Michael James Ziegler, age 58 years, of Kingwood Township, NJ, returned home to the arms of Jesus peacefully on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at home, surrounded by his beloved family.
Born at Somerset Medical Center, Somerville, NJ, he was the son of George Louis Ziegler and the late Gloria Emma Gollhardt Ziegler. Raised in Bridgewater, he had lived in Kingwood Township since 1992.
After graduating from Immaculata High School, Somerville, NJ, in 1982, Mike earned his BS in Computer Science and Accounting from Moravian College in 1986. Recently retired, Mike was an Information Technology Systems Manager for Johnson & Johnson, having worked for the company his entire professional career of 35 years. He was well regarded and much loved by his peers for his humor and his technical prowess.
Mike’s story begins as most; he was the son of hardworking parents who worked to provide a good life for him and his younger sister, Laura. They instilled in him values which would carry over to his adult life and always encouraged his strength and tenacity.
His childhood was marked by a love for his little sister that would accompany them through adulthood, where the pair would always stand by and support one another through all of life’s endeavors.
It was fate during Mike’s junior year of high school that he was assigned a locker two down from Ms. Janet Marie Sidotti, a sophomore. The two struck up a friendship and by New Year’s Eve 1980, they would become a couple. Never having a trial or test that together they could not overcome, they would date throughout the rest of high school and college, and would be united in holy matrimony on June 26, 1988, at St. Matthias Church, Somerset, NJ.
Putting God first and at the center of their relationship is what Janet and Mike credited for the ease of which they lived life together. It was also because they always put the other person first. Their union was blessed with three children, Stephen Michael, Timothy James and Kathryn Anne, all of whom credit their dad with being a true role model for them in all aspects of life.
Mike’s super analytical intelligence made him a wonderful problem solver, and this helped to allow his children to see from early on that there was never a problem that could not be solved with a little hard work and faith. He guided them in all their endeavors with a steady, strong hand and taught them to always be responsible and compassionate to all people.
Coaching the kids and their friends in baseball, soccer, hockey, and basketball allowed Mike to get to spend extra time with them and make an impact for the better on the community. Mike enjoyed mentoring young people early in their career, including his children, and was known for his listening ear and sage advice on virtually any topic. He loved spending time with his friends and was often the organizer for many fun activities.
His generous heart knew no boundaries and was rooted in his Catholic faith. A longtime communicant of Our Lady of Victories Church, Mike was an usher at the church as well as a Third Degree Knight of Columbus, Delaware Valley Council #7581. He simply wanted to use his God given talents to do the Lord’s work on Earth and approached each new dawn with that attitude.
With his brain constantly in motion, Mike had many hobbies most of which involved being outside and communing in some way with nature. He was an avid hunter, skier, and enjoyed chopping cords of wood for the fireplace. He could often be found in the garage working on his cars. He was an ardent Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Dodgers fan and enjoyed motor sports. His love of music touched many genres and made him a “Cool Dad”. From David Bowie to Led Zeppelin, Mike loved it all. The Stone Temple Pilots, Van Halen, Black Crowes, and Rolling Stones concerts, among many others, created wonderful and lasting memories.
Though his journey was too short by earthly standards, Mike, from the beginning, said his cancer diagnosis was, “In God’s Hands,” but he continued to live each moment with a ferocity to do good works for as long as he was able. Never complaining, he took each day in stride and never let his diagnosis defeat his will to make the world a better place and to enjoy each person he encountered. This is especially poignant as he leaves his grandson, Becket, with the legacy of living life to the fullest each day, and to always, “come out swinging”. With faith, hope and love as a foundation for living life, he believed that nothing is impossible with God. Known as ‘Grand-Dude’, Becket surely has the most amazing guardian helping to light his path.
In the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, it is written Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. Mike lived his life by always remembering that when it seems the darkest, there is always, always a glimmer of light; one just needs to look a little harder to find it. To honor Mike is to not go into the darkness, but to always, always, seek the light.
Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Gloria Emma Gollhardt Ziegler in 1989; a son, Kenneth Robert Ziegler in 1995; and a grandchild, Vivian Emmanuel Ziegler in 2021.
Surviving are his wife of 33 years, Janet; his father George and partner Alyce; son and daughter-in-law Stephen and Samantha Ziegler; son and daughter-in-law Timothy and Jennifer Ziegler; daughter Kathryn Ziegler; sister, Laura Ziegler; grandson, Becket Ziegler; mother-in-law, Christine Sidotti; father-in-law, Phillip Sidotti and wife Nancy; brother-in-law, Frank Liebel; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Kenneth and Pam Sidotti; several nieces, cousins and extended family; and many, many dear friends.
Mike will lie in repose on Thursday, March 31, 2022, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Our Lady Of Victories Church, 1007 County Road 519, Baptistown, NJ (Kingwood Township or Frenchtown for GPS). There will be an additional period of visitation on Friday, April 1, 2022, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church.
A Mass of Christian Burial concelebrated by Msgr. David Fulton, Rev. Kris Kaczynski and Rev. Joseph Illes will take place on Friday, April 1, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victories Church.
Following Mass, Mike will be laid to rest in the family plot at St. Magdalen Cemetery, North Main Street, Flemington, NJ, and to which all are welcome.
Realizing that some may be unable to attend due to the pandemic, the visitation on Friday, the Mass and the burial service will be live-streamed, with the stream being active starting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. To watch, please click HERE and kindly ensure you do not have a pop-up blocker enabled (if you are having issues with clicking above, please follow this link: https://vimeo.com/event/1983880). Kindly note that the same link will be used for all three events.
All arrangements are under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.
You are encouraged to visit Mike’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.
Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to 40 Days for Life, via mail to 4112 East 29th Street, Bryan, TX 77802 or online by clicking HERE or to John Paul II Medical Research Institute, via mail to 2500 Crosspark Road, Suite W230, Coralville, IA 52241 or online by clicking HERE.
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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”