John Andrew Dearing is celebrating his 100th birthday on October 18. He is pictured in 1945 when he graduated from Butler High School. (
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John Andrew Deering, born Oct. 18, 1926, to Catherine Elizabeth Conroy Deering and Joseph Francis Deering in Newark just eight years after the end of World War I, is one of the rare people alive today who remembers life before television. After illness caused the death of his twin brother and father, John and his mother moved to Nutley where he attended St. Mary ‘s Parochial School. When he was 10 years old, he and his mother moved to Oak Ridge to live with his maternal aunt and uncle. Lifelong relationships with his cousins developed there. Summers at Point Pleasant with paternal relatives also created lasting family relationships for John.
While living in Oak Ridge, he attended St. Anthony of Padua Parochial Elementary School in Butler. He played football when he attended Butler High School. John is a member of the 1945 graduation class. His school days memories include riding on Edsall’s school bus to the high school with lifelong friends Robert Nicholson, who will be 100 in 2028 and Bernice Greenwood, whose 100th birthday will be in 2027. John’s cousin James Gilroy was also a passenger on the school bus.
Enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps in 1944, John was in active service during World War II. A Private First Class, he was a military police officer at various bases in the United States. He was honorably discharged Dec. 1, 1946. He then took a job with a brake manufacturing company. In 1947, John was hired by the City of Newark, Division of Engineering, Department of Water. He held numerous positions involved in maintaining five Pequannock Watershed reservoirs (Echo Lake, Clinton, Canistear, Oak Ridge and Charlottesburg) in Morris, Passaic and Sussex Counties. These reservoirs supply Newark with its water.
John and his wife Virginia Allerman Deering were married in 1951 at St. Mary’s Church in Wharton. They first met at a Green Pond dance hall, a popular recreational place for young adults during that era. During their dating years, the couple enjoyed dancing, bowling, boating, movie, trips to Bertrand’s Amusement Park at Lake Hopatcong. They were happily married for 64 years. Virginia passed away in 2015.
The family lived in a house on New City Road in a Township of West Milford community known as New City. It was created by Newark as housing for their employees and some workers and their families lived there. St. Joseph Church and parish played a major role in the lives of John and Virginia. He was a member of the St. Joseph Church Holy Name Society and marched annually in the Diocese of Paterson Holy Name Parade. Virginia was a member of the Rosary Society. Their six children are Anne, Lorraine, Eileen, Joseph, Stephen and Michael. The children attended St. Joseph Parochial School and West Milford Township Public Schools. They are all graduates of West Milford High School.
After moving from the family residence on New City Road, John resided at Bald Eagle Village in West Milford for many years. During his time there he walked through the neighborhood daily. On his walks, he met many neighbors and made lots of friends. Currently he resides at the Bristol Glen Senior Living Facility in Newton where he enjoys attending concerts, activities and the many offerings there.
In addition to his six children, John has 13 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. He shared that his greatest joy in recent years has been witnessing the birth of the new babies in the next generations of his and Virginia’s growing family. His is a life well-lived. John will be celebrating his centennial milestone birthday with family, friends and neighbors throughout the month of October.