Obituary of John V. Drygulski

John V. Drygulski of Florham Park, formerly of Short Hills, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 28, 2008. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service at the Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, 2122 Millburn Ave., Maplewood, on Thursday, July 31, at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, please visit jacobhollefuneralhome.com. Johns professional education took him from journeyman machinist to draughtsman at the American Can Company, and from an associates degree at Newark Technical School to a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology). He was proud of his service designing torpedoes for the U.S. Navy during World War II, and in 1953, was inducted into the Society of American Military Engineers. John was a licensed professional engineer and a life member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. His consulting firm, Jolen Engineering, specialized in innovative packaging, and he held two patents. In his private life, John loved the Jersey Shore, boating, surf fishing, and flying. He was the consummate engineer around the house, able to build or fix just about anything, and generous about sharing his skills. He also loved music and played several instruments, and shared with his wife, Helen, a passion for ballroom dancing. He taught those around him patience, optimism, a can-do attitude, and a love of nature. The family would like to thank the staff at Brighton Gardens of Florham Park and St. Barnabas Medical Center for their compassion and excellent care. John leaves behind Helen, his loving wife of 66 years; his daughter, Janet Drygulski and son-inlaw, Robert Lund; his daughter, Barbara Wright; his grandson, David J. Wright; close family friend, Patricia Miller; as well as nieces and nephews in New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, New Mexico, and Oregon. In lieu of flowers, donations to Millburn-Short Hills First Aid Squad, 188 Glen Ave., Millburn, N.J. 07041, would be appreciated.