S. J. Underwood

SJ Underwood transitioned peacefully on May 9, 2026 at the age of 86 surrounded by his family.

SJ was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina to the late Hamilton Underwood and the late Annie Mae Underwood. He is survived by his sister Mozel Williams of Bear Delaware. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Lavern Underwood; four sisters, Loudie Gilliam, Carrie Coleman, Francis Gray, Lille Mae Clements and two brothers George Underwood and Joseph Underwood.

After his formal education in Spartanburg, SJ moved to Newark New Jersey in 1957 where he met his wife Lavern Underwood in 1960 and remained married until her passing in 2023. SJ is survived by his five children Dorothy Dunhaney of Fort Worth, TX and Jimmy Miller (Jacqueline Miller) of Piedmont SC, Dolwyn Underwood (Tonja Underwood) of Hamilton NJ, Felecia Underwood of Hamilton NJ, Eric Underwood (Melvin Alvarado) of Las Vegas, NV, a host of loving grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. He will also be missed by many cousins, nieces and nephews as well.

He proudly moved his family from Newark NJ in 1970 to Hamilton Township. His work with the Stauffer Chemical Company in the early 70’s brought him to Hamilton, specifically White City, where he began his new life in the Suburbs. After a few years at Stauffer, he elevated himself to a maintenance supervisor with General Motors Corporation. He had many jobs throughout his life, but he would retire from BASF Corp. after 25 years of service.

He quickly embraced his new life in Hamilton, settling into his new neighborhood where he established quality relationships and life-long friends. He made new families feel welcomed and old ones feel safe. No matter what time of day or night, you could always knock on his door or just walk right in to ask for a tool, request help with car or help with any household crisis. He was a self-trained auto mechanic, plumber, roofer, carpenter – no matter what the problem, he was always willing to roll up his sleeves and begin working on it. His self-confidence, together with his life experiences made him believe he could fix anything.

He was a man of many passions, but he will be defined by his unwavering passion for racing and cars. He often wished that he could have kept all the cars he had during his lifetime, which probably exceeded 100. His pride and joy was a 1970 Dodge Challenger – the Purple People Eater. The neighborhood youngsters, mostly Skip, would often knock on his door to challenge him to a race and he never turned down the challenge. In the blink of an eye, he would be behind the wheel of his Challenger leading a small crowd that had formed out of nowhere to see him race. It did not matter where he would race, whether it was in the streets of Newark, Trenton, Atco or Englishtown Raceways, he was simply thrilled to be racing. His other hobbies included listening to gospel music and in his later years, he developed a green thumb, and loved sharing vegetables from his garden with family and friends.

He will also be remembered for his fierce dedication to the Dallas Cowboys, and despite some very spirited arguments with his children, his devotion never wavered. He made you hate the phrase, “How Bout Dem Cowboys”, he knew it and couldn’t wait to say it, especially to his son Jimmy, when they won.

Those who knew him will remember him for his infectious smile and positive outlook on life. He will be sorely missed.

Funeral service will be 11am Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at Hughes Funeral Home, 324 Bellevue Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618. Calling hours will be 9am until the time of service. Interment will be at Colonial Memorial Park, Hamilton, NJ.

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