Obituary of James M. Arose

James Arose, 61, of Howell passed away peacefully on January 23, 2020. Jim was born in South Amboy and moved to Howell in 1984. A 1976 graduate of East Brunswick High School, Jim received Business degrees from Middlesex County College and Trenton State College, as well as his MBA from Georgian Court College. Jim retired from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in 2018. Jim was active throughout his life. He enjoyed the beauty of the great outdoors and spent time hiking whenever he could. The mountains were one of Jim’s favorite places to be. He enjoyed many long distant walks over the years with his family and friends. He was a regular walker at the Manasquan Reservoir and after his retirement he volunteered with Friends of the Monmouth County Parks doing gardening tasks. Jim also enjoyed traveling to new places, golfing, and kayaking. Jim enjoyed mentoring youth throughout his life. While in college, Jim volunteered as an assistant coach for the East Brunswick Golden Bears. Later, he went on to coach his son’s and daughter’s teams for the Howell Soccer Club and was an assistant leader with Boy Scout Troop 258 in Howell. As an adult leader he traveled with the Monmouth Scout Contingent to Philmont Scout Reservation. Jim was an EYC Advisor. Jim participated in two of the Lustgarten Foundation’s Monmouth County Pancreatic Cancer Research Walks while fighting his own battle with the disease for 28 months. He also continued traveling to new places between treatment cycles. Included in his many trips were hikes in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. With Vicky he was able to enjoy their postponed trip through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific coast to Costa Rica. They had one last trip with their children to Portugal. He is predeceased by his parents, Edward and Irene Arose. Jim is survived by his wife of 38 years, Victoria; his children, Mariel and her husband, Drew Nagel, and Daniel and his fiancée, Nicole Spino; his brothers and sisters, Robert, Paul, Edward, Mary, Susan, and Barbara; and many nieces, nephews, and in-laws. A memorial gathering will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Friday, February 7, 2020 from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his 11:00 AM memorial service on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 2015 Allenwood Road, Wall, NJ 07719. Interment will be private. For those who desire, memorial contributions in James’ name may be made to Friends of the Monmouth County Park System, Thompson Park, 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft 07738. For information on memorial contributions: call 732-975-9735. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com