John J. De Zutter

John J. de Zutter, age 91, passed away at home on May 25, 2021. A beloved father, brother, grandfather and great-grandfather, John, of Bridgewater, NJ, will be missed by many.

Born in Shanghai, China on November 18, 1929, while his father was there on assignment from Belgium, John spent most of his youth in Shanghai and Tsingtao, China. At the onset of World War II, he and his family were placed under house arrest and eventually interned at the Weihsien Concentration Camp in Shantung Province. A couple of years after the war ended, John and his family traveled to the U.S. where he attended junior college before briefly returning to his home in Belgium. In 1950, John and his family immigrated to the U.S. where he became a Naturalized U.S. citizen and enrolled in Marquette University to study banking and finance.

From 1952 to 1954, including during the Korean War, John served as a Corporal in the United States Army and continued his service in the reserves until 1960 when he was honorably discharged. For his service, John was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. In 1955, John married his wife of 55 years, Joanne (by whom he was predeceased). They spent many years traveling abroad and raising their four children in Wisconsin. After a lengthy and successful career in finance, which eventually relocated him to NJ, John retired in 2004. He spent much of the last two decades enjoying time with family and finding new talents, like cooking.

John is survived by his children: Lawrence and his wife Nancy of Glenmoore, PA; Steven and his wife Kimberly of Bedminster, NJ; Diane of Lakeland, FL; and Denise and her husband Bill of Kansas City, MO. He is also survived by his brother Albert of Kansas City, MO; 11 grandchildren (Jennifer, Thomas, Laura, Nicole, Brian, Jeffrey, Tarrah, Jessica, Benjamin, Kendra and Brooke); and 9 great-grandchildren (Paul, Griffin, Loralie, Madelyn, Harper, Sebastian, Holden, Avery and Cora).

All are invited to pay their respects on Saturday, May 29, 2021 from 1:30 – 3:00 pm, and join a service celebrating John’s life at 3:00 pm at the Cusick Funeral Home, 80 Mountain Avenue, Somerville, New Jersey. Those unable to join in person are welcome to join virtually via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3oSTiwO.