Obituaries

After a courageous, hard-fought battle with brain cancer, Andrew William Mercer, age 55, formerly of Rumson, NJ and Atlanta, GA, passed away on December 10, 2019, in New York City.

Andrew graduated from Rumson Country Day School, Avon Old Farms School, and Fordham University. 

He is survived by his parents, Barbara Lawes Mercer and Henry D. Mercer, Jr. of Rumson, NJ; brother Henry Mercer III and his wife Joan of Locust, NJ; sisters Deborah Mercer Ribas of Westwood, MA and Marilyn Bell and her husband Charles of Colts Neck, NJ; uncle Douglas Mercer of East Hampton, NY, and aunt Eleanor Lawes of Little Silver, NJ.  In addition, he is survived by nephews Dickson, William, and Matthew and great nephew Henry; nieces Sarah, Anna, and Elizabeth.  Andrew also leaves behind Serena Anderson of New York City.

Margaret Joann Reynolds (nee Owens) 86, of the Atrium at Navesink Harbor in Red Bank, NJ passed away peacefully on Monday morning December 9, 2019.  Peggy was born in 1933 on February 2nd (the Feast of the Presentation, a.k.a. Ground Hog Day) in New Castle, PA the only daughter of the late Edward James Owens and Wilna May Owens (nee Adams).

She is survived by her beloved husband of 64 years, Jay Howard Reynolds of also of Red Bank and originally of New Castle, whom she married on May 28, 1955; two sons, Dale Loy Reynolds of New York, NY, and Bryan Alan Reynolds, of East Hanover, NJ; three granddaughters, Hayley Kathryn Vislocky (John) of John’s Island, SC, Kelsey Anne Peltzer (Colton) of Oceanside, CA, and Joanna May Reynolds of New York; one great granddaughter, Fiona Claire Vislocky; and one brother, Darrell Lee Owens of New Castle, PA. 

Craig Haese, passed away on December 8, 2019.  He was the son of Fred and Hazel Haese.  He grew up in Woodridge and then the family moved to Colts Neck.  He graduated from Freehold High School and Monmouth University in 1970 where he met his future wife and sidekick Sheila Egan.   He and Sheila married in 1971 and moved to Fair Haven in 1974 and continue to reside there.

He served with pride in the US Army Reserves for eight years as Sergeant of the motorpool with the 298^th ASA Company at Ft. Hancock, NJ. 

Craig joined the Fair Haven 13-1 Volunteer Fire Company and was a member for over 39 years.  He volunteered at the annual Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair at the golf booth and later sold chances for the 50/50.

Reginald (Reg) Whitman, 86, longtime resident of Fair Haven, NJ, and recently of Ocean Township, NJ, died on November 30th.  Beloved by family and friends, he will be deeply missed.

A memorial service will be held at St. George's-by-the-River, Rumson, NJ, on Saturday, December 21st, at 1 o'clock. In lieu of flowers, we welcome contributions to: Episcopal Relief & Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058; or the Rector's Discretionary Fund of St. George's-by-the-River, 7 Lincoln Avenue, Rumson, NJ 07760. 

Edward Lawrence Gorman, 80, passed away peacefully in his Middletown home surrounded by his loving family on December 3, 2019. He was born and raised in Yonkers, New York.  He was predeceased by his parents Charles Lawrence and Gertrude (Washington) Gorman and brother Charles Lawrence “Toddy” Jr.  He spent many summers playing with his brother and cousins in Liberty, New York where his mother was raised.

Ed attended St. Mary’s Grammar School in Yonkers, Iona Prep in New Rochelle and Manhattan and Mercy Colleges.  He had vivid memories of competing in the Millrose Games with his father cheering him on and he and his brother boxing in the CYO. He loved to fish and spent countless hours surfcasting at Robert Moses, the Jersey Shore, and the Hudson River. He served five years in the US Navy Seabees from 1961-1966. 

Jean Campbell Rosen, age 74, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2019 at Riverview Medical Center. Jean was born in Philadelphia, PA to the late Dorothy Carrigan Campbell and Richard Wilson Campbell.  She was predeceased by longtime companion of 28 years, David Stevens of Holmdel, NJ, and her two brothers, Robert (Philadelphia, PA) and Richard (Marietta, GA) Campbell. She is survived by her three children, Deborah Rosen, David Rosen and his wife Denise, and Elizabeth Forsyth and her husband Gordon. Grandchildren are Jack Fitzpatrick of  Mesa, AZ; Nicholas, Michael, and Thomas Rosen of Ellicott City, MD; and Leigh, Grace, and Gordon Forsyth of Fair Haven, NJ. 

John Hugh Devlin, 77, a longtime resident of Fair Haven, passed away, on November 21, peacefully at home.  Hugh was born in Paterson to the late Ruth and John Devlin, and raised in Glen Rock.  After graduating from St. Francis Prep in Pennsylvania in 1960, he received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from LaSalle University in 1964 and his M.B.A. from Seton Hall University in 1967.  He married Nancy (O’Shea) Devlin of Rumson in 1967 and moved to Fair Haven in 1968.

Hugh began his career in finance at the Empire Trust Company (Bank of New York) in 1965 and was Vice President of A.G. Becker & Co. from 1967 to 1972.  He joined Morgan Stanley & Co. in 1972 as a Vice President and was named partner of the firm in 1975.  In 1982 he assumed overall administrative responsibility for the Investment Banking Division.  Hugh had senior banking responsibility for public utility companies and other clients until January 1989, when he became an Advisory Director of Morgan Stanley.  In 1990, Hugh was a founding member of the investment banking boutique Barr Devlin Associates, which was acquired by Société Générale in 1998.  He remained as a consultant to S.G. Barr Devlin until he retired in 2001. 

John Ricci, 59, passed away peacefully on November 20 after a short illness. His passing will forever leave a void in the west side of Red Bank, where he was a beloved lifelong resident.

One of the highlights of John’s life was being a part of the Red Bank Regional Football Team. “Buc Nation.” He was an outstanding lineman who received many athletic awards, during his football career. He was recognized several times in the All Shore and State Conference. He continued his lifelong love of the game, unfortunately becoming a Jets fan.

Although John was scouted by several colleges, he decided to join his father in the family business, Ricci Tool & Die Company. He eventually took over the business, and as a master machinist, took the company to a whole new level. He was highly regarded and respected in the industry where he worked throughout his life.

Mary Jane Barron a long time resident of Monmouth County died of natural causes on November 6, 2019. She was born in Elizabeth, NJ to Edward Lane Bouton and Katharine Church Bouton on May 30, 1922.

Mary Jane graduated from The Vail-Deane School in Elizabeth in 1940. She served in the US Navy during World War II as a communications specialist. She married Henry B. Barron on January 4, 1947.  The Barrons resided in Holmdel, Fair Haven and Rumson. At the time of her death she was a resident of Seabrook Village in Tinton Falls.

A long time member of St. George’s by-the-River church in Rumson, she was the first woman to have been elected Warden of the Church. In addition to being very active in the church she enjoyed gardening, tennis and spending time on the beach in Seabright. She was an avid bridge player.