Obituary of John Anthony Mantlik

John Anthony Mantlik, age 91, passed away peacefully on February 5, 2024 in the presence of loved ones.

John, better known as "Pop", was survived by Constance, his beloved and devoted wife of 69 years, his older sister, Bulah, his three daughters, Barbara, Maria and Laura, his seven grandchildren, Daniel, Elizabeth, Joshua, Alexander, Bernadette, Elena, Jonathan, and three-year-old great grandson, Richard. 

He was born and raised in Newark and graduated from the Essex County Vocational School. He excelled in his livelihood as a tool and die maker.  So much so, that one of his employers, George Meyers, and he remained lifelong friends.  He was known as an innovator and troubleshooter in his trade.  He truly enjoyed his work and could fix anything.

John met his beloved wife, Constance, at Western Electric in Harrison, NJ where he was employed as an apprentice and where Constance was an executive secretary.  The story goes that their eyes met on the way to the watercooler, and it was ‘love at first sight’.   After three months of courtship, he proposed to her and presented the engagement ring in the presence of family.  They were married on May 29, 1954 and had their reception at the Essex House Hotel.   To everyone he jokingly attributed his successful marriage to having a romantic dinner twice a week; ”she goes Tuesdays and I go Thursdays”.

It is also of note that John honorably served his country for two years in the Army during Korean war where he learned to be a “cracker-jack” mechanic. He jokingly would say that during the war he “served on an island – the Isle of Staten”.

John will be remembered for his many wonderful traits.  He was very kind and funny.  He loved to share his repertoire of jokes and complicated puns. Everybody loved him.  Even his in-laws said he was more like a son than a son-in-law.

John had many interests and hobbies. He loved aeronautics, built and flew, remote-control gliders.  He built his own telescope from scratch and shared his love of astronomy with his family. He also loved classical music. He was a life-long learner and an avid reader and instilled the love of reading in his children. He was a wonderful cook, shared his recipes, and had every kitchen gadget imaginable.

John poured as much enthusiasm and involvement into being a grandparent and great grandparent as he did being a dad. His youthful spirit was evident when he seemed to enjoyed games and toys as much as the children did.  Each grandchild has fond memories of their own with mountains of photos depicting memorable outings and time spent together.

John's stability and peaceful nature was perceptible to everyone. He could weather any storm, calmly.  He was faithful, easygoing and loveable. We will cherish his memory.

May his beautiful soul rest in peace.

Graveside Service 11:00AM at Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 75 North Church Road, Sparta, NJ 07871 on Saturday, February 10, 2024. Arrangements by Tuttle Funeral Home, Randolph (Tutttlefh.com) .

Graveside Service

When: Saturday 02/10/2024 11:00am

Location: Northern NJ Veterans Memorial Cemetery
75 North Church Road
Sparta, NJ