John Charles Carrick, 80, of Branchburg, New Jersey, passed away on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at Overlook Hospital after a courageous and relentless battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on September 24, 1941, in Benton, Arkansas to Guy and Oueita Carrick, John graduated from Benton High School in 1959. After high school, John attended New Mexico State University where he received a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and was a member of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. During his time at New Mexico State, he participated in work study programs in Samoa and the Philippines tracking early satellites. Upon his graduation from New Mexico State University, John received his commission to the United States Army. He eventually rose to the rank of captain, primarily serving in the Army Ordinance Corps. During his service in the Army Ordinance Corps, he was stationed at the US Army Missile Command in Huntsville, Alabama. When he was deployed to Vietnam, he was assigned to the US Army Corp of Engineers, Installation Division where he was recognized for his outstanding service. He was also awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. After being discharged from the Army in 1971, John began an over thirty year career in the telecommunications field. First, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he began work for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. He worked for Southwestern Bell in Tulsa and St. Louis, Missouri until 1986. In 1986, John and his family moved to Branchburg, New Jersey to take a position at Bell Core/Telcordia Technologies. While at Telcordia he helped design and plan the National ISDN One Trip '92 which was the pioneer of video conferencing as we know it today. He remained with Telcordia until his retirement in 2006. In addition to being a decorated veteran and a successful businessman, John was a loving and engaged father and an active member of his community. He was involved in youth sports. In Oklahoma, he coached several youth soccer and baseball teams. After moving to Branchburg, John served as a board member for the Branchburg Travel Soccer Club, coached the BTSC Eagles and a Mid-New Jersey Select soccer team. He also coached recreation baseball and basketball. John also participated in several programs at the Montgomery Senior Wellness Center, where he was one of the founding members of the Forever Young Readers Theatre Group. John was a Secular Oratorian of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri of Raritan, New Jersey. John was a lifelong learner. He had a voracious appetite for reading and knowledge, and he enjoyed sharing and discussing various topics with his family and friends. He was also an avid baseball fan, loved playing poker, blackjack and bridge. His reading interests included business, science, religion, travel, history, sports, and mathematics. John is survived by his wife of 50 years, Lila, whom he loved tremendously; his daughter Nicolie and her husband Steven; his son Brett and his wife Christina; and his three grandchildren: Dylan (13), Hadley (13), and Riley (9). John was a wonderful grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and took great pride in their accomplishments. His family will miss him dearly. A viewing will be held on Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 6-8pm at the Branchburg Funeral Home 910 Rt. 202 South Branchburg, NJ. A prayer service will begin at the funeral home on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 9:15am. Mass will take place at 10am at St. Ann's R.C. Church in Raritan. Entombment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in John's memory, to the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at https://www.mskcc.org/research-programs/pancreatic-research.