Contributions to the tribute of Jerry McElroy

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In Memory of

Jerry McElroy

1940 - 2022

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Tuesday

May

Visitation

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Preston Funeral Home

153 South Orange Ave

South Orange, New Jersey, United States

Get Directions

Tuesday

May

Visitation

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Preston Funeral Home

153 South Orange Ave

South Orange, New Jersey, United States

Get Directions

Wednesday

May

Funeral Mass

10:00 am

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Our Lady of Sorrows Church

217 Prospect St

South Orange, New Jersey, United States

973-763-5454

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Susan Shaffer posted a condolence

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Jerry was one of the most magnificent people I had the good fortune to work with on national issues of pretrial justice. He brought his integrity, intellect, compassion and good humor to all of our recurring discussions on national pretrial standards, and he was instrumental in their formulation. I will always treasure his friendship, and his easy expression of love and respect for Sue and his daughters, about whom he could talk endlessly. He knew how fortunate he was and lived a life of love, giving back to others. He lives on in our hearts. Rest in peace, Jerry.

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June Rogers posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

My sincere condolences to Sue & her daughters & family on the passing of the kind, witty, intelligent Jerry McElroy. My husband, Bernie Rogers grew up in the same neighborhood as the McElroy’s and it was a pleasure to have known Jerry as a young man. He was a man who cared about others, enjoyed life and lived it well.. Sue, you are in my prayers, Sincerely, June Rogers

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Bennett and Nance Greenberg posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

In Jewish culture, one of the highest compliments is to call someone a Mensch. The word means “person,” or “human being” but has a strong connotation of “a good person,” “a caring and compassionate soul.” Jerry was such a person. And he was lucky to have met someone like him. If there ever was a marriage made in heaven, it was the marriage of Jerry and Sue. No two people were ever better matched. They shared a deep and abiding concern for others. Together, they tried to make this a better world. Jerry and Sue lived their faith. Actually, for many years, I thought Sue was Jewish. Whenever we met or talked on the phone, her first two comments were “How are you feeling?” and “Have you eaten?” For over a decade, Jerry, Chuck Davis, and I commuted together into New York. Great discussions. Jerry’s eloquence was amazing. He had a brilliant and incisive mind that articulated his deeply felt convictions. He was the only person I’ve ever met who spoke in perfectly structured complete paragraphs! The amusing part came when he would interrupt himself with “parenthetically.” He was footnoting his comments! Both entertaining and a joy to listen to. Jerry had another talent. He could have a heated argument or discussion with someone but seldom, if ever, would that person walk away angry. Jerry often included wonderful stories and anecdotes. You just could not get mad at Jerry. Even if you disagreed with him, you still liked him. I think it was part of Jerry’s humanity. Jerry could have been a very successful lawyer. Or a renowned professor. Instead, he used his compassionate beliefs and insightful mind to help others, to try to make this a better world, to try to make right some of the injustices and reduce some of the sadness. Maybe that is the true meaning of the word Mensch. Chuck Davis and I, and our families, have known Jerry and Sue and their family for 50 years. We loved Jerry because of the joy, laughter, and goodness he brought into our lives. We will miss him.

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Tim Murray posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

I am proud to have known this remarkable man as a friend and a Comrade In Arms in the fight for Equal Justice. Jerry's intellect, integrity, generosity and grace were legendary. I treasured his advice & his friendship. My condolences to his beloved family & friends.

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Chuck Davis posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

I’m not a very good student of my religion, Judaism. And I know even less about what a good Jesuit education expects of a man. But I do know two things. I know that a central precept of my religion is Tikkun Olam, to perfect the world. In Tikkum Olam, we learn that God obligates man to mend the tears, to repair the damage done by the original and all subsequent sins. It instructs that man, as a whole, must work toward that goal, and that each of us, as individuals, should make our contribution towards that goal, towards making it on earth as it is in heaven. That’s one thing I know. And another thing I know is that in my 78 years, I have never known another person who better embodies Tikkum Olam than did Jerry McElroy. Being good was not good enough for Jerry McElroy. Loving his family and friends, although he was a champion at that, that was not enough for Jerry. Through his example and in his actions, Jerry’s purpose was to inspire us all to contribute to Tikkun Olam. When, with the sweat of his brow, --he worked to protect a struggling church in his parish, --when he welcomed a southeast Asian refugee family into his house, --when scrupulously checked on and shopped for an elderly neighbor, --when he fought to make his town’s government more representative of its citizens, --when he deplored to his bones those who would choose to make themselves feel great again by exciting some to deny others a seat at the table, --when he was puzzled, pained, and infuriated by those who would make presumptions about a man based on the color of his skin rather than the content of his character, --when he did these things, and the list could go on and on, he was Tikkun Olam personified. It’s no coincidence that, in his professional life, he was an early and vocal advocate for a system that would correct the injustice that a pre-trial-accused, still innocent in the eyes of the law, could go home to his own bed if rich, but had to sleep in a cell if poor. It’s no coincidence that he was widely recognized as a founding light for a system of policing that would take cops out of ride-by cars and embed them in neighborhoods, like the neighborhood grocer or shoemaker, a contributor to making life on THAT block more perfect. Good, funny, loving, joy in family and friends, sure, all that, but… Tikkum Olam, perfect the world, that most of all, that’s who Jerry was to me. Jerry, how I will miss your life-long example for me, how I will miss you in my life.

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Robert Maccarone posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

Dear Family and Friends, Jerry McElroy was a friend, colleague, professor, and early mentor of mine as a student at Fordham University. Jerry's classes in Criminal Justice Planning were ahead of their time...highly energized and content-laden. Much like Jerry. In many ways, Jerry's classes inspired me to pursue a career in criminal justice. Later, Jerry and I worked together through his leadership at CJA, and the NYC Criminal Justice Coordinator's Office, and later the NY Association of Pre-Trial Services Agency (NYAPSA). Jerry was one of a kind.....a warm, genuine, highly intelligent, and generous individual. He loved his family, who he spoke of frequently, and his friends as well. We were blessed to have known him, and we shall miss him. Respectfully, Robert Maccarone

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Maggie Fleischer posted a condolence

Monday, May 23, 2022

Dear Ciara and Family, We didn’t know your Dad well but we did meet in in Short Hills at a Garden festival. He seemed like a noble man who loved all things including his lovely family. Our condolences to you. May his light always shine for you forever.

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Joann uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, May 22, 2022

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