John H. Datz, 87, transit engineer

John H. Datz, 87, of Mullica Hill, a longtime New Jersey Department of Transportation survey and design supervisor who served as Harrison Township planning board chairman for many years and advocated for land preservation, died of leukemia Thursday, March 25, at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury.

Mr. Datz joined the Transportation Department in 1951 as part of the construction survey crew. He quickly rose through the ranks and took charge of the field survey office in Haddonfield by the early 1960s.

Described as a shy but effective leader, he worked hard to make sure projects were completed on time - without being loud, said Lou Marchuk of Stratford, who worked under Mr. Datz for many years.

"He listened to people," Marchuk said. "He always had an open-door policy."

Field workers affectionately called Mr. Datz "Uncle Jack," and knew they could talk to him about anything, Marchuk said.

For several years, Mr. Datz served as regional design engineer for South Jersey.

During his 35 years at the department, Mr. Datz was involved in some big projects, including the Commodore Barry Bridge, his family said, but his favorite was the construction of Route 77 in Bridgeton. His survey crew designed and built the road.

He retired from the department in 1987 as chief of the bureau of surface design.

Though Mr. Datz's work consisted of designing and building roads and bridges, he loved the outdoors and advocated land preservation, his family said.

Mr. Datz served on the Harrison Township Planning Board for 30 years, as chairman for two decades, before retiring in 1986.

"He was always defending a project . . . or trying to change the status quo," said his wife, Doris.

Even after his retirement, Mr. Datz continued to attend many planning board meetings. He opposed recent land developments in the township, his family said.

Mr. Datz was born in Philadelphia and raised in Mullica Hill, graduating from Glassboro High School in 1940.

He joined the Navy in 1943 and was part of the cleanup crew at Pearl Harbor. According to a questionnaire he left behind, Mr. Datz said he was assigned to matching personnel documents to the bodies of American soldiers who had been recovered from the harbor.

He also helped repair some of the ships that were attacked and the harbor itself, his family said.

In 1946, he left the Navy and went to Harvard University through an ROTC program, his family said. He played on Harvard's baseball team and in 1947 received a degree in liberal arts.

He married Doris M. Kennedy in 1947. The couple had met three years prior.

The couple moved to Mullica Hill, and Mr. Datz worked in the research lab of a Mobil oil plant in Paulsboro.

After commencing his job with the Department of Transportation, Mr. Datz began taking night classes at Drexel University, working toward a civil engineering degree. In 1962, he received his degree, and his DOT career took off.

When he retired from the DOT, Mr. Datz started his own engineering and land surveying business, where he worked until last year.

"He never retired," his wife said.

Mr. Datz also was involved in various community groups from the Red Top Gun Club, with whose members he would go deer hunting every December, to the Harrison Township Historical Society.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Datz is survived by sons John, William, Theodore, and Stephen; daughters Eileen, Joan, and Kathleen; 13 grandchildren; a sister, and a brother.

A Funeral Mass was said Monday, March 29.