John C. McCrae

John Christopher McCrae, 69, of Colts Neck and Seaside Park, NJ, passed away on February 28, 2026, at Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was surrounded by loved ones after a long and courageous struggle with lung cancer.

Born in Morristown, NJ on Jan. 29, 1957, to the late Alma T. McCrae and Dr. William P. McCrae, John graduated from Morristown High School in 1975. In 1979, he earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and was immediately recruited by CBS Television Network as Operations Engineer. During his 38-year career with CBS, he became well known and respected for his technical expertise and problem-solving abilities and rose through the ranks until his retirement in 2017 as Director of Field Operations for CBS Sports. Along the way, he played leading roles in major CBS productions such as political conventions, the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, NFL games and playoffs, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, two papal visits, PGA Championships, and the Masters Tournament. As part of the CBS Sports technical team, John won three Emmy Awards for outstanding technical work on major golf and NFL broadcasts, including Super Bowl 50.

After he retired from CBS, John launched a part-time consulting business, Midway Television Productions, where he served as a trusted adviser to clients such as NFL Network, CBS Entertainment, and FOX Sports.

While at Stevens Institute, John was an active member of the Gamma Chapter of Theta Xi and served as the fraternity’s president in his junior and senior years. His fraternity brothers remember him with great fondness and several of them became lifelong friends.

John was happiest when gathering with friends, family, and his beloved neighbors in Midway Beach. His love and devotion to his wife Rosemary brought him the greatest joy in life. They cherished watching the beautiful Seaside sunrises and sunsets together and were the best of travel companions. Their favorite adventures included several extended trips to Scotland, as well as annual visits to the Maine coast and to St. Michaels on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. John and Rosemary’s Facebook posts from those trips are filled with mouth-watering photos of the fresh lobster and crab dinners they enjoyed.

A lifelong sailor and lover of the Jersey Shore, John spent summers sailing on the Barnegat Bay, working summer jobs, and walking the beaches of Seaside Park, where his family owned a second home for many years. He and Rosemary eventually purchased their own home in Midway Beach, which became their Happy Place. There they enjoyed the company of friends, hosted Bacon Sundays, and settled into joyous retirement. John was also an active member of Keyport Yacht Club for 16 years, where he participated in numerous sailboat races and served as financial secretary in 1990.

John’s acuity for puzzles and games was legendary, and he was a formidable opponent for anyone brave enough to challenge him in backgammon, Scrabble, Rummikub or Five Crowns. His deep knowledge and love of music and radio was woven through every chapter of his life, from his early days working for the WJSV radio station at Morristown High School, to his college days working as a DJ for WJRZ in Manahawkin, NJ, to his later years supporting public radio station WXPN (Philadelphia) and curating playlists in a wide range of music genres.

John is survived by his wife of 31 years, Rosemary; daughter Christina McCrae of Brick, NJ; and four siblings: Michael and wife Betty of Toms River, NJ; Sharon McCrae of Princeton, NJ; Mary McCrae of Morris Plains, NJ; and Jeanne McCrae Ashe and partner David Gordon of Quakertown, PA. He is also survived by eight nieces and nephews (Jamie, Christopher, Tierney, Andre, Renee, Charlotte, Hayley and Liberty) and many beloved cousins and friends.

A Mass and Celebration of Life will be held at St. Catharine of Siena Church, 50 E Street, Seaside Park, NJ, on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Donations may be made in honor of John McCrae to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.