John T. Holden Sr., former Cherry Hill mayor, 88

In 1974, Cherry Hill Mayor John T. Holden Sr. was looking for a local project to celebrate the nation's 200th birthday in 1976. A broken-down 16-room farmhouse, built in 1816 and threatened by a developer's offer, filled the bill.

So, with $335,000 of governmental preservation funds, Cherry Hill became the owner and operator of the 32-acre Barclay Farmstead.

"He was instrumental in protecting the Barclay Farmstead," said Bernie Platt, president of Platt Memorial Chapels and mayor from 1979 to 1981 and from 2002 to 2009.

Mr. Holden, Platt said, "was a visionary. He saw things that other people did not."

On Wednesday, June 1, John T. Holden Sr., 88, of Mount Laurel, mayor of Cherry Hill from 1970 to 1974, died at home of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Mr. Holden grew up in Fall River, Mass., was a diocesan seminarian during his high school years, and graduated from the former Msgr. Coyle High School in Taunton, Mass., his son John Jr. said.

At the end of World War II, Mr. Holden was an Army Air Corps message decoder and spent part of his service at the Pentagon. He then earned a bachelor's in business administration at what is now Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.

Moving to Cherry Hill, he joined the RCA Service Co. there and, after a 37-year career, retired as director of consumer affairs.

During those years, he was also president of the Cherry Hill Chamber of Commerce.

In part-time public offices, after his mayoral stint ended, Mr. Holden was a New Jersey civil service commissioner in the 1970s and a member of the Cherry Hill Township Council into the early 1980s, his son said.

After his work at RCA, his son said, Mr. Holden "owned a land title company, U.S. Title, in Cherry Hill," and then was a consultant to Eastern Metal Trading Co. there.

Mr. Holden was also a board member of several organizations, his son said.

Besides his son John, Mr. Holden is survived by his wife, Mary; son Martin; daughters Mary Pat McDermet, Kathleen Sweeney, and Margaret Gilkin; a brother; a sister; 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Viewings were set from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Schetter Funeral Home, 304 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, and from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday, June 6, at Christ Our Light Church, 402 N. Kings Hwy., Cherry Hill, before an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass there, with interment in Colestown Cemetery, Cherry Hill.

Donations may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at nationalmssociety.org.

Condolences may be offered to the family at schetterfh.com.

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