John J. Moore

January 14, 2022

John J. Moore, teacher, lawyer, university trustee, devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, died on Friday January 14, 2022 at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey. He was 88. Born on January 24, 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey, John was the oldest of seven children. Known throughout his life for an extraordinary work ethic, John joined the workforce at age seven, retrieving scraps from the Hudson County freight yards, selling newspapers, shining shoes, sweeping factory floors and serving as the night watchman at construction sites, all before the age of ten. He attended Memorial High School in West New York, New Jersey, where he would meet his future wife of 65 years, Carmela Macrini. Throughout high school, he continued to support his family, at various points leaving school to work double shifts at the embroidery factories. An avid reader with a broad-ranging curiosity, John’s childhood escape was the second floor reading room of the West New York public library and taking ferry trips into New York City, where he discovered the Museum of Natural History by mistake, and thought it was a castle or fort, before learning to his amazement that you could enter for free. He applied to Jersey City State Teacher's College and was accepted on a scholarship, an experience that would change his life forever. An avid joiner of clubs and teams, he led the Men’s Basketball Team as a two-year captain, and graduated in 1956 with a beloved group of friends that he would remain close to throughout his life. Upon graduation he was drafted by the United States Army, married Carmela on March 10, 1957 and following service in Germany, was honorably discharged in 1958. He returned to the U.S. and attended the New York Law School at night while working days as an elementary school teacher, graduating from law school in 1961. That same year, he was admitted to the New York State Bar and joined the Continental Insurance Company. In 1970, he received a Masters Degree from New York University’s School of Law. John joined the firm of Barry, McTiernan and Moore as a senior partner in 1971. Along with his long time partner and close friend Roger McTiernan, John oversaw a two-decade expansion of the firm. He served as a member of the Defense Association of New York, Editor of the Defendant, a Vice President of the Defense Research Institute, and the President of the Catholic Insurance Guild. He retired as partner from Barry, McTiernan and Moore in 1985, but remained affiliated with the firm for years after. In 1982, John was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Jersey City State College. In what he would later say was among the most fulfilling chapters of his life, he was named the Chairman of the Board in 1989, and served for a total of two decades, longer than any other person in its history. During his tenure, John oversaw the expansion and formal transition of the college to the New Jersey City University. He was inducted into the Jersey City State College Athletic Hall of Fame for Men’s Basketball in 1989 and later honored with the naming of the John J. Moore Athletic and Fitness Center, or “JMAC”, the current home of the Gothic Knight basketball team. John also served as a member of the New Jersey Governing Board of State Colleges from 1985-1990, the Board’s Chairman in 1985, and a member of the Board of Higher of Education for the State of New Jersey from 1985-1987, where he worked to secure child care funding on behalf of single mothers returning to school. In the town of Teaneck, John was appointed the chairman of a newly created Civilian Complaint Review Board in 1990, the first of its kind in the state. In the year 2000, John set out to write recollections of his life on a new computer provided by his family. He produced two hundred pages. In the introduction, he wrote that “As of the time of writing, I find myself to have been blessed with good fortune in my career, and more significantly, with my family. I thank them for being what they are and for being a part of my life...I am grateful for what has happened, what I have, and who I am.” John is survived by his wife Carmela, daughter Christine, son John and his wife Laura, and grandchildren Anthony and Giovanna. A funeral mass will be held this week for the immediate family and a memorial service for colleagues and friends will be organized in the Spring.