THOMAS “TJ” TISCHIO, 57, of Freehold, died Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Born in Newark, TJ lived in Nutley and Oakhurst prior to settling in Freehold in 1987 in the SEARCH Meadows Group Home.
TJ suffered his entire life with severe Autism. He attended the SEARCH Day Program School and Adult Program and ultimately resided in their Group Home where he spent 32 years being loved and cared for. TJ’s family is forever grateful to both relatives and friends for supporting the SEARCH Agency over the past 46 years.
TJ’s greatest joys in life were food, listening to music, especially the Beatles when played at a higher than normal speed, and lovingly tormenting his younger sister and brother.
TJ was survived by his father, Joseph Tischio of Jackson, a sister, Lisa Tischio of Jackson, a brother, Andrew Tischio and his husband, Anthony Branciforte, of Cream Ridge, two nephews, Christopher Cornine of Philadelphia and Matthew Cornine of Jackson and by his loving extended family at both SEARCH Adult Center & SEARCH Meadows Group Home.
The family will be receiving relatives and friends from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, 2019 at O’Brien Funeral Home, Highway 35 at New Bedford Road, Wall, NJ. A Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 6, 2019 at St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, Essex Avenue, Spring Lake. Entombment will follow in St. Catherine’s Cemetery, Wall.
As flowers are not permitted in the mausoleum, the family requests instead that contributions in TJ’s memory be made to SEARCH Day Program, 73 Wickapecko Drive, Ocean, NJ 07712.