By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Staff Writer
TRENTON — Hundreds of people, including Gov. Chris Christie, gathered in Patriots Theatre at the War Memorial in Trenton on Tuesday morning to pay homage to the late John and Joyce Sheridan.
Mr. Sheridan, 72, died at home while his wife, 69, died at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro after a fire broke out in the bedroom of their house in the Skillman section of Montgomery before 6 a.m. on Sept. 28.
While officials have determined the fire was intentionally set, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan remain an active and ongoing investigation with laboratory results still pending, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
The couple is survived by four sons: Mark and his wife Jennifer, Matt, Dan, and Tim, as well as their three grandchildren, Quinn, Caroline, and Jack.
"It’s easy to see how many people cared for, loved and respected mom and dad," Matt Sheridan said to the crowd gathered in the theater. "But I can’t help but think how much they would have hated all of this."
He said his father would have asked everyone why they weren’t at work and his mother, who preferred a quieter life out of the spotlight, would have said they should have "kept it in the family."
The couple married in Bloomfield in 1967. They celebrated their 47th anniversary on Aug. 26.
Gov. Christie said he knew Mr. Sheridan for 20 years and "with John, Joyce was always a part of the conversation."
The governor said she was "extra essential" to "every minute of his life" and "to all of his aspirations."
"I can’t imagine the pain and the loss that the Sheridans feel right now," Gov. Christie said. "To lose a parent is difficult … to lose both parents is a devastating blow … We’re here for you, not just in your professional lives but in your personal lives as well."
Mr. Sheridan, who served as a member of Gov. Christie’s transition team, was born to the late Rita T. and John P. Sheridan in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Sept. 7, 1942. He graduated from Seton Hall Prep School, St. Peter’s College and Rutgers Law School. He served in the Army from 1968 through 1970.
At the time of his death, Mr. Sheridan was the president and CEO of the Cooper Health System. He also served as a member of The Cooper Health System Board of Trustees.
Before joining Cooper, he was a senior partner and co-chairman of the law firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP. He served for a number of years as general counsel to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Carrier Clinic. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Carrier Clinic for 25 years.
He also served in the cabinet of Gov. Thomas H. Kean as commissioner of transportation and as chairman of the board of the New Jersey Transit Corporation from 1982 to 1985. He served as deputy attorney general of the State of New Jersey, assistant counsel to Gov. William T. Cahill, and counsel to the New Jersey Senate minority.
George E. Norcross III, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Cooper University Healthcare, said, "The city of Camden today is a different place because of his vision. We mourn a great leader but his legacy will continue in a city he grew to love."
Mr. Norcorss said Mr. Sheridan fought to keep Cooper in Camden where it had been for 125 years and was dedicated to the city’s revitalization.
"I think he found Cooper his most personally rewarding endeavor," Matt Sheridan said, adding that his mother was the one who made all of his father’s accomplishments possible.
"She was the glue that held everything together," he said. "First and foremost she was the love of his life, his devoted wife and a mother to all of us."
He added, "She could take the place of all of the others in our lives but no one could take hers."
Ms. Sheridan, the daughter of the late Olga and George Mitchko, was born on May 30, 1945, and raised in Lincoln Park. She graduated from Boonton High School and East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania. She was a history teacher in the Cedar Grove and South Brunswick public school systems for more than 15 years. After retirement, she devoted much time to her grandchildren, and had many hobbies including knitting and gardening.
The couple adored their grandchildren and also shared a love of antiques and history. They spent hours together searching for "that right piece," and restoring and refurbishing an 18th century stone farmhouse outside of Cooperstown.
Throughout their lives, however, family was their first priority, according to Matt Sheridan.
"They gave us the greatest gift they could ever give — their love and their beliefs in each and everyone of us," he said.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to organizations that were an important part of their life and that embody their lifelong commitment to helping others in need — the Joubert Syndrome Foundation at www.jsrdf.org, The Cooper Foundation at http://foundation.cooperhealth.org/ways-to-give/make-a-donation, or The Carrier Clinic at www.carrierclinic.org/giveagift.php#tips.
