Obituary: John Ervin Mintz
John Ervin Mintz of Rockaway, formerly of Montclair and a retired corporate vice president for Grand Union Co., died peacefully at his home on Feb. 18, 2023. He was 94.
Mr. Mintz was born in Montclair to Joseph and Eleanor (McMahon) Mintz. He and his sisters, Marjorie and Eleanor, were raised in Montclair and Glen Ridge.
He graduated from Seton Hall Prep and earned a bachelor’s from St. Peter’s College and a master’s in philosophy from Fordham University.
He was a corporate vice president for the Grand Union Co., where he worked for more than 30 years.
Mr. Mintz had two passions in his life. In 1951, he married Mary Margaret Ruckstuhl. They made their home first in Montclair and later in Roseland, where they raised a happy and boisterous family of five children. They retired to the Fox Hills section of Rockaway in 2000 and celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2021.
His other passion was magic. After a family friend’s coin trick sparked his interest, he learned the art of conjuring from library books and Gilbert Mysto Magic Sets, performing his first magic show in his early teens at the Glen Ridge Country Club.
Mr. Mintz learned from and befriended some of the greatest close-up magicians of his time, including Charlie Miller, Slydin and Dai Vernon. He became a skilled card and close-up magician, inventing new tricks and performing well into his 90s.
He is survived by his three sons, John and his children, John Patrick (David) Kindred, Kevin (Lindsay), Daniel (Catherine) and Robert (Jeffrey) Higgins; Michael (Debbie) and their children, Caitlin, Alison and Michael, Jr.; and Thomas (Diana) and their children, Thomas and Alex; his two daughters, Mary-Ellen (Jamie Gilson) and their children, Ryan (Sara Conley) Schymanski, Kristin Mercado and Madeleine Gilson; and Kathleen (Michael Downey) and their children, Sean (Stephanie) and Kyle; 12 great-grandchildren; his sister, Eleanor Malone; his sister-in-law, Judith (Francis) Sullivan; his dear friend, Sam Backlar, and extended family and friends.
Mr. Mintz was predeceased by his wife, Mary Margaret.
A private Mass will be celebrated at a later date at Immaculate Conception Church; burial was at Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
Arrangements were by Norman Dean Home for Services, Denville.