KILMURRAY, Joseph John passed away on March 5, 2011 in his home in Old Greenwich, CT. He was born in Teaneck, NJ on March 18, 1922 and graduated Teaneck High School in 1939. Shortly after, he joined the US Navy and served on the USS San Francisco, stationed in Pearl Harbor, where he witnessed the attack of December 7, 1941. As a gunners’ mate on the San Francisco, he participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. His bravery and leadership earned him a promotion to Chief of the battleship USS Stevens, where he remained for the balance of the war. In December 1945 in Long Beach, California, he met a Red Cross nurse, Helen Adeline, whom he married 45 days later on February 8th, 1946.
He returned to New Jersey with Helen and joined the Teaneck police force. He loved his police work and ascended through the ranks, finally retiring as Chief of Police in 1981. After retirement, he and Helen resided on Long Beach Island, New Jersey for many years, finally moving to Old Greenwich, CT in 1998. He was a member of the V.F.W, the American Legion, and the Teaneck PBA.
He is pre-deceased by his parents Joseph Francis and Lillian Kilmurray, as well as his three brothers, Eugene, Robert and Thomas Kilmurray. He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Helen; his son Daniel Joseph and daughter-in-law Tamara of Riverside, CT and five grandchildren, Erin, Lindsey, Sean, Matthew and Ava, all of Chicago, Denver and Riverside, respectively.
Friends and family are invited for visitation at Volk Leber Funeral Home, 789 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ on Wednesday, March 9th, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. A funeral service will begin from the funeral home on Thursday, March 10th at 10:00 a.m. and then to St. Anastasia’s RCC in Teaneck for a Mass of Christian Burial that will start at 11:00 a.m. Private cremation.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donationto: Greenwich Hospital Development Dept., 5 Perryridge Rd.,Greenwich, CT 06830, Attn: Sheila Cameron or to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), P.O. Box 5028, Hagerstown, MD 21741. It has been suggested by the charitable organizations that the name and address of the loved one also be included: Joseph Kilmurray, 51 Forest Ave. #127, Old Greenwich, CT 06870