Obituary of Captain Joseph G. Lerner

Captain Joseph G. Lerner, a well-known and colorful resident of Maplewood who told every woman he met that she was beautiful and that he was going to take her to Hollywood, passed away May 2, 2007, at the age of 91. A memorial service to celebrate Joes incredible life will be held at Morrow Memorial Church, 600 Ridgewood Rd., Maplewood, on Saturday, May 12 at 11 a.m. Arrangements are by the Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, Maplewood. For most of his life, Captain Lerner was a well-respected insurance agent, winning 14 National Quality Awards and qualifying for the coveted Million Dollar Round Table. He received a bachelor of science degree from Rutgers University in 1942 and a master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1954. Additional studies included The Bible Institute of Los Angeles and Princeton Theological Seminary, where he first met Albert Einstein. He also studied dairy husbandry at Delaware Valley College and Air Force weather forecaster training at NYU. Captain Lerner served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and in the Korean War and was at one time chairman of New Jerseys ROTC. He was a member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10120, the Air Force Association, the Military Order of World Wars, the Texas and New Jersey Masons, the Kentucky Scottish Rite Masons and numerous other organizations. He is survived by his nephew, Michael; his niece, Judy, and her four beautiful daughters. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joes honor may be made to The Joseph G. Lerner Memorial Visitation Ministry, c/o Morrow Memorial Church.