenhower administration, grew a mustache…once, played Blackjack in Vegas across from Elvis (whom he disliked), ate a lot of butter, hitchhiked home from Dover Air Force Base, drove across the country, often slept late and saved a puppy from the Parkway. Most importantly, he fathered three amazing children – James, Michael and Janine.

Jim enjoyed Jazz music, wood working, target shooting, photography, American politics and Civil War history. If you needed someone to rewire your cable hook up, build a wall unit, make great mashed potatoes and tell you how Longstreet led “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg, he was your man! He loved Spirito’s pizza with birch beer, lemon coconut layer cake, a good waltz and babies. Jim was a man of sharp wit but spoke very few words, unless he had a couple of Dry Rob Roy cocktails.

He never needed to be the center of attention, he didn’t need to talk. All he needed to make him happy was to be around his family.

Visitation will be held on Monday, August 5, 2019 from 2:00pm-4:00pm and 7:00pm-9:00pm at the Gosselin Funeral Home 660 New Dover Road Edison, NJ 08820 GS Parkway Exit 132 / NJ Turnpike Exit 11 / NJ Transit Metropark Train Station (North East Corridor Line)

Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 beginning at 10:00am at Gosselin Funeral Home followed by an interment ceremony at St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia (53 Inman Ave, Colonia, NJ 07067).

Family requests that you do not send flowers. Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org.

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