Obituary — John P. McLaughlin

John P. McLaughlin

John P. McLaughlin died at home Oct. 2, 2023.

He was 89.

Born in Bethpage, Long Island, New York, he lived in Kearny, Glen Ridge and then North Arlington.

Memorial visitation was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny.

John was a retired firefighter and a veteran of the U.S. Army.

As a young man, he was a talented athlete. He was also the most dedicated Giants football fan. He loved being a firefighter and the commitment to helping others. He most of all loved his grandchildren and attending all of their activities.

John leaves behind his loving daughter Tara Brennan and her husband Ted Brennan. He was predeceased by his son John P. McLaughlin Jr. and is survived by their mother Ann Russell, grandfather (PopPop) to Shane, Cole, Lucas and Cora. He was brother of the late Elizabeth Wallis and is survived by her husband Edward Wallis and their children (his nieces) Shannon Fahey and Kelly Eveland.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center, 83 Woodport Road, Suite 1D, Sparta Township, N.J. 07871.

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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.