John A. Nacinovich

John was born and grew up in Shamokin, PA. He was one of seven children of Amelia (Reiprich) and John C. Nacinovich (their fourth living child); his five sisters and one brother all pre-deceased him. He was also the beloved husband of Laura (Waldroff) Nacinovich, whom he married in 1955 (she pre-deceased him in 2020).

John was a 1946 graduate of Coal Township High School. After working a number of odd jobs in Shamokin, John enlisted in the United States Army in 1948. He was stationed in Furth, Germany and left the military after three years with the rank of Sergeant. In the years immediately after discharge, he delivered coal and worked as a miner in Shamokin, and was also employed by Bethlehem Steel in Harrisburg, PA. In 1955, he moved to New Jersey in anticipation of his upcoming marriage and took a job as a mail clerk at Jersey Central Power and Light. He transferred into the line department within six months, and attained the designation of First Class Lineman in 1959. He was promoted to Chief Lineman in 1967 and then to the position of Foreman in 1984. It was his work as a lineman that was his true passion. He retired from Jersey Central in 1994 after a 39-year career which he truly loved.

He began his married life in Butler NJ. In 1959, he and Laura moved to Oak Ridge, NJ after purchasing their first and only home. He quickly became involved in his community, joining the first aid squad and coaching a Little League team. John was also an active member of the Milton United Methodist Church; he served on the Board of Trustees and volunteered a great deal of time assisting in various work projects related to the completion of the new church building. John became known within the community as someone who was willing to lend a hand, whether it was to help take down a tree, rewire a house, drive a church member to an appointment, or snow-blow a neighbor’s driveway. He found tremendous satisfaction in doing these small acts of service, yet was not one who sought recognition or thanks.

John enjoyed home ownership. Over the years, he became a jack-of-all-trades, learning the basic skills of plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry. He liked tackling home maintenance tasks and figuring out how to fix whatever needed repaired or replaced. He and Laura were also diehard do-it-yourselfers; if they could do it, they would rather than hiring someone for the job. This also tied in with John’s frugal nature. He was a hard-worker in everything he did, and actually liked hard, physical work.

Over his long life, John accumulated many friends and acquaintances. He was gregarious and affable, and loved socializing with people of all kinds. He had a genuine interest in learning about others, and loved running into people he knew when he was out and about. John was also a true gentleman, never talked ill of others, and was always kind and helpful. He was beloved by far more people than he could possibly imagine. He was also a devoted grandpa of six grandchildren and loved spending time with them. He will be deeply missed by his son Keith Nacinovich, his wife Michele (of Pompton Plains, NJ) and their two sons; his daughter Beth (Shuey), her husband Keith (of Harrisburg, PA) and their two daughters; and his son Wade, his wife Amy Bay (of Portland, OR) and their son and daughter.

Interment will be held on Monday, August 8, 2022 at Northumberland Memorial Park in Sunbury, PA. Visitation will be held at 10 am on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at the Milton United Methodist Church, 316 Dover-Milton Rd, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438, followed by a memorial service at 11 am.

Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Milton United Methodist Church; or Habitat for Humanity International, 322 West Lamar Street, Americus, GA 31709-3543