John V. Detrano

April 13, 1937 - January 2, 2022

John Vincent Detrano, 84, of Toms River / Lakewood, NJ, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2022 surrounded by his loving family. The family will be greeting friends and relatives for visitation on Friday Jan. 14th from 4pm to 8pm at Silverton Memorial Funeral Home located at 2482 Church Road, Tom River, NJ 08753. The funeral mass will be held on Saturday Jan. 15th at 10:30am at St Joseph Church located at 685 Hooper Ave. Toms River, NJ 08753 followed by internment at the Ocean County Memorial Park. John was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on April 13, 1937. He grew up first in Union City and then Allendale, New Jersey. He graduated from Saint Luke’s High School in Hohokus, NJ in 1955 where he played varsity baseball, football, and basketball. John attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ where he continued to play baseball. John had proud memories of his accomplishments as a hard throwing lefty pitcher on the baseball diamond. He was invited and participated in try outs for several professional baseball teams. Unfortunately, John’s collegiate baseball days and dreams of playing in the big leagues were cut short by injuries. John married Betty Ann Grosman in 1959 and together they raised five children in Ramsey, NJ and were married 62 years. John enjoyed a long career with the Ford Motor Company working at various positions within computer operations in New Jersey and Michigan. He retired after more than 35 years with the company. After retirement, John and Betty moved to Toms River, NJ where they enjoyed life at the Jersey shore and cherished visits from their children and grandchildren. John had a lifelong passion for sports. He was a huge fan of both the NY Yankees and the NY Giants. John was an excellent swimmer and especially loved swimming in the ocean. He regularly completed miles-long swims out beyond the breaking waves into his eighties! John was a devout catholic. He derived much comfort from daily prayer and regular attendance at church. John enjoyed volunteering and for years participated in bringing the church into NJ prisons and nursing homes. John was preceded in death by his parents Vincent and Dorothy, his daughter in-law Carmen, and his son Vincent. John is survived by his wife Betty; his children John, Lisa, Maureen (Tye), Michael (Michelle, Fiancée), and (Sarah); his siblings Joe, Paula, and Dorothy; and his grandchildren Alessandra, Tye, Isabella, Jordan, Gabriella, Lauren, Chase, and Hunter. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org