Obituary of Peter J. Richkus

Peter J. Richkus, 74, passed away, surrounded by his wife and children, on Friday, December 14, 2018 at JFK Medical Center in Edison. Born in Elizabeth, Peter grew up in Roselle Park and settled to South Plainfield in 1973. Mr. Richkus worked as a Civil Traffic Engineer for the Township of Woodbridge, the County of Monmouth and retired briefly before returning to work in the private sector. He loved playing pool, especially 9-Ball, at the Senior Center. Mr. Richkus was a member of the South Plainfield Polish National Home APA 9 Ball League as well as the South Plainfield Senior Citizen Pool League. He served on several different Borough Committees over the years, but was Chairman of the South Plainfield Traffic Safety Commission for over 35 years. Over the years he volunteered time with many organizations, including the South Plainfield Soccer Club, SPJBC, local Boy Scouts and other organizations. Peter was elected Grand Marshall of South Plainfield's annual Labor Day Parade in 2013. Peter was dedicated to his catholic faith. He was a very active parishioner of Scared Heart RC Church in South Plainfield and served the church an Usher, Eucharistic Minister and a former CCD teacher. In addition, Mr. Richkus was also a 3rd Degree Knight with the South Plainfield Knights of Columbus Council 6203. Peter is survived by his beloved wife, Elizabeth; daughter, Theresa Thibault and her significant other Tom Papazian; sons, Peter J., Robert and his wife Kelly all of South Plainfield and Michael Cole and his wife Betty of AZ.; siblings, Mary Gomes and Rosemary Wilson both of FL., Joseph Richkus of New York City and John Richkus and husband Doug Gumm of Jersey City and six grandchildren, Melissa and Joseph Thibault, Trenton Cole, PJ IV, Luke and Blake Richkus. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, December 17, 2018 at 9:15 am in the McCriskin - Gustafson Home for Funerals 2425 Plainfield Ave. South Plainfield, NJ 07080 followed by a 10am funeral mass at Sacred Heart RC Church, South Plainfield, NJ. Cremation Services will follow privately. Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 16, 2019 from 2-6 pm in the funeral home. At the request of the family, please refrain from sending flowers and make a donation to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org