Obituary of John F Denton

John Furman Denton, 73, of Mendham, New Jersey, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his cherished family, on Monday, August 19, 2024, at Morristown Medical Center.

John was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey to the late J. Furman Denton and the late Doris Henn Denton on July 23, 1951. He was raised in Bernardsville, New Jersey and attended public school there through the ninth grade before transferring to Morristown Prep (now known as Morristown Beard) where he graduated in 1969. He continued his education at Milliken University in Decatur, Illinois. 

He owned and operated Chatham Arts, a silk screen printing and graphic arts production company, for many years in Chatham, New Jersey. His company received various awards and recognition for its excellent work. After retiring from Chatham Arts, John continued his career in the printing industry while employed at Twill Printing Services which eventually became Ace Twill.

In June of 1973, John married his soulmate, Maureen Shea. After living in Morristown, New Jersey for the first four years of their marriage, John and Maureen settled in Chatham where they raised their two beloved children, John and Jennifer, before moving to Mendham 21 years ago. John was extremely involved in his children’s sports, especially soccer, as both their coach and biggest fan. Last summer, John and Maureen celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary by returning to one of their most meaningful places, Bar Harbor, Maine, where they had spent their honeymoon.

John’s warmth, wit and humor were ever present when he was in the room; everyone who knew him loved him. He enjoyed good conversation of all types with family and friends. John quickly became a favorite to many at Homestead Bar & Kitchen in Morristown, where he was recently employed part-time.

He was passionate about a number of hobbies including gourmet cooking, motorcycles, cars, cheering for the Yankees, listening to music, reading and even just relaxing on the patio watching hummingbirds. John loved to travel. Ever since his children were babies, one of his favorite family activities was visiting his lifelong best friend of 70 years, Michael “Pepper” Petriccione and his wife, Marcy, in New Hampshire, where he would sit on the deck enjoying the view and reminiscing about all of their antics while growing up together in Bernardsville.

The focus and joy of his life was his treasured family, which he loved above all else. He spent the last 13 years, proudly known as “Papa”, doting on his grandkids; no conversation would end without his prideful mentions of their endeavors.

John is survived by his loving wife, Maureen, of Mendham, New Jersey, son, John Denton IV (Priya) of Fairfield, Connecticut, daughter Jennifer Adams (Sam) of Bernardsville, New Jersey, sister, Lauren Beck of Delhi, New York, grandchildren, Grant, Audrey, Jacqueline, Shayla and Dylan. He is also survived by his aunt, Jane Sorenson, nephews, Christopher Beck (Sarah) and Derek Beck, great niece and nephew, Mela and Koa, and several cousins.

Visitation and memorial service will be held at Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home, 101 South Finley Avenue, Basking Ridge, New Jersey on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, from 4:00 – 6:00pm (Visitation 4:00 – 5:30pm; Memorial Service 5:30 – 6:00pm). 

The Denton family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the medical team and staff at the Morristown Medical Center. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s memory to either the Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute or the Pediatric Cancer Fund at Morristown Medical Center (https://www.f4mmc.org/donate-now/).  For further information, or to leave an online condolence message please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com.