Obituary of Peter J. Kooiker

On Friday, November 22, Pete Kooiker of Califon, NJ died unexpectedly, devastating his family and friends. Pete was born in 1955 in Holland, Michigan to Marilyn and Ken Kooiker. He joined his older brother Dirk, who became his protector and occasional bad influence. The family moved to Staten Island for a few years and finally to Huntington, West Virginia, where Pete made lifelong friends. He graduated from Marshall University with a degree in Journalism and began a career in advertising and marketing. He and his wife Paula Hunter welcomed twins, Garritt and Matt Kooiker, in 1982.  

Pete spent many years in Columbus Ohio, several of those working for the Columbus Dispatch. You might have seen his advertising handiwork there, where he was ad manager and was instrumental in founding the paper’s digital advertising division. He then landed in, of all places, Hunterdon County, NJ, where he continued to work in digital marketing and website design-build and live with his life partner, Jan Cohen Reisen. He often said that he had to move to New Jersey to finally live in the country. 

His years in Columbus made him a fervent and sometimes despondent Ohio State Buckeyes fan. Saturdays during football season were sacred in the house and he even converted Jan, a Jersey girl indifferent to college football, into a fan. Bucks– please win a National Championship for him this year.

Pete loved Apple computers, his Wheelhorse tractor, his dog, YouTube videos of people building boats, his black fedora, sandwiches made with too much mayonnaise, the Allman Brothers, progressive politics, his e-bike, making things out of wood, hunting for 4-leaf clovers, and photography. But most of all he loved the people who survive him and who will miss him in a million different ways: his brother Dirk Kooiker (Donna), his sons Matt and Garritt (Kristin), his grandson Holden and his long-time partner Jan Cohen Reisen, along with her sons Willie and Freddy Reisen. 

Memorial Visitation will be held on Friday, December 6th from 12:00PM untill 2:00PM with words of remembrance starting at 2:00PM. All services will be held directly at Martin Funeral Home, located at 1761 Route 31, Clinton NJ 08809. To send condolences to Pete's family please visit www.martinfh.com