John Matthew Peret Jr.

John Mathew Peret, 82, loving father and husband died peacefully today. His wife, Alice, and steadfast partner for 60 years, filled his final days with all the love and devotion that was so indicative of their partnership over the years. Alice sat beside him to ease his transition from this life into the kingdom of Heaven. John was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on January 12, 1938 to Mary and John Peret and was the youngest of six siblings. He was predeceased by his daughter, Catherine Marie, who passed away on April 9, 2020. John is survived by his devoted wife, Alice Marie Peret, Florida, and son, Michael John Peret, Washington state, and seven grandchildren. John worked at a variety of jobs over his lifetime including Sun Chemical, Woodriver Junction, Rhode Island, Globe Manufacturing in Fall River, Massachusetts, and Ciba-Geigy, Ardsley, New York. John spent over 25 wonderful years at Ciba-Geigy and was fortunate enough to have his job and family with him as work brought him to Greensboro, North Carolina, and finally Toms River, New Jersey. John’s area of expertise was in colors and dyestuffs and computer color matching with spectrophotometry. One of his earliest achievements was working on a team that designed and built a prototype computer that filled an entire room. John was awarded a special commendation based on his contributions to the project. John, a lifelong learner, was a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Chemistry. He attended classes at Northeastern in Massachusetts as well as the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, to further his technical expertise of the industry and was a member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. One of John’s more creative passions was gardening. Through a company sponsored program, John grew a variety of vegetables on a double-wide plot so he could provide a supplemental source of nutrition for his family. John occasionally brought Cathy and Michael with him as he worked his green thumb awesomeness. They brought the fruits of their labor home and would watch in wonderment as Alice pickled, canned, and froze their bounty. Never to be one without a job, after retiring from Ciba-Geigy John finished his working career as a limousine driver for a company located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He so thoroughly loved the diversity of his time there, all the places he visited while driving, the famous people he met, and the interesting conversations that would ensue. John believed that life was meant to be experienced and lived that core value every day of his life. John’s ultimate and most important passion was his family. John believed to his core that family was everything in this life and always strived to put their needs first before anything else. In that regard, he believed that visiting relatives, taking unique family trips to the barrier islands in North Carolina, Disney World in Florida, the Knoxville, TN, World’s Fair, and numerous other outings were all of paramount importance. John was very involved in activities for his kids and served as a soccer coach, mentor, assistant Boy Scout leader, and an amazing advocate for higher learning.