Obituary of John F. Consolini

John Francis Consolini, 76, passed away on August 26, 2013, in Lawrenceville, NJ, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Canaan, CT, he and his older brother Bob grew up on East Main St. in a house their father had built. His parents, Sophie and Louis Consolini, instilled within their boys at a young age the importance of living life to its fullest and stopping to “smell the roses” along the way. His parents were proprietors of several businesses in the area, including a bakery, a locker plant, and a drive-in-theater. John was a proud graduate of Berkshire School ’56 and continued to “bleed green and grey” for the rest of his life, remaining active in the school community as a Trustee and a Senior Alumni Officer. He then attended Georgetown University, where he “BS’d” his way to a BA in English, all the while avoiding getting caught for such fun-loving pranks as filling a local fountain with bubble bath. After Georgetown, John served his country and developed a love for travel by joining the U.S. Army. John retired from the armed services as a Captain. John’s post-army life took him to New York City, where he would meet his future wife Margaret (“Peggy”) Downie. During his 26-year career at JC Penney, he developed the first private-label disposable diaper and the first flame-retardant line of children’s sleepwear in the U.S. His career in retail also led him to Liz Claiborne, Chaus, Evan Picone, Kellwood, and Carole Little, while raising his family in Upper Saddle River, NJ. However, his proudest accomplishment was walking both daughters down the aisle on their wedding days. John and Peggy moved to sunny California in 1995, where they lived and fell in love with Palos Verdes, before moving back to the East Coast in 2004. John and his family traveled the world and lived several places, but the place that felt most like home was the Berkshires, where they spent all of their summers and created many memories with friends who became family. John is survived by his wife Peggy, two daughters Megan and Christa, sons-in-law Travis and Joe, and his “grandmutts” Otis and Louie. Services will be held in John’s honor on Monday September 2nd, at The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (2688 Main Street) at 1:00pm. A celebration of his life is also being planned for Saturday, September 28 at Twin Lakes in the Berkshires. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s honor to the NJ chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and Berkshire School. John held many titles throughout his personal and professional life; son, brother, father, husband, friend, Airborne Ranger, Green Beret, Executive VP, Senior Alumni Officer, entrepreneur, and Chief Full-of-Bull, just to name a few. And through it all, John was “just a poor little Italian boy from Canaan, CT, trying to make good in the shmata business.” And boy did he leave an indelible mark on this world and all who were fortunate enough to know and love him. To send a condolence to the family, please visit www.poulsonvanhise.com Arrangements are under the direction of Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, Lawrenceville, NJ.