Richard E Shallop

Richard Shallop, 91, died Friday, March 27, 2020 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerville. He was born March 9, 1929, in Erie, PA, to Hart and Doris (Woodworth) Shallop. He moved frequently during his youth, attending many different schools and graduating from Meadville (PA) High School. After high school, he enlisted in the US Army. He was stationed at Okinawa as part of his overseas duty, after the Battle of Okinawa. Richard was a foreman at Thatcher Glass in Dover, NJ, for thirty years until its closure. He then went to work for the Jefferson Twp Board of Education in their maintenance department. He resided in South Bound Brook for the last seven years with his son and family. Richard leaves behind his wife of forty nine years, Susana. He is survived by his children Anthony and wife Heidi, Gilbert and wife Michelle, Kenneth, and Laura. Richard is also survived by nine grandchildren: Madeline, Jenna, William, Claire, Jacob, Rylan, Bentley, and Zoey Shallop and Bailey Carter. He is additionally survived by his brother Robert and wife Ellie. He was predeceased by his siblings Hart, Helen, David, and Doris. Richard was an avid sports enthusiast, especially the New York Yankees who he rooted for with his granddaughter Jenna at his side. In earlier years, he often brought his boys to Yankee Stadium to see the House that Ruth Built. As a father and grandfather, he became a fan of wrestling and enjoyed watching his son Gil as well as his grandchildren William and Claire compete. “Pop pop” loved watching his grandchildren compete in sports and perform in musicals as well as concerts. He was fascinated by Skype and FaceTime and grateful to see his grandchildren who lived far away. Richard was very interested in politics. He was born when Herbert Hoover was president and lived to see fifteen US presidents. He followed current events intently and often told his grandchildren to “never stop learning.” He had a large library of mostly political and historical books. A favorite outing was a trip to Barnes and Noble bookstore. Richard had an artistic side. He enjoyed reading and writing poetry. He was a painter who created murals in the hallways of an elementary school in Jefferson, NJ, to engage the children. Each hallway had a different theme. While he was at the time an employee of the district, he worked on the murals during his own time as a service to the community. In his later years, he enjoyed using his colored pencils to create mini masterpieces in adult coloring books. He also did sudoku puzzles almost every day. Richard leaves a big hole in our family. He was one of a kind. Cremation will be private. A memorial service for friends and family will be scheduled for a later date due to the public health crisis.