Robert J. Quinlan is Bradley Beach Memorial Day Parade’s Grand Marshall. The parades steps off Sat., May 25 at 10 a.m. on Ocean Avenue.
Quinlan was born on August 10, 1938 in Newark, NJ to parents Robert and Mary Quinlan. Robert graduated from East Orange High School in 1956 and that same year joined the NJ National Guard. In 1960 Robert graduated from the NJ National Guard OCS in Sea Girt, NJ as a 2nd Lieutenant.
A few years later, he enrolled in the Newark College of Engineering and graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 1967. Following graduation, Quinlan moved to Flanders, NJ in 1968 and married Kathleen T. Philbin. The couple are the parents of two children John and Susan.
In 1972, Quinlan moved his family to Wilmington, DE where he took a job with Hercules, Inc. The same year, after completing his education, Robert graduated with an MBA from Rutgers University, Newark.
In 1979 he retired from the NJ National Guard as a Major. After his retirement the family moved to Phoenix, Maryland where Robert took a position at W.R. Grace, Inc.
On October 1, 1986 the Quinlans bought a home at 418 Monmouth Avenue in Bradley Beach. Quinlan worked for the next 20 years in Rhode Island and Virginia before formally retiring to NJ 2001.
Sadly, on Sunday, February 18, 2007, Robert and Kathleen’s son Chief Warrant Officer 3 John A. Quinlan was killed in action in a Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan. His wife Kathleen passed away 2013.
Bradley Beach will host the parade, rain or shine, at 10 a.m. on Sat., May 25 on Ocean Avenue.
The borough’s annual Memorial Day Weekend Festival is a three-day event, running Friday through Monday. In addition to food and crafters, attendees will find kid-friendly games and other activities.
A formal Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for Monday morning at Riley Park.
