John C. Bartlett Jr.

John C. Bartlett, Jr.

Pine Beach - John C. Bartlett, Jr., 71, who committed his life to his family and to Ocean County as a Freeholder and educator, died yesterday at his home in Pine Beach following a long battle with cancer.

John was born and raised in Ocean County. After graduate school, he returned to Pine Beach with his new bride, Peggy, where he became a member of the Borough Council in 1974 and later Mayor in 1978. In 1979, he was elected to the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders. During his tenure as Freeholder, John took great pride in growing the park system, preserving open space, supporting and expanding Ocean County College, and ensuring the fiscal health of the County. He was especially proud of the way the County rebounded and flourished in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. At the time of his death, John held the designation as the longest-serving Freeholder in New Jersey.

Though well known and successful in public life, John was also a dedicated educator as a high school history teacher at Toms River High School North and a political science professor at Ocean County College. For more than 30 years, he inspired a generation of students with his passion for these subjects. He later became a self-taught expert on World War I, voraciously reading more than one hundred books on The Great War.

At home, John was a deeply committed husband, father, and grandfather, and he described these roles as his true legacy. John called his four grandchildren the "light of my life" and in the summertime could be found in the pool with all four wrapped around him. He was immensely proud of his children, Jay and Meg, and often recalled idyllic days of their youth spent on the sands of the Toms River. He had no deeper bond than with Peggy, his wife of 46 years, who was by his side until his last day.

John was known by his friends and loved ones to be an old soul - his wife Peggy said he was "born 80-years-old." That disposition created long and meaningful bonds with both constituents and friends in public and private life. He was also known to enjoy a debate on any number of issues, and he valued intellectual consistency and rigor above any political orthodoxy. More than anything, he was a man of values and integrity, committed to doing what was right.

John is survived by his wife, Peggy; his son, John C. Bartlett III and his wife Shannon; his daughter, Meg Bartlett and her husband Zach Hosseini; grandchildren John C. Bartlett IV, Julia Bartlett, Elias Hosseini, and Katherine Hosseini; his siblings Van Bartlett and Nancy Keczkemethy. He was predeceased by his parents, John C. Bartlett Sr. and Helen Bartlett.

Visiting will be held on Friday, December 14th from 4 to 8 p.m. at Anderson Campbell Funeral Home, 703 Main Street, Toms River. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 15th at 10:00 a.m. at Pine Beach Chapel, 501 Hillside Ave., Pine Beach.