John James “Jet” Maguire was born on November 19, 1945. He was predeceased by his mother Janet (Seitz) Maguire, father John James Maguire and sister Frances (Maguire) Ascoli. John was born and raised in Wildwood, NJ. John was a proud local native of Cape May County and grew into having a fondness for the outdoors and was passionate about duck and deer hunting. He graduated from Wildwood Catholic High School. John knew every alleyway of the intracoastal sounds like the back of his hand, being able to navigate a small boat through the waterways with ease (as long as the tide was high enough). “Nothing is slicker than a cricker!” John was a veteran of the Coast Guard, and remembered his years on the Unimac fondly. John married twice, first to the mother of his daughters Kristen Hamann, and later to Karen Cordes. John had a passion for history and after the Coast Guard, secured a job as a substitute history teacher at Lower Township High School. A while in, when the school system learned that he didn’t actually have a teaching certificate, he had a decision to make: go back for more schooling and become a teacher or resign. At the very same time, a new career came upon him: a “wine and spirit engineer” (aka liquor salesman). John “Jet” became a household name to anyone who frequented a bar from Cape May to Sea Isle City for over 40 years. The nickname formed because he could rarely sit still in one place for long. He liked to “check the flock” and often hosted his friends and family to outings at his favorite restaurants, which were also his customers and closest friends. This lifestyle became a huge part of his personality. He had a knack for turning anyone who met him as a “grump” into loving him as a great friend, however, you had to earn it, and keep earning it! Despite the “local celebrity” status, John was also a humble and loving father to his daughters and loved to go on “Sunday drives” to go apple or pumpkin picking, random visits to friends’ homes, and an occasional trip to Hershey Park or Great Adventure. He maintained his love for history and kept a mint-condition series of Time Life books from the Civil War to World War II and could win a Jeopardy competition any day with a challenger. Later, he found a joy in going to the horse track with his best friend Holle and simply having a Heineken zero at the C-View with friends. John is survived by his two daughters Lauren Maguire (Mark Schumacher) and grandson Desmond Maguire; Shawn Maguire (Matthew Zielinski) and grandchildren Malana and Sion Zielinski. Funeral services will be held at Ingersoll Funeral Home, 1201 Central Ave., N. Wildwood, NJ 08260 on Saturday , January 17, 2026 at 11 AM, where there will be a clling hour from 10 am to 11 am. Condolences at ingersollgreenwoodfh.com