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John P. Lauriello, Jr.

John passed away peacefully with his family by his side on november 28, 2019 at the age of 96 and a half. beloved husband of the late Mary Jane “MJ”, (nee cannon).

Devoted father of patricia l. lauriello of ocean grove, nj, John d lauriello of deptford, nj, nancy a floyd of berkely heights, nj, kathryn lauriello of eden prairie, mn and paul m lauriello (christine) of medford, nj. loving grandfather of lindsay r. mott, christopher floyd (effie), meghan floyd, katie floyd-sutton (blake), mark floyd, kelly floyd, jessica lauriello, joseph lauriello, talon lauriello, kella lauriello and the late r.c. mott. proud great grandfather of antonio mott and scarlett sutton. also survived by several nieces and nephews.

John was a wwii united states marine corps corporal. he landed with the first wave of marines on red beach during the battle of iwo jima on february 19, 1945. assigned to the 5th marine division, 27th regiment, john served from october 1942 until january 1946.

At the age of 21 john was one of the first servicemen to hit the beaches from the landing crafts during the battle of iwo jima, the bloodiest battle in united states marine corp history. during the 5 week battle marines were met with heavy resistance and suffered extensive casualties.

As both a rifleman and radio specialist john worked closely with the navajo code talkers to ensure vital combat information was conveyed during the battle.

Through the years john has been duly recognized for his service and bravery and has been awarded numerous decorations including the presidential unit citation and combat action ribbon. in 2015 at the age of 92 John was among four dozen wwii veterans from the united states who came together on the island for the first time since the fateful attack to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the wwii battle.

John continued to remain active and committed to our country by serving as an advocate for veterans and sharing his stories at community & school events. mayor chuck chan of cherry hill declared june 14, 2018 to be John p lauriello, jr day. the township council thanked John for his service to the united states and fellow veterans every day of his life.

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