Mendham Family Man, Devout Catholic Passes At 71

MENDHAM, NJ - The following obituary was provided by the Bailey Funeral Home.

"John M. Wiegand passed away on January 6, 2020. He was 71 years old.

Born in Jersey City, NJ, to parents John Joseph and Freida (Droughton) Wiegand. He attended University of Dayton completing his first degree in Psychology. Then John went on to the Navy and served his country from 1971 to 1973. After completing his service, and some time in the workforce, John decided to enroll at NJIT and completed a second degree in Engineering. He started working for AT&T after, which culminated in retiring from Alcatel-Lucent after more than 30 years in the industry.

John was a resident of Chester for 31 years. He was a devout Catholic and parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Mendham. His core values consisted of faith, a strong commitment to and love of his family. John was always there to help and was a great support to those in need. Quiet and unassuming, John enjoyed the simplicity of life.

John’s favorite time of day was sunrise, the beginning of a new day. He felt a closeness with nature and had a great love of the outdoors, especially his times by the ocean – the sounds of the rolling waves and the smell of the salty air gave him much peace and solace, it was music to his soul. John enjoyed boating and fishing on the Bay on Long Beach Island.

John was also an avid reader and especially enjoyed literature on the history of WWII and the railroads of the US. He loved to walk the tracks and feel that history. His talents included wood working and tinkering with his boat and cars. In his quiet time, he enjoyed the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

John is predeceased by his parents, John and Freida Wiegand, and his brother Edward Wiegand. He is survived by his loving wife, Karen (Springer) Wiegand, son Matthew, daughter Kristin, and sisters Nancy Schwarzel and Diane Wiegand, and nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:30 PM on Friday, January 10, at St. Joseph Church, W. Main St, Mendham NJ 07945, immediately followed by entombment in Holy Rood Cemetery in Morristown. Arrangements by Bailey Funeral Home, www.baileyfuneral.com"

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