- Date Of Birth: October 28, 1954
- Date Of Death: July 18, 2022
- State: New Jersey
Michael Joseph McNamara, 67, of Toms River, NJ, passed away Monday, July 18, 2022 at home surrounded by his beloved family. Born in Elizabeth, NJ, he lived in Keyport, NJ before moving to Toms River 18 years ago. Mike was a graduate of South Dakota State University and was a Horticulturalist for many years.
Mike was one of seven children and used this to his advantage, causing mischief whenever he could, a trait he carried with him throughout his life. He had a deep connection to the natural world spending much of his life near the Atlantic Coast. On a summer’s day at his parent’s house in New Smyrna Beach, FL he could be seen striding out towards the sandbar in search of the perfect wave to body surf.
He traveled extensively throughout North America, hiking and camping with his friends and family. One notable trip included a stop in Salt Lake City, UT, where he floated “for hours” in the waters of the Great Salt Lake. Standing at 6’6,” he was naturally athletic and spent much of his youth playing sports with a special love of baseball, and to the consternation of the nuns who taught him, he loved to run! Anyone who met him quickly learned that he had a vast knowledge of all variety of plants and had a special affinity for their cultivation. He could make them sing with a beauty all of their own. The man loved his licorice of all kinds: Scottie dogs, Australian soft, twists, pipes, rolls, and ropes. His impact has been and will continue to be felt by many people and he will be dearly missed.
He was predeceased by his father, Joseph William McNamara Jr., his brother Joseph Thomas McNamara, and his sister Virginia Louise McNamara Harris.
Mike is survived by his wife Barbara, his children Jonathan Robert (Arlene Lynn), Shawn Christopher (Anne Kovarik), Leah SoYun, Bart Mirczewski, and Kasia Mirczewska, his grandchildren Ava Rose, Oliveah Michelle, and Finnian Kristopher McNamara, his mother Josephine Michael Hanley McNamara, and his siblings Diane Mary McNamara, Kathleen Anne McNamara Deeken, Ellen Elizabeth McNamara Ambrose, and Patrick Joseph McNamara.
