Robert John Laird, Former Mayor Of Berkeley Township, Dies At 82

Courtesy of Mastapeter Funeral Home

Robert John "Bob" Laird of Bayville, NJ, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 25, 2017, with family at his side. He was 82.

Bob was born in Princeton on March 3, 1935 to John and Erma (nee Landis). He grew up with his two younger brothers, Jack Laird and Ronnie Laird, around his Dad’s package and liquor store in Forked River and his grandfather’s farm near Princeton. On Bob’s 80th birthday, he was bestowed the deed of entitlement as “Laird of Dunans.”

Bob was a graduate of Toms River High School, where he played the trumpet as a teenager. He went on to study pharmacy at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He practiced as a licensed pharmacist his entire life and was the owner-operator of Laird’s Pharmacy in Bayville. He then joined the Rite Aid Pharmacy corporate group until his retirement.

Bob raised his kids on Cedar Creek in Bayville, where they learned how to swim by being thrown into the water and getting toes in the muddy bottom was a way of life. He was a member of the Cedar Creek Sailing Association and loved throwing huge clam bakes for everyone there. He adored being on the water, from sailing on the Kauai with its distinctive wooden spars, teak trim and tanbark sails, and later on with his hurricane deck boat, Marala, that he let the grandkids steer on his lap out of the lagoon and into Barnegat Bay.

Bob was always the adventurer. His older boys fondly remember scooping blow fish and catching weak fish with shedders in those waters. The younger three can never stop laughing about those rainy camping trips up and down the Eastern seaboard and being forced to eat lobster in Maine as kids. Bob also loved playing tennis and golfing in his younger days.

Bob gave back to his community all throughout his life. He served as mayor of Berkeley Township, police commissioner, on the Board of Education and the Township Committee in the 1970s. In his later years, participating on the board for the homeowners association of Sonata Bay.

In his retirement, Bob volunteered with the Bayville First Aid Squad as a E.M.T. and devoted much of his time to cooking, family, dancing and traveling with his beloved Mary Alice, his wife of the last 28 years.

He was a die-hard Yankees and New York Giants fan, where he was often seen by family taking in late night games on his couch with his head back, eyes closed and snoring loudly. Bob or Dad or Pop-Pop or Grand Pa Pa, as he was called, was known for his sharp wit, brilliant mind, sense of humor, amazing kitchen skills and mostly, pride in and love for his family. He celebrated his family whenever he had the chance, whether it be for a holiday gathering or a ski trip or family reunion.

Bob is survived by his wife Mary Alice (nee Vazquez) Laird, his five children David Laird (Deborah), Michael Laird (Vanessa), Robert C. Laird (Kelly), Susan Strikwerda, and Karen Conover. He is also survived by his his stepchildren, Cliff Coombs and Collette Franklin (Gary), and 16 grandchildren.

There is nothing that Bob liked more than entertaining in a huge gathering with great people, fantastic wine, and amazing food (cooked by himself). He and his Mary Alice paired perfectly in this pursuit.

Please join us as we celebrate Bob’s life. The visitation will be held on Friday, Dec. 1 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mastapeter Funeral Home, 270 Atlantic City Boulevard, (Route 9 ) in Bayville. There will also be a visitation on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service at the funeral home. Cremation will be private.

In lieu of flowers please make donations in Bob’s memory to the charity of your choice.

Photo: Courtesy of Shutterstock