Obituary of John Eugene Kovacs

John Eugene Kovacs passed away on Friday, July 29, 2022. He had shared 84 years of unconditional love, infectious laughter, and unforgettable memories with family and friends.

John Eugene Kovacs was born in 1938 to Geza and Rose (nee Matyas) Kovacs in Newark, New Jersey. John graduated from Morris Hills High School in 1956. John then attended Drexel University, earning a degree as a mechanical engineer in 1962. During his years at Drexel, he attained the rank of Lieutenant in the United State Army via the ROTC program. He was also inducted into Alpha Pi Lambda fraternity; he earned his way through college as a co-op student at Picatinny Arsenal; and he then went on to pursue his Master’s Degree at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. His entire career was spent working for the US Army as an engineer in weapons research for 46 years.

John and his beloved wife Patricia (nee Sipos) just celebrated 54 years of marriage this past July. He is also survived by two loving children: Kenneth Kovacs (Pennsylvania) and Kimberly Kovacs Myrum (Wisconsin) and their spouses, Janet Buttacavoli Kovacs and Randall Myrum, and five grandchildren: Isaac, Alyssa, Hannah, Ashley, and Abigail who always enjoyed boating and fishing with their grandpa. His passing is also mourned by his brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Sue Kovacs, of Palm Coast, Florida, along with his niece Karin Kanneberg and nephew Michael.

John and Pat raised their family in Denville, where he was also a member of Denville American Legion Post #390. His quirky sense of humor, his kind and loving ways, and his ability to filet fish with utmost care and precision will be sorely missed. He enjoyed home construction projects, dubbing himself as “handyman of the year.” In later years he was a firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to whom he knew to look for strength and comfort during difficult times and from whom he received the happy assurance of eternal life.

In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to make a donation in John’s memory can do so at (1) Crossway Radio, c/o Calvary Chapel Morris Hills, 158 W. Clinton Street, Dover, NJ 07801, or (2) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Public Visitation will be held on Friday, August 5^th from 4 – 8 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville. Funeral Service will take place on Saturday, August 6^th at 10 am at Calvary Chapel Morris Hills, 158 W. Clinton St., Dover, NJ. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, 846 Florida Grove Rd., Perth Amboy, NJ 08861. (The cemetery entrance will be on your left.) Please leave a condolence, light a candle, and share your favorite memory of John here to continue to celebrate the incredible life he bestowed upon us.