Obituary of John Alfred Boffa

John Alfred Boffa, 95, of Howell, NJ passed away on Saturday, April 16, 2022 at home. He was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, had lived in Cranford, moved to Jersey City in 1975 with his partner, Patricia, and settled with her in Howell in 1988.

John was a veteran of WWII. He enlisted in the Army in 1944 while a student at NYU and was directed to report to Harvard University for participation in the Army Specialized Training Reserve Program under a War Department scholarship. He later entered active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Department at the 15th Medical General Laboratory in Naples, Italy, as a Medical Laboratory Technician, where he received his initial training and experience in medical laboratory technology. Upon separation from the Army, John attended Seton Hall University from which he graduated cum laude in 1950.

Upon graduation John returned to Elizabeth Bio-Chemical Laboratory where he once worked as a lab assistant in high school and where his interests began. He became licensed as a Bio-Analytical Laboratory Director by the State of New Jersey and subsequently became Director and part-owner of Elizabeth Bio-Chemical. In the 1960’s Elizabeth Bio-Chemical played a vital role in the discovery and perfection of Rh-negative Gamma Globulin, or RhoGam. Elizabeth Bio-Chemical was acquired by Warner Lambert (now Pfizer) in 1968. John remained with them until 1973. In 1974 he joined The Prudential Insurance Company as the director of the company’s GIB Laboratories from which he retired in late 1994.

John had many interests. He loved to travel, play tennis, ski, read and work in the garden. He especially enjoyed summer weekends on Long Beach Island and spending fall and winter weekends in Vermont. He was an excellent cook and enjoyed trying new recipes. John was a member of the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) for over 50 years where he served as president and on the Board of Directors. He published a number of scientific papers in the Journal of Insurance Medicine and the Journal of the Academy of Life Underwriting. He remained active in AAB after retiring as well as volunteering at the Howell Senior Center. In addition, he volunteered his services at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada when they established their Medical Technology program.

He was predeceased by his son, Peter Boffa (José) and former wife Catherine.

John is survived by his lifelong partner, Patricia Berry; his sons, John Jr., Paul (Maya) and Christopher (Nana) Boffa; grandchildren, Mariah, Wheeler (Aleks), Damian (Lesley), Camille, Josephine, Cole, and Seth; great-grandchildren, Louisa, Quinn, Etta, Anya, and Emile; niece, Anne; great-nieces, Leanne and Lisa; and great-nephew Michael.

Interment will be at 1:00 on May 16th at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown, North Hanover Township, Burlington County, NJ. For information or to leave condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com