Obituary of John J. Bird Jr.

John J. Bird Jr., 67, originally from Short Hills, passed away Sunday, may 18, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert, Calif. Arrangements are by the Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, Maplewood (online guest book available at jacobhollefuneralhome.com). A graduate of Millburn High School and Villanova University, John was a devoted family man with a larger-than-life sense of humor, a magic touch in the kitchen and a flair for the dramatic. He will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as Big Bird. John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ann Bird. He is survived by his wife, the former Nora Coleman Quayle; children, Sterrin Gooch (Scott), John J. Bird III (Kristina) and Ann Mulford (James); grandchildren, James Robert and Sean Patrick Mulford, Ian Jordan Bird, Thomas Lawson Gooch and the soonto-arrive, Mary Catherine Gooch; sister, Mary Bird Holle, and numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial gifts to Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert, Calif., and St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills, N.J. would be appreciated.