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Richard Sharkey Obituary

Richard Sharkey

AGE: 93 • Princeton, NJ

Richard Sharkey, 93, of Princeton, NJ, passed away on Monday, August 7, 2017, at the Atrium Post-Acute Care Center, Princeton, NJ. Born in Indianapolis, IN, and raised in NYC, Richard graduated from Straubenmuller Textile High School and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, on the Pacific Front. He wed his high school sweetheart, Jane Elizabeth Johnson, in 1947; they were married for 64 years until her passing in 2012. He had a successful freelance commercial art business in Manhattan for many years. He refused to eat fish and held broccoli in contempt. He loved the natural world, including both plants and animals, enjoyed reading Greek and Roman classics in translation, and spent many a happy hour writing his own history of the world. An amateur carpenter with a "can-do" ethic, he built at home everything from a patio deck to a dining table. Richard and Jane moved to Manalapan, NJ, in 1968 and lived there for 21 years, during which time he was a proud and active member of several Manalapan Township committees. With Jane, he moved to Columbia, MD, in 1989, to Coatesville, PA, in 1992, and to Ashburn, VA, in 2007, before returning to NJ in 2010. Richard settled in Princeton four years ago.

Richard leaves behind seven children including one son and six daughters: Donna Giese, Diana Leedy, Jill Thompson, Joanne Vanderwiel, Brian Sharkey, Jennifer Juengling and Heather Sharkey (Balasubramanian). He also leaves sixteen grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. An eternal optimist who declared himself "almost perfect" until the end, he will be truly missed by all who knew and loved him. A private memorial service will be held at the Brig General William C. Doyle Veteran Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ. For more information or to leave an online condolence message to the family, please visit our website at www.waittfh.com.

Published by Asbury Park Press on Aug. 26, 2017.
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Dear Sharkey kids,
It's been almost 50 years, but I recognized your dad's picture immediately. This is Carol, Anna Fisher's granddaughter. We lived next door in Teaneck. I remember enjoying many hot summer days drinking cold beverages on your patio. So sorry for your loss. Sounds like your dad lived a long and lovely life. God bless you all.

Carol Chichester

August 26, 2017

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