Richard Dunne

Richard Dunne, 91, of Manasquan, NJ, died peacefully in his sleep at home and in the company of his family on February 13, 2026, after a brief illness. Born in Manhasset, NY in 1934, he graduated from Chaminade High School and Villanova University (Engineering), before earning his MBA from Iona University (he later taught business management as an adjunct professor at several colleges). After college he served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and thereafter enjoyed a successful 32-year career as a Systems Engineer at IBM. He and his wife Pat raised two children in Yorktown Heights, NY, before moving full-time to Manasquan (where they had long maintained a summer home) in 1982, after the children were grown.

In addition to his business career, Rich had a lifelong commitment to family, public service and the environment. While in Yorktown, Rich was elected President of the town's Board of Education and was a longtime coach and Commissioner of the Mohansic Boys and Girls Club, where he founded the first basketball league for girls. In Manasquan, he served for eight years as an elected Councilman, before being elected Mayor of Manasquan in 2002. Along the way, he was President of the Manasquan Republican Club and Civic Association; Founder and Chairman of First Night Manasquan and Friends of Squan Cats; a member of the Squan Village Historical Society, and enjoyed singing with the Chorus of the Atlantic, a Barbershop Chorus.

Rich was also a lifelong Jersey Shore enthusiast and environmentalist. He and Pat spent many years fishing with friends and family on their boat, The Irish Jigger, and one of their life's achievements was the leadership role they played in the Save Fisherman's Cove Committee. That effort, after a year-long battle, led to the creation of the Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area, which permanently protects the last 55 acres of natural wetlands from development on the Manasquan Inlet.

Rich was predeceased by his parents, Catherine and John P. Dunne; sisters Virginia Stewart and Gladys Ernst and their husbands Bob and Fred; brother John Dunne and his wife Sally; brother-in-law Ed Zebrowski, and son-in-law, Michael DiChristina. He is survived by Pat, his loving wife of 69 years; sisters Margaret Zebrowski and Patricia Keane; son Carey Dunne, his wife Kate Manning and their children Carey, Oliver and Eliza; daughter Wendy DiChristina and her children Perri, Patrice and Grace; and many extended family members.

Arrangements are under the care of Orender family Home for Funerals, Manasquan, NJ. A private memorial celebration will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Rich's memory to Friends of the Monmouth County Park System https://www.co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/158/Honorary-Memorial-Donation-updated-2025.pdf (please designate Fisherman's Cove Conservation Area) or Save Coastal Wildlife https://www.savecoastalwildlife.org/donate-index-impact. To send condolences to the family please visit www.orenderfamilyhome.net.