Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Jersey nurse hit by car was doing what she loved, with her love

Susan L. Kinnan and her husband, John D. Kinnan Jr., were hit by a driver while riding their bicycles in Franklin Township, N.J., on Feb. 15.  Susan Kinnan died of her injuries.
Susan L. Kinnan and her husband, John D. Kinnan Jr., were hit by a driver while riding their bicycles in Franklin Township, N.J., on Feb. 15. Susan Kinnan died of her injuries.Read moreStephen Walters / via Facebook

Susan Kinnan, a 57-year-old hospice nurse, combined her love of cycling and her Christian faith by participating in charity bike rides spanning hundreds of miles.

The Salem County, N.J., woman was training for a ride with her husband last week when they were hit by a car on Route 47 in Gloucester County, a family friend said. She died Monday at Cooper University Hospital.

The Feb. 15 accident occurred on the southbound shoulder of Delsea Drive in Franklin Township. Emilio Ortega, 41, of Monroeville, was charged Wednesday with death by automobile.

Ortega, who is being held at the Salem County Jail, was initially charged with two counts of assault by automobile and unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, Xanax, on the day of the accident.

Kinnan's husband, John D. Kinnan Jr., 62, is recovering at their Pittsgrove home from his injuries, said Stephen Walters, a longtime family friend.

"They lived life to the fullest," said Walters, a retired administrator with the New Jersey Department of Corrections. John Kinnan is also retired from the department, where he was a captain.

In addition to cycling, the couple, married in 2008, would kayak and enjoy other outdoor activities. Walters posted pictures on his Facebook page of the Kinnans riding an all-terrain vehicle and navigating inflatable rafts through a watery cave.

They were active members of Ramoth Church in Vineland, N.J., and were involved with Ends of the Earth Cycling, a ministry that raises money for charity through days-long cycling rides, such as its annual 300-mile ride from Fort Myers to Key West, Fla.

On the cycling ministry's website, Susan Kinnan is listed as a "centurian" member for riding 100 miles in a single day.

She had been a nurse for more than three decades and worked for Bayada Home Health Care, Walters said.

"She was very people-oriented," he said. "She made people feel very special."

Two days before the accident, she posted a picture on Facebook of herself with her husband dressed in cycling gear on the side of a road with the caption: "I LOVE US."

A viewing is set for 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Ramoth Church, 2725 N. Delsea Dr., Vineland, N.J. 08360, with a service to follow at 6:30.

Donations may be made to the church at the address above.