Joseph Nevin Hughes Jr.

Joseph Nevin Hughes, Jr was born at home on December 9th, 1932 in Maywood, New Jersey. He was the youngest of five boys, and always had close relationships with his mom, dad, and brothers. After finishing his early school years in Maywood, he graduated from Bogota High School. Joe valued long-lasting friendships, and consistently made the effort to stay in touch with people that he met. Some of his closest friends in his 90s were ones he had gone to elementary school with. He also enjoyed sports, and played baseball during high school. He loved baseball so much that he briefly played on a semi-pro team and even tried out for the Giants MLB team back when they were playing at the Polo Grounds in New York.

During the Korean War, Joe was drafted into the Army. He trained at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey, Fort Campbell in Kentucky (for infantry training) and Fort Bragg in North Carolina (for MP training), before being sent overseas. He was initially selected for the Military Police, but due to his background working at the financial firm ‘Dominick and Dominick’, he was moved to the IBM sector. He served for two years working on IBM machines in Mannheim, Germany and Orleans, France, eventually reaching the rank of Corporal.

His IBM training with the Army would serve him well during the 34 years he later spent working at the Prentice Hall publishing company. He loved working at Prentice Hall, and enjoyed being a part of their baseball team and bowling league. Joe kept in touch with his coworkers from there all his life. It was also there that he met his wife, Susan Makray.

After Joe got married, he purchased the house his parents had built in Maywood (the same house that he had been born in). Joe and Susan had three daughters together: Wendy, Stacey, and Kelley. They were a tight-knit family, and enjoyed spending summers at their 100-acre farm in Knox, New York. After retiring from Prentice Hall, Joe sold his house in Maywood to his daughter, Wendy, and moved to the farm permanently. He fully embraced farm life, and would often refer to himself as “Farmer Joe.”

Joe had a great sense of humor, and loved telling jokes. He enjoyed pulling pranks, and would laugh just as much at ones pulled on him. He also loved playing with his grandchildren and taking them around his farm. He gave them hayrides, taught them to help with the farm chores and ride bikes, and used to have them “sound off” army-style before they headed to the next adventure. Joe prioritized spending quality time with family and friends, and was always happy to have deep conversations about politics, religion, and other topics that were meaningful to him. He enjoyed following sports as well, and was a loyal fan of the Yankees and the Giants.

In his 60s and into his early 70s, he used to help a local farmer deliver hay bales to horse farms in Connecticut, often loading and then offloading 500 bales in a single trip. He was always very active, and used to pride himself on walking the half-mile path around the field next to his house four times a day, well into his late 80s. Even into his 90s when he used a walker, he made it a point to stay moving, and liked to tell people how many steps he reached on his pedometer (usually over 10,000 a day!). He had an active social life at his assisted-living facility as well, and loved to participate in Bingo, play Rummikub, attend events and group discussions, and take photos with the other residents and staff members.

Joe’s faith was very important to him, and he made sure to share it with everyone he talked to. Nobody had any doubts about what he believed. Few things excited him as much as having an opportunity to discuss the Bible with someone and to share the message of salvation by grace through faith. He especially loved discussing the Apostle Paul’s letters. He sent out “Two Minutes with the Bible” devotions by email every morning like clockwork, no matter what else was going on in his life. He was a faithful attendee of Hawthorne Gospel Church in Hawthorne, New Jersey until he retired and moved to upstate New York.

He was also always eager to show off his beloved border collie, Dewey, whom he had adopted as a stray on his farm. Joe was very proud of Dewey, and was always thrilled when people admired his dog.

Joe is survived by his daughters Wendy and Stacey, and by his six grandchildren (Mike, Melissa, Melanie, Michele, Meaghan, and Hannah) and seven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Kelley, and his wife, Susan. Funeral services will be held at the Kugler Funeral Home in Saddle Brook, New Jersey on Sunday, January 4th, with visiting hours from 1-4 pm.