Jordan Checkwood

Born and raised in Ridgewood and then Franklin Lakes, Jordan David Checkwood passed away on January 4, 2024. For the last many years, he and his family have called Ramsey home.

Beloved father, husband, brother, uncle. Jordan is survived by his wife, Meredith (nee Sculthorpe), daughter Elle and son Derek. He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Stuart Henderson, his lovely nieces and their spouses Kate, Emily, Grace, Jesse, and Josh and his sister Laurie Sutton and nephew Dylan.

He is also survived by Meredith’s family– sister Heather Zynczenko (nee Sculthorpe), her husband Mike and their children Julia, Natalie, and Alex and sister Gwen Sculthorpe with James Wagner and their son, Tyler Wagner.

His unparalleled gift of gab, storytelling ability, and sense of humor made him a friend to any and every one he met. If you were fortunate to be in his inner circle, you earned a topnotch nickname as a bonus. And he got EVERYONE to call you by said nickname.

Jordan, sometimes also known as “Deedle,” “Jordy,” “Uncle J,” or “Lil Bro” was a bright shining light with an avid love of cars, random trivia, 80s movies, early 90’s rap, travel, and tattoos. His 3 dogs – Oliver, Dexter, and Lucki – brought him a combination of deep love and endless annoyance.

He enjoyed relaxing weekends at the family’s beach home and meeting the owner of the real “Jersey Shore” souvenir shop. He also met a random guy from The Sopranos on a walk-through downtown Ramsey. One of Jordan’s many talents were his uncanny ability to strike up a conversation with anyone, in any situation. In fact, at holiday gatherings, it became custom to strategically seat him next to whichever newcomer was lucky enough to earn that prized chair at the table.

A self-taught whiz, Jordan could figure out how to fix anything from computers to game systems to appliances, cars and more. As a child he loved motorized rides on cars and playing the OG game systems for hours on end. As a young adult he followed the Grateful Dead for a short time before selling out to “the man” and getting a real job in IT. His involuntary submission to the corporate underworld didn’t stop him from vibing to the Grateful Dead and enjoying one of their cover bands on occasion. In his first real job, he charmed everyone in the office with his high energy personality, speed-eating skills, and singing along to the then-popular Slim Shady aka Eminem. He went on to several more jobs in IT from that jumping off point, always making friends along the way. Most recently he was an IT Manager at Nathan S Kline Institute in Orangeburg NY.

Jordan’s motto was live every day to the fullest, ‘cause you might get hit by a bus tomorrow. His family will honor him by living their days that way. Jordan is loved beyond measure and cherished dearly by so many.

Jordy – we carry your heart (we carry it in our hearts). Forever and always, you are surrounded by love.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to his GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/0e274000

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