John J. “Jack” Readie, age 86, passed away Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at home, while holding his daughters’ hands. Jack was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Winfield Park, NJ, but called Red Bank home for more than 60 years.
Thanks to the good fortune of alphabetical-order seating, Jack Readie found himself sitting directly behind Elizabeth Quartararo at Roselle Park High School. From that day through 58 years of marriage, Jack and Liz were inseparable true loves, until she passed in 2018.
Jack put himself through nearly two years at Rutgers University by working 40 hours a week, while attending classes and being on the wrestling team. When his father needed help in his butcher shop, Jack set aside his college dream and joined the business. Under Jack’s leadership, he transformed the struggling shop into Readie’s Fine Foods, a thriving retail food market and catering business on Monmouth Street in Red Bank. Jack owned Readie’s Fine Foods for 42 years, many of them working side-by-side with Liz. He was an honest retailer, fair to customers and good to his employees. He quietly donated food to many who were hungry in the community, and he developed lifelong friendships with customers and fellow business owners.