John J. “Jack” McGlue, 91, passed away at home under the loving care of his daughter, Lynne and her husband, Ken. Jack was born in Newark, NJ on May 25, 1931, the younger of two children born to John J. and Josephine McGlue (Adlon). Jack attended Seton Hall Prep and joined the National Guard at 17 years old. He would recall the thrill of driving two and a half ton trucks at such a young age.

Jack was inducted into the US Army on January 28, 1949 and was stationed at Fort Myer in Washington D.C. He was a member of the distinguished Old Guard, the oldest active duty Infantry Regiment in the Army. He proudly earned the highest proficiency level of expert marksman. The following year, he volunteered to go to Korea where the conflict had recently begun. Jack endured extreme winter conditions without proper equipment. He was assigned to the Heavy Weapons Unit of the 23rd Regimental Combat Team 2nd Division and fought in many of the major battles of the Korean War. He walked from below Taegu to the border of China more than once. Jack always credited Colonel Paul Freeman for getting him out of Korea alive. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and most importantly to him, the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Upon returning to the States, he fought to again be stationed at Fort Myer where fate would have him meet the love of his life. As the story goes, upon first laying eyes on our mom, he told his buddy, “I’m going to marry that girl.” Sure enough, Jack and Jackie (AKA The Two Jacks) were married on October 11, 1952. As his father before him, Jack was trained as an electrician and was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 52/164 for 65 years. He wasn’t born at the shore, but he got here as soon as he could and loved every minute. Almost daily, he would go to the beach to, “make sure the waves were still coming in.” The Two Jacks wintered in Naples, FL after retiring. He was fond of teasing those up north on the coldest days of winter by sharing that it was sunny and 85 in Naples. The Two Jacks traveled across the country on four occasions seeing every state except Hawaii.  They also traveled to South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada and Mexico.

Jack was a lifelong fan of the NY Yankees, NY Giants and Nascar. He was a member of the East Coast Diving Association and one of the first divers to be certified in NJ. He dove on all the wrecks off the NJ coast including the Texas Tower. He was an avid golfer who achieved two holes-in-one. Jack loved his routine and could be found at pizza on Wednesday, Kleins on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. He loved his expressions including:

“I had a hat when I came in, I’ll have a hat when I go out…”

“Done is on the night shift”

“Ready? I was born ready.” And many others.

Jack was a dedicated family man and was an avid supporter of his children and grandchildren. He attended every sporting event and left work early to be there. Jack is survived by his children, Michelle McCreary (Joseph) of Toms River, Lynne McGlue (Ken Sanderson) of Wall Township, and Timothy McGlue (Diane Burley) of West Long Branch; his grandchildren, Karen O’Donnell, Alexander McGlue, James McGlue, Diana Sanderson (Ezra Lopez), Cathryn Sanderson and Nicholas McCreary (Sierra); his great-grandchildren Mira Lopez and Anya McCreary as well as his loving sister, Joan Bogert of Neptune.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation on Saturday, August 20, 2022 from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Family members and friends will share memories starting at 4:00pm at the O’Brien Funeral Home 2028 Hwy 35 & New Bedford Rd, Wall, NJ, 07719. Committal will be in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, September 19, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Military Order of the Purple Heart by clicking here or a charity of your choice. To send condolences to the family please visit www.obrienfuneralhome.com.