MONROE – Flags in Monroe Township will be flown at half-staff for seven days to honor Mayor Gerald Tamburro and his decades of service.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of the honorable Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro. Mayor Tamburro passed away surrounded by his family” on Dec. 31, according to information posted on Monroe Township’s website.
As a retired banker, Tamburro served as vice president of commercial lending for the National State Bank of Elizabeth and as president of a community bank in New Jersey.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University.
Prior to taking on the duties of mayor, Tamburro had been elected as the Second Ward council member in 2001, and served as council president for eight years.
He was a member of the Monroe Township Planning Board, and previously served as chairman of the Affordable Housing Board, chairman of the Master Plan Review Committee, council representative to the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee, vice chairman of the Middlesex County Planning Board, and member of the New Jersey Training School Citizens Review Committee.
Tamburro was elected in November 2015, and sworn-in as the township’s mayor on Jan. 1, 2016.
He was a veteran of the National Guard.
Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Kevin P. McCabe issued a statement on the passing of Tamburro.
“It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Mayor Gerald Tamburro this morning. Mayor Tamburro was a dedicated family man, consummate professional, and served his community as a distinguished leader. He was also someone I considered a trusted confidant and friend.
“On behalf of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization, I send my sincere condolences to his family, to Monroe Township which he so deeply loved, and his close friends in Greenbriar at Whittingham,” he said.
Gov. Phil Murphy issued a statement as well.
“Mayor Gerald Tamburro was an example of the right person going into public service for the right reasons. Instead of spending his retirement from the private sector in quiet pursuits, Jerry dedicated his last two decades to the people of Monroe, his adopted hometown, which responded by electing him to township council and twice as their mayor.
“Jerry’s legacy of service will be his tireless work to protect Monroe’s taxpayers and their quality of life, and the pride he took in never having let a developer pull a fast one against the township.
“More than anything, however, Jerry was a friend to many and a loving family man. He lost his wife of 60 years, Carole, last year and I take some solace in knowing he and Carole are now reunited. He was a good and unwavering personal friend, even in those early days when he didn’t have to be, and his support was always truly meaningful.
“Tammy and I send our most heartfelt condolences to his and Carole’s six children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Murphy said.
Tamburro is predeceased by his beloved wife Carole (2019), with whom he shared six children and nine grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Demarco Funeral Home; a formal announcement will be issued by the Tamburro family.
