John Francis Alkiewicz, age 70 years, of Edison, NJ, died peacefully on Thursday, January 7, 2021 at JFK Hospital, Edison, NJ.

Born in Elizabeth, NJ, October 6, 1950, son of the late John Alkiewicz and Dorothy Blaz Alkiewicz Mason, John had lived in Edison since 1997, having been raised in Elizabeth, NJ, and formerly living in Hillside, NJ for many years.

A 1968 graduate of Elizabeth High School, John’s love of muscle cars and vehicles in general, lead him to pursue a natural career in automotive mechanics. With his father passing away at a young age and his mother remarrying Thomas Mason who owned a garage, John would go to work with him at Mason’s garage in Elizabeth after high school. At Mason’s, he learned quickly, worked hard and earned a reputation as a top diesel engine mechanic. In addition to working on cars, he loved to restore both hot rods and old cars, with his pride being a restored 1969 Chevelle. His talent was truly limitless.

Life was going well for John until at the age of 32, he experienced a massive heart attack which led to a massive stroke while he was undergoing emergency bypass surgery. Surviving what should have been an unsurvivable incident, John was left without the use of an arm, and also experienced many other limitations, mostly due to complications from the stroke.

In true John fashion though, he never, ever let this new reality destroy or bring down his passion for living life.

Prior to the incident, he was extremely talented with his hands; in addition to being a mechanic, he loved to bowl and was an amazing pool player. Many folks lost a few dollars to the ‘poor guy with only one arm that worked’ that they challenged to play a game of pool, as even with only one working arm, John would run the table on them. He also had a passion for gardening, of which he passed on his ‘green thumb’ to his daughters.

Strong-willed and humorous, John was most proud of being a father and grandfather. His family was his world, and he did all he could for his two daughters, who in turn ensured that their dad was always well looked after as he aged and needed increasing levels of assistance. They allowed him to keep his independence as much as possible, and in turn, he saw his successes in the lives they lived and the families they created.

His favorite singer/songwriter Billy Joel wrote in ‘Goodnight Saigon’ the following: “We had no cameras to shoot the landscape / We passed the hash pipe and played our Doors tapes / And it was dark, so dark at night / And we held on to each other like brother to brother.” John would want all of us to always remember that we face different challenges that some find easy to face and others not so easy—surely he faced many trying times that would break the strongest man—but, at the end of the day, we need to remember that we are all brothers and sisters traveling down the path of life and we owe it to each other to look out for one another and to never give up. By living life this way, we honor John.

Surviving are his daughters and sons-in-law, Annette and Randy Brunner and Stacy and Michael Murphy; his grandchildren who lovingly called him Pop-Pop, Kyle, Ethan, and Emily Brunner, and Michael Murphy, Jr. and Caitlin Murphy; his sister and brother-in-law, Kim and Michael Innaccio; a nephew and his wife, Thomas and Tatsiana Innaccio and their children, Benjiman, Nicholas, and Christopher; a nephew and his wife, Matthew and Chelsea Innaccio; several extended family members; and many friends.

John will lie in repose on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. the Chapel of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ 08822.

A life celebration service, officiated by Certified Life Celebrant D.J. Wright, will follow the gathering and begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Realizing that many people will be unable to attend due to the current pandemic restrictions, the service will be live-streamed with the following link being active starting at 7:15 p.m. the night of the service; click HERE to watch the funeral service live.

Also understanding that many who would like to speak that evening might not be able to attend, anyone wishing to have their thoughts shared during the service are asked to share them by clicking HERE or emailing careteam@wrightfamily.com. Please include your full contact information.

Kindly remember that given the current state of the pandemic, masks must be worn at all times on funeral home grounds, and social distancing must be maintained. Due to the volume of people expected and the rules regarding maximum capacity in buildings, we ask that you remain cognizant of your time spent at the funeral home so that others can also spend time and pay their respects.Please follow the instructions of the Wright & Ford Care Team Family Ambassadors upon arrival.

You are encouraged to visit John’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.

For those who wish to honor John, memorial contributions in his honor may be made to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005 or online by clicking HERE.

____________________________

Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”