John W Jarosinski

John Jarosinski entered peacefully into eternal life on Tuesday, September 1, 2015. He was 91 years old. He leaves behind a legacy of bravery and strength, having proudly served his country in World War II as a machinist's mate 3rd class with the 93rd Construction Battalion and the 61st Navy Construction Battalion (Seabees). During his service, he received the American Theater Ribbon, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon (two bronze stars), and the Phil-Liberation Theater Ribbon (one bronze star). John was a loving son, a wonderful husband, a hard-working, religious man, and many things to many people. He was "Daddy," "Grandpa J," "Papa J," "Johnny Boy," "Great J." He is the reason his grandchildren can throw a ball, and the reason they can get back up after getting hit with one. He was so tough that cancer couldn't even handle him he beat his diagnosis of colon cancer and went on to live over 30 years past it. When John did pushups, he didn't push his body up, he pushed the earth down. We like to think that the reason he lived 91 years was that death was afraid of him. He married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Wanda, in 1946. The two celebrated almost 69 years of marriage. He is survived by Wanda, their three children (none of whom are doctors, but he loved them anyway): Michael (wife Lucille), Carol (husband Bill), and Joseph (wife Christine); six grandchildren with a respectable range of athleticism that he was very proud of (well, not all of them, but they tried): Kate, Frank, Jake, Christina, Mike, and Arianna; and three great-grandchildren who we hope will also inherit his athletic ability: Archie, Genevieve, and June. He is predeceased by his daughter Janice (also not a doctor). John was a superior athlete and an avid reader of The Star Ledger newspaper. He read it cover to cover every day and was always up on current events both near and far. If you played high school sports and made it into the paper, rest assured that he was proud of you, too. He had an uncanny ability to know where and when there would be traffic, and we think of him fondly whenever we park our cars. "On the gridiron or off, John holds the respect and admiration of all," reads the inscription in his 1942 high school yearbook. Truer words have never been written. John held the respect and admiration of all he met throughout his 91 years. A true gentleman, John loved helping people, going to the beach, eating dessert, and being tough as nails yet soft enough to keep the romance alive for almost seven decades. John's family has a saying that they use "Polish through it." It means "suck it up" or "tough it out." John was the embodiment of Polishing through. He never gave up, and his family will continue to find strength in his memory.