James Edward Dwyer

James Edward Dwyer, age 79, of Allentown, New Jersey, formerly of Ewing Township, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving children on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Born in Trenton in 1945, he was a life-long resident and active member of the Trenton and Ewing communities. Jim attended Blessed Sacrament School and Notre Dame High School (C'63). He was a 1967 graduate of Villanova University, where he developed a passion for world history, which would later serve him well in crossword puzzles, Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. Upon graduation, he was employed at the U.S. Department of Defense, where he met Karen Smith, who became the love of his life for over 50 years.
After starting a family, they moved back to Ewing to raise their four children, and Jim joined his father as the third generation to run the family business, Dwyer's Stationers. Dwyer's opened its doors on St. Patrick's Day in 1911 and maintained the stationery and office supply stores in Trenton and Ewing for over 90 years, originally selling magazines, stationery and Kodak supplies, and expanding over the years to maps, fountain pens, office furniture, and computer supplies. A fixture in the community, Dwyer's was the place where countless kids in Ewing bought their school supplies, worked the register, or played for one of the many sports teams they sponsored. Customer service was always at the forefront of his business model, teaching his employees that "the customer is always right", earning him Mercer County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year in 1998. Jim sold the business in 2004 and continued to support his customers as an Account Executive with W.B. Mason for several years before retiring in 2017. Jim continued to return to his roots, volunteering as a tour guide for the NJ State House, delivering meals for Meals on Wheels, and visiting with his extended family and close friends.
A competitive and avid sports fan his entire life, Jim loved watching, coaching and playing sports. The Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Villanova basketball games could be found on his tv year-round. He was deeply involved in youth sports, whether it was coaching one of his children in baseball, softball or soccer; volunteering his time on the Board of Ewing American Little League, or watching his grandchildren play everything from soccer to baseball to basketball, wrestling and lacrosse. One of his proudest coaching moments was winning a NJ State title and going to the Babe Ruth World Series. A long-time member of Trenton Country Club, Jim could always be found on the golf course. He enjoyed winters in Naples, Florida and vacationing with family and friends on Long Beach Island every summer, where he endeavored to read a book a day and do a puzzle a week. Jim's unique sense of humor was infectious, and the more he teased you, the more he liked you. Jim cherished weekly dinners with his cousins, a tradition that was a testament to the close-knit family bond he tried to instill in his children and grandchildren, who affectionally called him Pop-Pop.
Son of the late James W. Dwyer, Jr. and Dorothy (Topley) Dwyer, he was predeceased in 2019 by his loving wife, Karen (Smith) Dwyer, and is survived by his four children, Kristin Ganley and husband Michael of Cranford, NJ, Michael and his wife Cynthia of Pennington, NJ, David and his wife Christine of West Nyack, NY and Molly Gilmartin and her husband Matthew of Madison, NJ; his 13 grandchildren, Abigail, Claire, Patrick and James Ganley; Ryan, Kelley, Katie and Lauren Dwyer; Matthew, Megan and Joseph
Dwyer; and Ava and Connor Gilmartin; his three sisters, Kate Dwyer, Dot Graziano and her husband Dan, and Patty McSorley and her husband Pat, and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
A proud and generous Irishman, he was also a life-long Catholic and his faith was very important to him. Calling hours are on Wednesday, January 29th from 4 to 8 PM at Murphy Funeral Home, 935 Parkway Avenue, Ewing, NJ. Mass of the Christian burial will be celebrated on Thursday, January 30th at 10 AM at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, 137 West Upper Ferry Road, West Trenton, NJ, followed by burial at Saint Mary's Cemetery, Hamilton, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jim's name to ALS United Mid-Atlantic (alsmidatlantic.org) or Team Gleason (teamgleason.org), a non-profit organization that provides technology, equipment and care services to people living with ALS.
Mass will be live-streamed by Our Lady of Good Counsel Church here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XJWcI9Z6Nw