January 21, 1947 – April 11, 2022

       Gregory Gill Blessing died on April 11, 2022, at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital Somerset in Somerville, NJ.  He was 75.  At the time of his death, Greg had lived in South Plainfield, NJ for 43 years.  He was a “Jersey Boy” his whole life.  Born in Montclair, he then lived in Orange, followed by Short Hills, North Plainfield, and finally, South Plainfield.

       AT MHS, Greg was well known for his athletic prowess.   He was on the MHS varsity  soccer,  track, and wrestling teams.  The profile next to his yearbook photo described him as “a powerhouse of an athlete.”  Greg’s athletic proficiency stayed with him for many of his working years.  He had always excelled at swimming and running as well as soccer and wrestling.  In 1982, he participated in a “Swim-A-Cross” fund-raiser event for the Red Cross.  Greg and five other members of his 13-member team swam 50 lengths of the 50-meter South Plainfield Community Pool for a total distance of about 1 ½ miles each.  In 1988, he competed in the Men’s US Olympic trials for the marathon.

       After graduating from MHS, Greg attended Keystone College in Pennsylvania and Somerset County College in Green Brook, NJ, where he was a business major and, in 1970, he was elected Student Body President.   Following college, he began a career in the printing industry focusing on both the sales and production sides of that business. 

       On a day in January 1994, that just happened to be his birthday, Greg learned that he had chronic leukemia.  According to a Newark Star Ledger article telling his story, Greg’s leukemia diagnosis came before he’d shown any symptoms.  He only learned of the diagnosis after having donated blood and then being told that his liver enzymes were elevated.  There followed a series of tests, the leukemia diagnosis, and months of treatment.  By February 1995, Greg was in remission.  When asked how he got through the year with his “faith, humor, and resolve intact,” he credited the Insight Cancer Support Group, co-sponsored by Muhlenberg Hospital Medical Center, the American Cancer Society, and the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey, for providing feedback and strength from others who were in the same or similar circumstances.  For many years thereafter, Greg was active in cancer support groups and volunteered for over 25 years at the Cancer Hope Network in Chester, NJ.

       Greg retired from his printing industry career in 2011 but continued his volunteer work.  He also liked to watch sporting events, was an avid reader, and loved to work in his garden and create outdoor spaces.

       Greg was survived by his wife of 45 years, Joan Barnosky Blessing, his daughter Sarah Blessing, four sisters (Jane, Jean, Victoria and Adrienne) and a brother, Connor.   Another brother, Kevin, preceded him in death.  Following a funeral mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart in South Plainfield, NJ, Greg was entombed at Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield.