Richard E. Mack

Richard E. Mack, of Mendham, NJ, entered eternal life on Tuesday, March 7th, he was 89. Richard was born in Passaic, NJ on January 4th, 1934 to Stanley and Annabelle (Smith) Mack. Richard met his beloved wife and best friend, Joan C. (Babula) Mack at the age of 17 while attending Clifton High School, and they married on May 21st, 1955 at the Church of St. Paul’s in Clifton, NJ. They would have been married for 68 years, this May. Richard was a proud veteran and honorably served in the United States Air Force from 1953-1957 during the Korean War. He completed his basic training in Geneva, NY at Sampson Air Force Base after which he and Joan relocated to Greenville, SC while stationed at Donaldson Air Force Base. Upon his honorable discharge from the Air Force, Richard and his family moved back to New Jersey, where they purchased a home in Wayne. He could often be found tending to his vegetable and flower gardens. He spent most of his professional career working as an accountant at Bendix-Honeywell, in Teterboro, retiring in 1991. He then worked for Berlex, a pharmaceutical company for ten years, finally retiring in 2001. In 1984, Richard and Joan purchased a family home at the Jersey Shore where they spent countless summers at the beach, crabbing, and fishing. In Chadwick Beach, they made some of their closest lifelong friends and have cherished memories of watching their granddaughters grow up. For more than 20 years, Richard enjoyed participating in the Annual Fourth of July Picnic, grilling and serving up root beer alongside neighbors and friends at the bay beach. In his day, Richard was an avid and agile skier and golfer. As they raised their family, Richard and Joan loved to travel together and took countless memorable trips with friends and families over the years. They had a particular fondness for Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where they visited annually for more than 20 years and brought their family to visit on multiple occasions. Eight years ago Richard and Joan moved to Mendham and always found joy in observing the wildlife that would visit their home. Richard truly enjoyed spending time with his family, as they were a source of great pride and joy, and his greatest love. His imprint on those who loved him will well outlive his 89 years. In addition to his wife Joan, Richard is survived by his devoted children, his daughter Shari and her husband Clifford Johnson, his son Brad Mack and his domestic partner Jean Halligan; his devoted grandchildren Stephanie and her husband Peter Haenchen Jr., Brittany Johnson and her fiancé Christopher Jordan, Kelly Mack and her fiancé Eric Coombs. Richard is also survived by his cherished great-granddaughter Sophia Haenchen and her baby sister due in May. He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter-in-law Lynda Mack.

Richard’s family will gather for a memorial service on Saturday, March 11th at 11AM at the Cremation Society of New Jersey, 470 Colfax Avenue; Clifton, NJ 07013. A funeral service will take place at 11:15; followed by final honors, provided by The United States Air Force. In lieu of flowers, contributions to one of the organizations close to Richard’s heart would be most appreciated: The Wounded Warrior Project: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org , St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/donate , Shriners Hospitals for Children: https://lovetotherescue.org , The ASPCA: https://secure.aspca.org