Obituary of Michael J. Schwenk, Jr.

Michael J. Schwenk, Jr., 58, of Manchester, passed away on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. Born in New York and lived in the Bronx, Michael was raised in Manalapan. He recently settled in Manchester in 2020. Michael proudly served in the US Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve and was later involved in the operation of the Freehold VFW and commandant of the Marine Corps League. A member of the Standardbred Association, he was a horse owner and trainer. In his younger years, he was a long-time employee of Pathmark. Michael was an avid Yankee and Cowboys fan and baseball card collector. He was a charming and hard-working man whose greatest pleasure in life was being with his family. He was selfless and relentless when it came to helping others.

Michael is survived by his wife of 30 years, Debra Schwenk; three children, Nicole Birckbichler and her husband, Mike of Freehold, Tiffany Schwenk and her husband, Dale Anderson of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Michael A. Schwenk of Manalapan; granddaughter, Ariana and a grandson on the way; his mother, Barbara Schwenk and her partner, John Bell; siblings, Joseph Vincent and his wife, Sandy of Brooklyn, Patricia Lamberson and her husband Wayne of SC and Chris Schwenk and his wife, Michelle of CA; mother-in-law, Norma Wetzel of Manchester; sisters-in-law, Dawn Lombard, Darlene Gallucci and Dot Martin; and many nieces, nephews and extended family members. He will also be greatly missed by his Marine brothers, Nick Durso of Tinton Falls, and Martin Tubbs of CA.

Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524) Freehold Township on Sunday, January 24, 2021 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. For the safety of the public, we are asking everyone to help us adhere to the CDC guidelines. Facemasks will be required. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial and St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church at 91 Stillhouse Road in Millstone, NJ on Monday, January 25, 2021 at 11:00 AM. The mass will be followed by interment at Brigadier General Wm. C. Doyle NJ Veterans Cemetery, 350 Province Line Road, Arneytown. For those who desire, memorial contributions in Michael’s name may be made to the Irreverent Warriors at Irreverentwarriors.com. For information, directions, or to leave condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com