John James Onder

On Monday, December 21, 2020, John Onder, devoted husband, and loving father passed away at the age of 90. John was born on October 11, 1930 in Carteret, New Jersey to John Onder Sr. and Caroline Horvath. At age 17 he joined the U.S. Navy where he served for 4 years as the Fire Controlman aboard the USS Gyatt, the first U.S. guided missile destroyer. He attended Newark College of Engineering.

On September 4th, 1954, he married Debbie Deak, his bride of 64 years, from Woodbridge, New Jersey. They settled in Holmdel, New Jersey, where they raised their three children, Debra, Jefferey, and Susan. John enjoyed a full and prosperous 32-year career at Bell Laboratories. As an electrical engineer, he contributed to the research and development of advances in laser and optic technology as applied to holography, telecommunication, laser printing, and fiber optics. John participated in the first long-distance interactive whiteboard demonstration given at the White House, delivering us into the era of visual remote communication.

He was a full and active participant in life; steadfast in his core values of family, work, community, and always observing and engaging with nature.

As a ‘pioneer’ of the early Holmdel years, John helped to establish this now thriving and prosperous town. He served on the zoning board, was a member of the Young Republicans, and participated as poll worker and supervisor for many local and national elections.

He was a skilled craftsman, builder, and ‘jack of all trades’ for fixing, repairing, and installing just about anything. From building furniture, decks, and patios to installing a car engine, he had all the right tools and knowledge to achieve success in whatever he did.

John was a devoted, proud, and present father and grandfather, eagerly participating and engaging with his children and grandchildren throughout the years, whether encouraging from the sidelines or coaching, he was always there.

John and Debbie created a backyard paradise over the 52 years living at their Holmdel residence on Sweet Briar Lane, enjoying the birds and gardens, always welcoming neighbors and friends to “stop and smell the roses.”

After his retirement in 1987, John developed a passion and gift for photography. His specialty was capturing the detail of plants, animals, insects, and birds in flight. John Bird, as he was known to his peers on the website Flickr, shared thousands of his beautiful images, exchanging techniques and comments from around the world.

Both he and Debbie were blessed with long-lasting friendships throughout the years with childhood friends, the O’Donnells and Kaskiws. They enjoyed and celebrated the golden years together by frequenting favorite restaurants and traveling abroad to Europe, and to their favorite place, Duck, N.C.

John is preceded in death by his wife, Debbie. He is survived by his three children, Debra Amore, Jeff Onder, Susan Petrillo, along with five grandchildren, Danielle, Gabrielle, Taylor, Caroline, Jake, his cousin Barbara, and several nephews, and nieces.

A memorial service will be held at St. James Chapel 4097 Old River Trail, Powhatan, VA 23139 on Saturday, January 16th, at 11:00 AM. Reception will follow service. In Lieu of flowers please send donations to Michaux-St. James Foundation 4097 Old River Trail, Powhatan, VA 23139