John W. Higley Jr.

John W. Higley, Jr., of Lincroft, New Jersey, died peacefully on August 4, 2020, at age 64. He is survived by his fiancée, Kathleen Biggins, also of Lincroft and his sister, Carla Higley Mallm and husband Scott Mallm, his nieces Tara Tiedemann and Amber Mallm and his nephew Tyler Mallm, all of Freehold, New Jersey. He was predeceased by his father, John. W. Higley, Sr. and his mother, Jessie Lemke Horne.

John was proud of his roots in the Garden State. He grew up in Glen Ridge and Iselin, where he fondly recalled riding bikes with his buddies along Winding Road, and getting into other mischief (who knew a bowling pin could be so flammable?), sledding in the cemetery and hanging out at the wooden track. He spent summers at his grandparents’ house in Ocean Grove, which, in later years, came to be known as his “happy place.” He was a graduate of Rutgers University.

John was a real estate appraiser for over 30 years, and knew all the New Jersey back roads. There was hardly a home in the state that he hadn’t either appraised or used as a comparison. He could tell the floor plan of a house just by looking at the outside or, he was fond of saying, “I can smell the inside of that house.” Even on his days off, he enjoyed driving around looking at homes. John took pride in his work: He knew all the shortcuts but refused to take them.

Most of all, John loved music. His record collection and knowledge of music was vast. His tastes ranged from progressive rock and Genesis to classical to John Philip Sousa marches. As any true Jersey boy would, he had a special devotion to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and enjoyed being a member of the “usual suspects” in the front row at shows and trading stories in online forums. He found kindred spirits in this community of fans and counted everyone as dear friends.

John’s family will gather for a private burial, arranged by John E. Day Funeral Home in Red Bank, NJ. There will be a memorial Mass and celebration of his life at a later date. Donations in John’s memory can be made to The American Kidney Fund www.kidneyfund.org or The American Heart Association www.heart.org.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.