Point Beach Man, 50, Died Of COVID: 'Not A Mean Bone In His Body'

POINT PLEASANT BEACH – Mark Blum didn't have "a mean bone in his body," Gov. Phil Murphy said.

And that's why his profession, physical therapy, and everything else he did – such as helping those with disabilities – fit the 50-year-old well, the governor said.

"He was a model member of our New Jersey family," Murphy said during a Monday news conference.

Murphy announced on Monday that Blum had died of COVID-19, almost eight months after his passing.

Blum passed away on Tuesday, April 28th at Ocean Medical Center in Brick, according to an obituary from the Van Hise & Callagan Funeral Home.

Murphy said Blum was an active and "beloved" member of the Active Day Adult Care facility in Brick, where he tended to the needs of seniors and adults with disabilities.

He moved to Point Pleasant Beach only two months before his death.

"The entire family called Point Pleasant Beach home, a great New Jersey community," Murphy said.

Blum was born in Brooklyn and lived in Massachusetts, Freehold and Howell before moving to Point Pleasant Beach, his obituary said.

Blum was a physical therapy aide at Robert Friedman Physical Therapy in Manalapan.

"Mark was the sweetest, funniest, most kind person, without a mean bone in his body," his obituary said.

Mark is survived by his mother, Naomi Blum of Point Pleasant Beach; his sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Andrew Donnelly of Point Pleasant Beach; his brother, Adam Blum of Point Pleasant Beach; and his nephew Alex Donnelly.

He was also very close with his aunts, uncles and cousins.

Cremation was private and under the direction of Van Hise & Callagan Funeral Home, 812 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Beach.

Watch Murphy's tribute at the 18:36 mark: