Obituary of Kevin F. McGuire

Kevin Frederick McGuire, 51, passed away on Monday, February 8, after a determined and formidable battle with brain cancer. Born in 1964 in Orange, New Jersey, Kevin was the son of Julia and Frederick McGuire. He grew up in West Orange, with his two younger brothers, Michael and Sean. He was a part of a large but close extended family, and grew up in a home filled with laughter and the conversation of his many uncles, aunts, cousins and family friends. Kevin was a proud first generation Irish-American, and he, his parents and his brothers spent time at his uncle’s farm in County Cork, Ireland many times throughout the years. He was enthusiastic about his Irish heritage, and loved sharing stories and history with his friends and family. Kevin graduated from Mountain High School in West Orange, where he was a standout varsity Cross Country runner, and photographer. It was at Mountain High School where he spent his History classes sitting next to Kelly O’Neill, who would become his wife and best friend. After high school, Kevin completed Operator Engineer Training Program at Essex County College, earned his Journeyman’s License, Red Seal Steam Engineer License and was a Certified Systems Maintenance Engineer. Kevin was a proud member of IUOE Local 68 for many years. An extremely hard worker, Kevin began his Engineering career as an Operating Engineer at UMDNJ, where he was instrumental in building the Co-Generation plant. At UMDNJ he moved up to Supervisor of Maintenance and Construction, where he developed vibration and other technologies to transition the department from preventative to predictive maintenance. Kevin was an extremely intelligent man, expert troubleshooter and problem-solver and was always willing to share his knowledge with others. Throughout his career, Kevin always made time for his family. In 1984, Kevin began dating his sweetheart and the love of his life, Kelly O’Neill. They married in 1987 and spent 28 happy years filled with love. They moved to their home in Rockaway in 1990, where they raised two loving daughters, Caitlin and Tess. Kevin enjoyed camping, canoeing, hiking, fishing, motorcycles, but most of all spending time with his family. He coached his daughter’s cross country and track teams, spent countless hours helping out with his daughters’ school plays, building sets and running lights. Kevin loved his family and enjoyed when the McGuires and O’Neills would come together for holidays, celebrations and special occasions. He had a great sense of humor and his family will miss him terribly. Kevin McGuire was a loving, devoted husband, kind and patient father, son, and brother, a friendly and affable co-worker and friend. Left to keep his legacy alive is his beloved wife of 28 years, Kelly O’Neill-McGuire; his cherished daughters, Caitlin and Tess McGuire; his adored parents, Julia and Frederick McGuire; his loving in-laws, John and Ann O’Neill; his caring brothers, Michael McGuire and Sean (Yolanda) McGuire; his dear siblings-in-law, Kevin and Kathleen O’Neill; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended family. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, Feb. 13th at 10:00 am at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, 63 East Main St., Rockaway, NJ 07866. Burial will follow at St. Cecilia’s Cemetery, Rockaway. Visitation will take place on Friday, Feb. 12th from 1-3 & 6-8 pm at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Ave., Denville, NJ 07834. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Kevin’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or NJ Wildlife Fund by way of www.inmemoryof-memorial.org. Please leave a condolence for his family.