John C. Grader

John Charles Grader, joined his late wife, Franceen on Friday, June 16, 2023, when he peacefully passed away in Newark, Delaware. Spider, as he was known by his family and friends, is survived by his children, John Grader and Kathryn Jaeger; his grandchildren, John and Emily Grader and Gary Jaeger III; his siblings: Joyce Johnson, Jerrold Grader, Janith Frey, and Judith Schaefer; and his sister-in-law Donna Ross (husband Andrew). He was preceded in death by his parents Doris G. and John W. Grader. Spider earned his nickname as an ironworker as he jumped from girder to girder. He attended Newark College of Engineering following his graduation from Ramsey High School, class of 1962. He spent time in Santa Ana, California, when he was stationed there as a Marine in 1966. Upon his retirement, Spider took up geocaching and enjoyed mapping out the next day's caches. Spider conquered the physically demanding caches and the puzzle caches throughout North America and Europe. His long legs and long stride kept him ahead of anyone who couldn’t keep up. Spider did not wait for anyone. To his family that knew and loved him, Spider was a man who celebrated un-birthdays, shared his honest (and sometimes unwanted) opinion, and challenged all of us to be smarter and stay true to ourselves. Spider was a father, a grandfather, a brother, and an uncle and will be fiercely missed. His family finds comfort knowing he is at peace and with his beloved. Memorial services will be held at Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey, New Jersey, on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, from 4-8 p.m. He will be laid to rest at Union Cemetery in Ramsey, New Jersey, on Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, his family is asking for charitable donations to be made in his name to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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