Bridgewater John Sturges 98, passed away peacefully October 3, 2018. John was born in Manchester, New Hampshire and raised in Flemington before moving to Raritan Borough and then Bridgewater in 1959, finally residing in Somerset since 2003. With his brother, he owned and operated Raritan Liquors, Inc. for many years before retiring in 1990, passing along the business to his sons and nephew. He was a veteran serving as First Lieutenant of the Army Air Corps and was a Bombardier in the European Theatre with the 322nd Bomb Group, 449th Bomb Squadron of the Ninth Air Force, stationed in Great Salings, England near London. He flew 65 missions, including providing aircraft support for allied troops during the D-Day operation at Normandy, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, earning 13 Oakleaf Clusters, one for every five missions. He was among other crew members assigned to the Martin B-26B Marauder "Flak Bait" which survived more missions than any other American aircraft during World War II, and whose fuselage is currently on display in the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. John was a member of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Piscataway, the Raritan VFW, Somerville Elks Lodge and the 70 Plus Ski Club in Bridgewater. John was an avid tennis player and swimmer throughout his life, and he loved fine dining, dancing, attending performances of the Opera, Ballet, and Theatre, as well as traveling the world with his beloved wife Bella, always by his side. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be sadly missed by all. He is predeceased by his brothers Stephen and Manuel Sturges and sister Rita Lamberson. Surviving are his wife of 63 years, Bella, his son Stephen and wife Kirsten, daughter Susan Acheson and her husband David, his son Philip and wife Nancy Bedard Sturges, and Mark Sturges, and five grandchildren, John and Dean Acheson and Zoe, Isabelle and Cosmo Sturges. Funeral services will be 10am Saturday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1101 River Road, Piscataway. Interment will follow at New Cemetery in Somerville. Visitation will be 2 to 4pm and 7 to 9pm Friday at Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, 111 N. Gaston Ave, Somerville. Donations can be made to the. St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1101 River Rd, Piscataway, NJ 08854. To send condolences, visit www.brucecvanarsdalefuneralhome.com.