Jack Demarest, age 79 of Ocean, NJ passed away peacefully on March 12th, 2025.

Jack was born on April 27, 1945 in Broad Channel, New York, the first-born child in our direct Demarest line and the only male to carry on the Demarest name. He was followed by Sharon five years later and Deborah was seven years later.  Jack grew up in Levittown and Massapequa but spent his teenage years in Smithtown.  He was very athletic as a teen. Ice hockey was his favorite winter sport.  Boy, could he skate!  He played on a hockey team whenever the pond in Smithtown was frozen.  Jack excelled at baseball and was a basketball “Star” while in high school.  He loved to play La Crosse.  Both Sharon and Deborah would help with his La Crosse training by throwing the ball to him so he could practice catching with the racket.  Then he would toss the ball back to them.  Of course, instead of tossing the ball straight back to one of us, he tossed it over their heads and well past them.   He probably did that on purpose!

Jack was a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Monmouth University from 1976 to 2020 after earning his Ph.D. in 1976 in Animal Behavior and Neurosciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He achieved the rank of Professor of Psychology in 1989, serving as Chairperson from 1987 to 1991 and 1993 to 1994. Jack contributed significantly to the field of psychology as a scholar, having published over 30 journal articles, received 19 grants, delivered 11 invited addresses, published 11 book reviews, and presented over 100 papers and posters at professional conferences.  He also personally supervised hundreds of senior thesis students and research assistants throughout his career.

He was instrumental in designing a curricular framework for embedding a sequence of research courses within the undergraduate psychology major at Monmouth that culminated in an individual empirical thesis, a framework similar to the one the Department follows to this day.  He was awarded a department Visionary award in 2009 for this dedication to the science of psychology.

Jack lived his life to the fullest.  He was an artist, an athlete, a musician, a mentor, an avid birdwatcher, and of course an intellectual.  Above all else, he had unconditional love and pride for his family.  Jack was known for his multiple greeting cards on special occasions, as a single card was incapable of communicating the love he would share with you.  He found happiness in cars, his motorcycle, 4^th of July fireworks, and most of all bringing joy to people through his music.

Jack is survived by his sister Deborah Demarest and her husband Don, two daughters, Alexandra and her husband Brian Simanek, and Dakota.  He was also grandfather to Ryan Demarest.

Visitation will be Thursday, March 20, 2025, 6:00-7:30 pm, at the Woolley-Boglioli Funeral Home, 10 Morrell Street, Long Branch, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be sent to Monmouth University in Jack’s honor. Gifts can be made online at http://www.monmouth.edu/Demarest, or by check made payable to “Monmouth University” noting “Demarest Award” in the memo line and mailed to Monmouth University, c/o University Advancement, 400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764.