Donald J. “Toots” Stemen, 72, of Port Monmouth, passed away July 10, 2022. Donald was born Sept. 6, 1949, in Lima, Ohio, a son of the late Marie and Donald E. Stemen. His family moved to Port Monmouth when he was a child and he lived in the area all his life. The latter part of his life was spent at the NJ Fireman’s Home in Boonton.
As a child Donald was given the nickname “Toots” because his last name reminded his friends of a Steamboat, and the name stayed with him. After high school, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He returned to Port Monmouth and worked as a plumber with Leslie Parleman Plumbing in Belford.
Toots was a Life Member of the Port Monmouth Fire Company. He spent a lot of his free time there and had many firehouse buddies. He enjoyed fishing in the bay and hunting trips in Pennsylvania with his friends. He could often be found with a beer in one hand and a big cigar in the other.
Donald is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Marie and Nicholas Zennario, of Middletown. He also leaves behind an uncle, Roland Stemen, and several cousins in Williamsburg, Virginia.
A memorial gathering will take place from 10 a.m. to noon July 19 at Scott & Kedz Home for Funerals. A graveside service will immediately follow at 1:30 p.m. at the BG William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Province Line Road, Wrightstown.
The article originally appeared in the July 14 – 20, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
