Former NJ Transportation commissioner, wife, die in Somerset County fire

TRENTON, N.J. (WABC) -- The governor of New Jersey and two of his predecessors are expected to attend a memorial service Tuesday for a longtime political figure and his wife whose death last month remains a mystery.

Gov. Chris Christie and former Govs. Tom Kean and Christie Whitman, all Republicans, are planned to be among the mourners Tuesday at a service in Trenton for John and Joyce Sheridan.

John Sheridan was president and CEO of Camden-based Cooper University Health Care and previously held high-ranking jobs in state government. His wife was a retired teacher.

Their Montgomery Township house burned Sept. 28 in a fire that has been ruled an arson. John Sheridan, 72, was declared dead at the scene, while his wife, 69, died at a hospital.

But authorities say they have not determined how they died. Authorities are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

John Sheridan once served as Gov. Thomas Kean's Transportation Commissioner and chairman of the New Jersey Transit board, and also worked on the transition team of Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.

At the time of their deaths, Camden Mayor Dana L. Redd said the couple "will both be profoundly missed by the entire Camden community."

Earlier in his career, John Sheridan had served as deputy attorney general and was a general counsel for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.