Michael J. Wall

Michael J. Wall, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, died peacefully in his sleep at sunrise on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, surrounded by his family. He was 68. Born on Jan. 24, 1951, in Findlay, Ohio, Mike was the eldest of six children of the late Robert J. Wall and Mary (Orians) Wall, who still resides in Findlay. Mike, an Eagle Scout, attended St. Michael the Archangel School in Findlay and then Findlay High School, where he excelled at track and cross country but ran solely to prepare for basketball, the sport he loved. In his senior year, he was a captain and the Trojan’s starting point guard, and he set in motion a piece of family lore when he made a half-court shot as time expired against the Marion Harding Presidents. After high school, Mike enrolled at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and before long was introduced to another new student, Nancy Williams, by a mutual friend. “You’re number 10!” exclaimed Nancy, who, as a cheerleader for Marion Harding, had witnessed Mike’s buzzer-beater the prior winter. In his retelling of the story, immediately after meeting Nancy, Mike predicted to a friend that he would marry her. In 1974, he did. While at Miami, Mike was voted homecoming king and was an active member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, an organization he was devoted to his entire life. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in business in 1973, Mike moved to St. Louis to work in sales for Proctor & Gamble. In 1975, he accepted a job at Ethicon, Inc., a medical-device subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Two years later, he and Nancy, a schoolteacher, relocated to the suburbs of Detroit, where they lived until ultimately settling in Flemington, in 1983. In the ensuing years, Mike would work for various Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries, including Patient Care, Healthcare Systems, and Surgical Specialties, which he helped launch. But the majority of his 31-year career at Johnson & Johnson was spent with Ethicon, from which he retired as an executive in 2006. He remained intensely loyal to the company, and he always looked forward to his dinner meetings with the Sons of the General, a group of his J&J colleagues. In retirement, Mike devoted much of his time to Copper Hill Country Club in Raritan Township, which had acted as a second home for his family since they joined in 1986. He served two terms on the executive board and worked on the membership and social committees. While not on the golf course, he loved tending to his gardens and hiking in the open fields near his home, and he had promised himself he would go fishing more often. In recent years, he volunteered as an advisor to Beta Theta Pi, helping establish a chapter of the fraternity at the College of New Jersey near Trenton. A love of travel took him all over the United States, the Caribbean and Europe, often with his golf clubs, and his recent trips with friends and family included excursions to Italy, Hawaii, the Baltics and Hilton Head. Last May, to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, Mike and Nancy visited the Grand Canyon and the surrounding national parks, a lifelong dream. He was not disappointed. “It was spectacular,” he’d say, drawing out each syllable. The quintessential family man, Mike worked hard with Nancy to raise their four children, including spending uncountable hours on athletic fields, in gyms and on basketball courts to support them and engage their competitive spirits, which matched his own. He could often be found on the sidelines or in the bleachers, beaming with pride, as he watched his children compete. Mike was a consummate gentleman and a loyal friend, and his positive impact on his community was far-reaching. His smile was ever-present, his laugh infectious, and he was always quick with a kind word. But as a devoted husband, loving father and doting grandfather, Mike enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his wife, his children and their spouses, and his seven grandchildren, who affectionately called him Hoops, a tribute to his days on the court. He will be sorely missed. In addition to his mother and his wife, Mike is survived by his daughter, Whitney Wagner, her husband, Steve, and their children, Hayes, Rhys and Maeve; his son Brandon, his wife, Erica Goetz, and their children, Frances and Iris; his son Kyle, his wife, Lindsey (Winant), and their children, Mackenzie and Avery; his son Carter and his wife, Kristin Scheve; his brother, Thomas and his wife, Laura; his sister Marie Williams and her husband, Scott; his sister Nancy Hanson and her husband, Jim; his sister Susan Lause and her husband, Thomas; his brother John and his wife, Susan; and many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours will be at Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, on Friday, Jan. 31, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. A funeral Mass will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Victories Parish, 1007 Route 519, Baptistown, NJ. Afterward, friends and family are invited to Copper Hill Country Club to offer each other support and condolences. All will be welcome to share stories and memories of Mike. As an expression of sympathy, the family has asked that memorial contributions be made in Mike’s name to the charity of your choice. For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.