John J. Coley

John Jasper Coley (affectionately referred to as "Jack") by his family, was born June 14, 1934, in Pikeville -Wayne County, North Carolina. John was the fourth of six siblings born to parents Phillip Elmer Coley Sr. and Genetta Thompson Coley-Kelly.
John graduated from Pikeville Training School in 1954. He served in the Army and was stationed in Fort Knox Kentucky. He received an honorable discharge in 1956.
John married the love of his life Lara Jean Gibson on January 31, 1959. In pursuit of better economic opportunities John and Lara migrated to New Jersey. This is where John would go on to raise his family and spend the rest of his adult life being a devoted man of God.
John joined Faith Temple O.F.W.B. Church in 1962 and was ordained a Deacon in 1963. He was a part of several ministries and held various offices at Faith Temple. Besides being a Deacon his "calling" was to be a doorkeeper in the House of God. To that end, John joined the Usher Board in 1962 and served in the role for 30 years. You could always count on Deacon Coley to find space no one else could spot, he made sure everyone who came to worship had a seat. John served as President of the Ushers and Nurses Convention for 25 years. He was a Collector for the Faith Temple O.F.W.B. Annual Conference for 40 years.
At Faith Temple's quarterly meeting The Holy Communion represented the reenactment of the Last Supper with Christ and his 12 disciples. During Communion Service John had the special assignment of guiding the process for each seating. He had a "gift" for ensuring a seamless and consistent flow for seating participants without interruption.
The 1960's is also when John and Lara started their family. John was the proud father of two girls, Deborah Nichelle and Rose Marie. Although John worked two jobs most of his life, he was a family man first and never missed a school function or milestone event for his daughters.
John's career included working at NJE, Avis Rental Agency as a Car-man and later as a Union Representative. He continued his work career at Belting Industry where he was promoted to Foreman, and later to the Hilton Gateway Hotel where he was a Bell Captain until his retirement.
In summary, how can we measure a man. We can measure a man by the sum of our experiences with him and the consistency of those experiences throughout his lifetime. During John's lifetime he was a man of FAITH and anyone who knew him well could see and feel how it guided his everyday life. He was a man of INTEGRITY. He was married to his beautiful wife Lara for 66 years. John was always respectful, a kind and soft-spoken man, who never raised his voice. However, the power and intelligence of his words spoke volumes and could never be mistaken for weakness. He was a loving father to two beautiful daughters whom he treasured and set a daily example for what a husband and father should be every day of their lives. John was a man of EXCELLENCE. He believed if you commit to doing a job it should be to the best of your ability. He was a man of PRINCIPLES. You could tell his life was set on a firm foundation from which he lived. If he made a commitment, he kept it and always gave his best. John was a man of HONOR. He honored his family, friends and Church all the days of his life. He set an example before God of an honorable life well lived and God welcomed him home crowning him for a job well done.
John leaves to cherish his memory a devoted wife of 66 years Lara, daughters Deborah Coley (Darryl Alexander) of California and Rose Coley-Boone (New Jersey), Grandson Johnathan Tyler Boone (New Jersey), Sister-in-Law, Vernary Gibson (New Jersey) Sister-in-Law, Naomi Gibson (New Jersey), Aunt Wilhelmina Edwards (New Jersey), Nephew Phillip "Boot" (Patricia) Smith (New Jersey) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.