John Lacki, Jr. passed away on October 13, 2026. He was 83. Visiting will be on Sunday, October 18 from 2:00 until 6:00 p.m. Service will be Monday morning in the funeral home at 11:00 am followed by interment at Arlington Cemetery.
John was the husband of Janice (nee Postel) and father of Jennifer Borowski (Brett) and John D. Lacki (Kate Clark). He is also survived by his brother Allan (Joan), granddaughter Emily, niece Karen, and nephew Brian.
Born at the Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City, John grew up in Kearny and North Arlington. He began his education at Schuyler School in Kearny and graduated from North Arlington High School with the Class of 1961.
Always interested in music, John played saxophone in the North Arlington High School Band and later joined “The Electrons”, a local rock band that had a steady gig at The New Park Tavern in East Rutherford.
After graduating from high school, John went to Bloomfield College for a year and then transferred to Findlay College (now Findlay University) in Ohio. He earned a master’s degree from Montclair State College (now Montclair State University.)
John’s first job as an educator was teaching typing at North Junior High School in Bloomfield, NJ. He later became a teacher of business classes at Kearny High School, including keypunching and the use of an enormous IBM computer that filled half a classroom in the 1970s. He later taught marketing and was the advisor to DECA, taking his students to competitions throughout the United States. John was also the class advisor for the classes of 1976 and 1992, the advisor to the student council for many years, the yearbook advisor for several classes, and the proprietor of the school store. He retired from his work at Kearny High School in 2002.
If you lived in Kearny or North Arlington while John lived there, chances are good that you knew him. John was gregarious, active in his community, and never shied away from a leadership role. Over his lifetime, he served as a baseball coach for his son’s teams, a member of the Kearny Kiwanis, an elder at the First Presbyterian Church of North Arlington, the president of the Kearny Education Association, the Grand Master of his masonic lodge, the director of Kearny Night School, the department chairperson of the business department at Kearny High School, and more.
John was known for keeping his car immaculate. He spent many hours in his garage, his driveway, or in front of his Kearny home washing and waxing his own car and the cars of his wife and children. His collection of car-cleaning products was unmatched.
John will be remembered most for his unwavering devotion to his beloved wife of 59 years, Janice. He served as her sole caretaker when she became disabled, and his love for her was remarkable.
John was involved in so many different charitable endeavors throughout his lifetime; therefore, in lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to your own favorite charity in his memory.
