James J. Callahan Jr.
Steamfitter, active with 'Sons of Shillelagh,' formerly of Avon, 78
James J. Callahan, Jr., 78, of Manchester, N.J., passed away on Thursday, May 30, 2019.
Jim was raised in East Orange, N.J. He was a member of the Junior Essex Troop, where he won many awards in horsemanship, and a graduate of Oratory Prep, where he was captain of the basketball team. He attended Villanova University before becoming a union steamfitter with Local 475, based in Newark and later in Warren, N.J.
Jim retired in 2003, and then began his own transportation company. Jim was a member of the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J., and helped establish the chapter in Belmar. He marched with the FSOS in St. Patrick's Day parades, and had also marched with his father in Dublin.
He enjoyed golfing with his friends, some of whom were known as the Dawn Patrol. Jim lived in Avon, N.J., for many years and after retiring, in Vero Beach, Fla., for five years, before moving to Manchester a year ago.
Jim was predeceased by his parents, James J. and Mary (Robertson) Callahan. He is survived by his beloved wife of 33 years, Anne (Healy), as well as by his sisters and their husbands, Barbara and Bill Young of Glen Ridge, N.J., and Mary Lou and Cliff Lauterhahn of East Orange, N.J., and their children and grandchildren. Also surviving are Jim's mother-in-law, Anita Healy of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., Anne's many siblings and their spouses, and their children and grandchildren.
Visitation will take place at O'Brien Funeral Home, 2028 Hwy. 35, Wall, N.J., on Monday, June 3, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mark's Church, Sea Girt, N.J., on Tuesday, June 4, at 9:30 a.m. Cremation will take place privately.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory may be made to Parkinson's Foundation (for Parkinson's Disease research), at parkinson.org. Condolences may be sent via obrienfuneralhome.com.