Richard "Rick" J. Pistolas

Richard “Rick” J. Pistolas, age 66, of Manahawkin, NJ, passed away on Sunday, May 26, 2024.

Born in East Orange, Rick was raised in Livingston, NJ, spent most of his adult life in Allentown, PA and retired to his beach house in the Beach Haven West section of Manahawkin, NJ where he resided full-time since 2019.  He attended Livingston High School and earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lafayette College in Easton PA and where he was very active in the men’s basketball program serving as film operator and manager. Rick was employed by Talen Energy which supports Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant as a Senior Mechanical Engineer for 38 years and continued working there part-time after retirement as a contract engineer. Early in his career, Rick mentored young engineers through the Lehigh Valley Young Professionals organization.  

In the summer, Rick was an avid boater and spent much of his spare time fishing with his son Alex in the Barnegat Bay.  In the winter, Rick enjoyed skiing and later snowboarding.  In the last few years, Rick spent his winters in Tierra Verde, FL with friends.   Although, his true love was summers on Long Beach Island, NJ, the Pistolas family enjoyed many vacations at Lake George, NY.  

He is predeceased by his father George “Gus” Pistolas, his mother Dorothy “Patricia” Byrne Pistolas and his sister Jill Pistolas Clark. Rick is survived by his son Alexander J. Pistolas of Conshohocken, PA., who was the center of his life, and his wife Kyra, his nephew Rusty Clark, of Hoboken, NJ, Angela Hunter, Ocean Pines, MD, and many friends from the Allentown, PA and Long Beach Island, NJ areas.

Visiting hours will be Saturday, June 1, 2024, from 11:30am until his funeral service, 2:30pm at Maxwell-Tobie Funeral Home & Cremation Service, LLC, 573 Mill Creek Road, Manahawkin, NJ. Cremation will be private.