John Heldrich

John J. Heldrich, age 88, of Highland Park, died Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at his home. Born in New Brunswick, John has been a lifelong resident of Highland Park. He has combined a career as a top executive with the world’s leading health care products company with the record of leadership and commitment to public, community, and civic service,. At the time of his retirement, he was Corporate Vice President of Administration and a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

He was an Army veteran of World War II serving in The Battle of the Bulge with the 106th Infantry Division.

John was a graduate of the Rutgers University. Among his many other activities, he was a charter member of the Board of Trustees of Rutgers. He is a retired member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest foundation in the nation dealing with health care issues, and an ex-officio member of the New Brunswick Development Corporation.

The governing body of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has founded and Mr. Heldrich has endowed, the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. The Center is dedicated to identifying ways of making the American workplace more responsive, relevant, and productive, and to sharing that knowledge widely. New Brunswick’s newest hotel was named The Heldrich, in his honor. The Conference Center wing of the hotel houses the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.

In the city of New Brunswick, Mr. Heldrich was known as the “heart and driving force” behind the City’s acclaimed revitalization, which is regarded as a model of a true public/private partnership throughout the state and country. He was the founding Chairman and served two decades at the head of New Brunswick Tomorrow, the private, non-profit community organization that has spearheaded New Brunswick’s economic, social and cultural renaissance.

Mr. Heldrich also served as Chairman of the New Brunswick Cultural Center, and was a member of the Executive Committee. The upper lobby of the beautifully renovated State Theater in the Cultural Center is named in honor of Mr. Heldrich and his late wife, Regina.

On a state level, John was the Past Chairman of the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission (SETC), a position he held for 18 years until 2008. Under his leadership, the SETC developed the first Unified State Plan for New Jersey’s Workforce Readiness System.


John was an active long-time parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle R.C. Church (now Transfiguration of the Lord Parish) in Highland Park. He and her husband have played an active role in the development of a new Parish Center and the expansion of its chapel into St. Paul’s daily mass chapel. They have also supported St. Peter’s University Hospital with a major gift to expand the emergency department where the main lounge of the department will be dedicated to their late son, Karl. In 2013, John and his wife, Regina were awarded by St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation with the Annual Bishop’s Award for their contribution to the community, healthcare, and their Church.

He was pre-deceased by his wife of 57 years, Regina Heldrich on February 4th of this year, a son, Karl J. Heldrich and a son-in-law, J. David Stem. He is survived by a daughter, Regina H. Stem of Milford, N.J.; a son, John J. Heldrich, Jr. and his wife, Susan, of Boca Grande, FL, a daughter-in-law, Renee Heldrich Michaud of Red Lion, PA, eleven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends may call from 3-7 p.m. Sunday, November 2nd at the Jaqui-Kuhn Funeral Home, 17 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park. A Funeral Liturgy will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 3rd at St. Paul the Apostle R.C. Church (Transfiguration of the Lord Parish) in Highland Park. Entombment will follow at Resurrection Burial Park Mausoleum in Piscataway.

For those who wish to make a donation in honor of John Heldrich, the family requests that you direct your gift to the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Safety, 30 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, N.J. 08901 or the Companion Animal Fund, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011.

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