John J. Meany, Jr., 84, of Egg Harbor Township and formerly of Rosemont, a retired corrosion engineer and life-long enemy of the status quo, died at his home on Tuesday March 10, 2009 after a ten-year battle with cancer.

Mr. Meany, aka Jumpin' Jack, was born in 1924 and spent his early years roaming the greater Philadelphia area alongside a remarkable gang of miscreants. After graduating from Glen-Nor High School in 1942, he spent a single semester at the University of Pennsylvania before being drafted into military service. He was inducted into the Army Air Corps on April 12, 1943, and, despite his best efforts, was eventually elevated to the rank of Private First Class. Managing to avoid overseas deployment until after the hostilities had ceased, he was discharged in 1946 and proceeded to get on with his life.

In his case, life comprised more fun than most people believe possible or perhaps think appropriate. He married the former Lois Janvier, of Peabody, Massachusetts, and together they begat a veritable gaggle of unruly children, perhaps trying to get it right at least once. Viewed by many as some sort of freakish carnival troupe, the Meany family spent most of the subsequent 50 years wreaking havoc in their Rosemont home and summering on the beaches of Ocean City. Teachers in the Radnor Township school system, as well as the therapists of those teachers, held the view that Jack and Loie did not raise entirely normal children. This perspective was acknowledged and shared by Jack and Loie.

Though born at a time when the great lizards still roamed the Earth, Mr. Meany embraced technology and innovation. He was always the first on the block to own any new gadget or gizmo and was held in awe by the masses, who could only hope to one day successfully program their VCRs. Determined to never fully grow up, Meany took up surfing, skiing, sailing and more well after most of his generation were relaxing into a soft middle age. Feeling right at home on center stage, he also trod the boards, rollicking in theatre companies across the Main Line.


In later years, Mr. Meany found that the existence of a lonely widower was not quite the barrel of laughs he felt life was meant to be. He remarried in 2005 and with his new wife, Sue, moved into the house in Egg Harbor Township that he was to call home for the remainder of his days.

Perhaps surprisingly, his relentless mockery of those around him in fact will be greatly missed by his five surviving children, four grandchildren, and loving wife. Friends are invited to his Funeral Service at Radnor United Methodist Church 930 Conestoga Rd., Rosemont, PA. Monday, March 16, 2009 at 1:30 PM with visitation to precede from 1:00 to 1:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations to the church or to the American Cancer Society are welcomed.