John W. Nemetz

Lakewood, NJ – John Walter Nemetz passed away peacefully in Lakewood, Sunday, September 21. Born and raised in the Fifth Ward of Shamokin, PA, John married his hometown sweetheart, Anna Mae Cheslock at St. Stanislaus in 1953 and after serving in the U.S. Army, moved to Toms River to start a long high school teaching and storied coaching career.

For more than 30 years, John taught World Civilization and coached wrestling and football at Toms River HS (now South) and Toms River North HS.

In 2017, the sportswriters of The New Jersey Star-Ledger named him as one of four faces of TR North’s “Mount Rushmore.” Called the “Godfather of Jersey Shore Wrestling” for his early advocacy of the sport, John started the wrestling program for the Toms River Indians in 1959 and then moved to the Mariners in 1969 to begin their program. His teams at North earned a record of 212-62-8 with a string of 58 consecutive Shore Conference victories. The squad never had a losing season and went undefeated on three separate occasions. John was awarded the prestigious Harry E. Lake Award for outstanding contributions to New Jersey wrestling and was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Shore Conference Hall of Fame, and the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame.

A graduate of Bloomsburg State Teachers College (PA), John was an outstanding football player, receiving All East, Little All American, and Associated Press All-Teacher’s honors. He is a member of the Bloomsburg University Hall of Fame. He earned a master’s degree in education from Montclair State University.

Throughout his life, he was known for being nice and helpful toward others – and always eager to earn a buck. In Shamokin, he worked in a slaughterhouse, jewelry store, and as a pinsetter in the bowling alley. At Bloomsburg he sold neckties and painted railroad bridges. During summers as a teacher, John did small home additions and sold encyclopedias door-to-door. He said his best life decisions were marrying Anna Mae, accepting a scholarship to “Bloom,” and moving to Toms River, where he briefly served on the Ocean County Democratic Committee.

After retiring, John owned and operated The Whale Apartments in Seaside Park for more than three decades. Daily, he would cross the Mathis Bridge, until he was 91, to talk with his tenants, care for the apartments and his flowers – and most importantly tinker with his crafts, woodworking and collectable treasures in the garage. The Whale Apartments hosted some legendary garage sales.

John is preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Anna Mae, and his sister Florence. John survived by his three children; Leon, Lawrence (Jennifer) and Marianne Mashek (William) and four grandchildren, Harrison and Charles Nemetz, and Emily Mashek (Matt) and Rebecca Goltz (Daniel). His sister Joan also survives him.

A Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, October 2, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Toms River.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made payable by check to the TR North or TR South Athletic Departments and mailed to the schools; “Attention: Principal Ed Keller / North” or “Attention: Principal Kevin Rayman / South.”