In Memoriam: Longtime Little Silver Resident, Bill Lunz, 86

Longtime Little Silver resident, William W. “Bill” Lunz, passed away on April 29, at Riverview Medical Center. He was 86.

Bill was born on Jan. 20, 1940, in Newark — well on his way to the life he loved most: outdoors, near the water, and with a fishing pole never too far away.

He was educated at St. Augustin’s Catholic Grammar School and St. Benedict’s High School in Newark before earning his bachelor’s degree from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City in 1963.

“Bill met Barbara McCarrick in 1958 and, by good fortune (and persistence), convinced the intelligent and beautiful Barbara to date him. They were married on the 4th of July in 1964. Soon after, they moved to Arizona for Bill’s military service and welcomed their son Chris.

“After coming to their senses that Arizona could not compare to the Jersey Shore, the family returned to Point Pleasant, where daughters Karen, Kerry, and Jenn were born. Bill and Barbara purchased their longtime home in Little Silver in 1974, and their youngest, Billy, soon completed the family.

“Between raising his family, tackling countless home renovations and projects with a distinctly German meticulousness, and sneaking in fishing and hunting trips whenever he could, Bill built a lengthy career in facilities management with several companies in New York. Later, he shifted gears to indulge his longtime passion for food as the proprietor of John Anthony’s in Brielle.

“After retiring, Bill volunteered with the VNA and assisted local charities with food deliveries. He also began his third “career” as Paw to his eight grandchildren. Bill loved being a grandfather, enthusiastically attending their innumerable events and games and sharing his fishing and food passions with them. No visit to their homes felt complete without him arriving with at least one homemade stuffed bread or a batch of chicken salad (and, just to be safe, a chicken leg for his grand-dog Brutus). Bill’s presence filled a room, and his love for his family and friends ran even deeper. He will be profoundly missed and warmly remembered.
Loved ones of Bill Lunz in his obituary

Bill was predeceased by: his parents, William and Eleanor (Matts) Lunz; his brother-in-law, John Hutchinson; and his sister-in-law, Maureen Van Leeuwen.

Bill is survived by: his loving wife of 62 years, Barbara A. (McCarrick) Lunz; their children, Chris, of Little Silver, Karen (Jim) Convery, of Tinton Falls, Kerry, of Highlands, Jennifer (Tim) Mullarkey, of Lido Beach, NY, and Billy, of Little Silver; his beloved grandchildren, Ryan, Aidan, Brennan, and Kaitlyn Convery, Finn and Shea Mullarkey, and Olivia and Kellen Lunz; and his sisters, Jeannine (John) Hurley, of Sparta, and Arleen Hutchinson, of Ocean Gate.

Services are set for 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, at John E. Day Funeral Home, Red Bank. A funeral mass is set for Thursday, May 7, at Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project (www.woundedwarriorproject.org).

— Edited obituary prepared by family via John E. Day Funeral Home