Obituary of Deacon John A. Wanat

John A. Wanat, 82, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, formerly of Freehold and Jackson, passed away on December 23, 2022 He was ordained as a deacon by Bishop John C. Reiss on May 14, 1994 and served St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold and St. Aloysius Church, Jackson. In addition to his parish duties, Deacon John trained deacon interns in the final year of formation. John was the former executive director of the Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans Services, the former director and founder of the Senior Citizens Activities Network (SCAN) which provides educational, wellness and information programs to seniors, the former director of five offices in the State Department of Education, Division of Vocation Education, the former Assistant Director of the Center for Occupation Education at Jersey City State College and the former owner and operator, with his family, of a restaurant in Perth Amboy. John served on several national, state, and county positions, including president of the New Jersey Association of Area Agencies on Aging, treasurer, and vice president of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. He also served on the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Volunteerism and the Board of the New Jersey Intergenerational Network, having served as their first president. He also served on over 25 committees and boards in Monmouth County. John was a former educator who taught at the elementary, secondary, college, and graduate school level. He was the author of 17 textbooks, 25 monographs, nine audio/visual packages and more than one thousand articles. In his career, John hosted five television shows which aired on Comcast Cable TV and one local radio show. He is survived by his wife, Arlene; two sons and daughters-in-law, John and Gloria and grandson Johnny and Michael and Cheryl and grandchildren Brianna, Jason, and Billy; two sisters, Barbara and husband Ron and Patty and husband Tony; and many nieces and nephews. The viewing will be held at St. Rose of Lima Church, 16 McLean Street, Freehold on Friday, Dec 30, 2022 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at church on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 at 10 a.m. followed by interment at the parish cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org would be appreciated. Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold is in charge of arrangements.