Obituary of Adrian F. Heffern, Jr.

Adrian F. Heffern Jr., 92, of Lawrenceville passed away surrounded by family on Wednesday April 17, 2019.  

Born in Bayonne, N.J. to Adrian F. Heffern Sr. and Anna Heffern (nee Callahan), he grew up in Jersey City, N.J. and enlisted in the Navy in the spring of 1944 as soon as he turned 17 and was eligible to serve.  He was discharged two years later, the majority of his time spent as a signalman aboard a destroyer escort, the U.S.S. Koiner, including duty in the Pacific when the war ended in 1945.  Afterward he attended New Jersey State Teachers College at Jersey City, but it was at night school at Montclair State that he met his beloved wife of 63 years, Mary-Katherine (nee Rellahan), who passed before him in 2017.  He was a journalist with the Asbury Park Press for over 30 years, starting out as a reporter and eventually becoming a columnist who specialized in New Jersey state government.  Upon his retirement in the 1990s, he continued an active life playing tennis and participating in a weekly poker gathering, the latter right up until his death.  He was a devoted member of the Church of St. Ann in Lawrence Twp. NJ and a member of the Knights of Columbus.  His faith was a hallmark of his personality and a source of inspiration to those who knew him best.   

He is survived by five children: William J. Heffern and his wife Rhonda of  Carversville, PA, Katherine-Ann Heffern Zeph and her husband Lawrence of  Durham, NC, Margaret M. Heffern Root and her husband James of Corona, CA, John A. Heffern and his wife Amy of Lawrenceville and James B. Heffern and his wife Sherry of Lawrenceville.  Also surviving are his nine grandchildren: Alexandra, Juliana, Elizabeth, Jim, Christopher, Kathleen, Abigail, Caroline and Garrett.  

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Adrian on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 12 p.m. at The Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.

Burial will follow at the Lawrenceville Cemetery.

Visitation for relatives and friends will be on Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. at the Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Rd. (Rt. 206) Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.