James Dionne Sr.

James Kenneth Dionne Sr., age 85, of Manahawkin, NJ, passed away July 11th with his family by his side.   He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and was looking forward to the birth of his first great-grandchild in January of 2022.

James is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Carolyn (Kaner) Dionne; a daughter and two sons, Carole, James Jr. and wife Deborah, Michael and wife Tomoko; seven beloved grandchildren, Krystle and husband Corey Brennan, Nathalie, Jeremy, Trevor, Tori, Thomas, and Mariko; brothers, Dean Dixon and wife Annette, Gary Sloan and wife Linda; brothers-in-law, Leonard Kaner, John Kaner and wife Linda; sisters-in-law, Jacqueline Williams and partner Kirk Jarvis, Gwendolyn and husband Herb Sinning, Nancy and husband Raymond Padilla; many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends including the Boyd, Cray, Harper, and Rago families. James is predeceased by his parents Mildred Sloan and Edward Dionne; brothers, Edward, Eugene, and David Dionne; sister Sandy Sloan; niece Donna Lavallee; brother-in-law John Williams and sister-in-law Barbara Kaner.

Born in Lunenberg, VT on December 28th, 1935, James proudly joined the US Army in August 1953 and served 22 years until his retirement in December 1974. Among his many assignments, James served in Korea and two tours in Vietnam, earning many medals. James met his wife Carolyn while stationed at Fort Dix. It was love at first sight and they married on December 2, 1961.

While working and raising a family, James continued his college education that started at the University of Vermont in 1956. He graduated in 1983 from the College of NJ with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. After retiring from the military, James worked for the State of New Jersey, Dept. of Treasury for 22 years before retiring in 1998 as the Manager of Data Processing. James and Carol spent their early retirement years in Fredericksburg, VA before moving back to New Jersey in 2012.

James was a member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Mary’s Golf League, Barnegat Bowling League, Lake of the Woods Square Dancing Club, and volunteered with AARP during tax season. He cherished annual trips to Vermont for family reunions, and loved sharing and visiting his Vermont roots. James enjoyed dinners and traveling with family and friends. He loved chocolate, the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Vermont maple syrup, red wine, and sudoku. Most of all, he loved his family, friends, and grand-dog Prada.

James will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.

A private viewing will be held on Sunday, July 18th. A public mass will be held on Monday, July 19th at 11am at St. Mary of the Pines Roman Catholic Church in Manahawkin, NJ. A private funeral will follow at the BG William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made online to www. Boystown.org or www.StJude.org