George John Cummings

George John Cummings, a lifelong resident of Westfield, NJ, passed away peacefully at home after a courageous 14 month battle against bile duct cancer. Beloved husband, father, Gramps, brother, and friend, he is survived by his wife of 36 years, Marijane (Buck), daughters Lacy Lee Benanti and her husband David of Belford, Tierny Louise Fernandez and her husband Daniel of Matawan, son Conner John of Hoboken, grandchildren Peyton Rose and Shane John Benanti and Nathaniel George Fernandez, sister JoAnn Soyak and her husband William of Nazareth, PA, brother Patrick of Garwood, and devoted canine companion, Toby. He was the son of George John Cummings, Sr and Lena Rose Lipari. 

George's greatest passion was his family. He was a devoted father who cherished his children as their greatest champion in all their sports, activities, pursuits, and dreams in life. He embraced being Gramps and adored his precious grandchildren with all his heart. George was Marijane's rock who loved fiercely, fixed everything, and met every challenge with stubborn strength, grit, and wit. A self professed pain in the neck with a colorful vocabulary, he loved his friends, golf, skiing, the beach, throwing frisbee to Toby, music, WWII history, the NJ Devils, anything chocolate, and a good argument. 

A 1969 graduate of Westfield High School, George received his FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic Diploma at Teterboro School of Aeronautics in 1973. Following several self-employed business ventures, he was a Master Automotive Technician, having worked at Route One Toyota in Avenel for over 30 years. George was a Toyota Quality Champion in 2012, when the program was launched, until 2023. He was honored as a 2018 National Quality Champion and was proud to be a part of Toyota quality and excellence.

A memorial gathering to celebrate George's life will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Gray Funeral Home in Westfield from 10am to 2pm, with a funeral service beginning at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK Giving) http://giving.mskcc.org would be appreciated. Please go to: www.grayfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences.