Matthew E. Caufield, Well-Known Tuckerton Police Officer, Dies At 52

Courtesy of Riggs Funeral Home:

Matthew Edward Caufield, 52, of Manahawkin passed away on July 30, 2015, surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with cancer.

A viewing will be held at Riggs Funeral Home, 130 North Main Street, Forked River from 12 p.m. to 2 p.mm. and 4 p.. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2, and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. A Celebration of Matthew’s Life will follow at 11a.m. with Reverend Dayle Tate officiating.

Matt was born July 31, 1962 and raised in Waretown before moving to Manahawkin during his adult life. Matt had a deep love and affection for his close-knit family.

Matt played in, and later coached Little League baseball for many years. He continued his love of ball by playing in several adult softball leagues including police and fire.

Matt is a graduate of Southern Regional High School with the class of 1980.

He will always be remembered as a diehard NY GIANTS fan. He also was passionate about the New York Yankees and NASCAR racing.

He was a lifetime member of the Waretown Volunteer Fire Company’ where he served in various positions including secretary and assistant chief.

Matt graduated from Ocean County Police Academy in 1987. He served as an officer for Barnegat Police Department before obtaining employment with the Tuckerton Borough Police Department from which he retired as the senior officer and corporal in 2011 after serving for 24 ½ years.

While in Tuckerton, he served the community faithfully in a variety of manners, including being the DARE officer for the department. Young people throughout the town affectionately knew him as “Officer Matt.” He won several awards throughout his career and was voted the “New Jersey DARE Officer of the Year” in 2004. After his retirement from Tuckerton Borough Police Department, he worked as a security officer at Southern Regional School District until November 2014.

Matt is survived by his wife, Donna Caufield -nee Zachary, of Manahawkin; daughter, Kristen Caufield, of New Brunswick; daughter, Alexis Caufield - son, Kyle Caufield - and stepson Jared Kolakowski, all of Manahawkin; mother, Emma Caufield of Manahawkin; sister, Cindy Jones nee Caufield and her husband, Jim, of North Carolina; brother CJ Caufield and his wife, Carrie, of Mississippi; sister, Patti Burns nee Caufield, of Manahawkin; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews from many places.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed to establish and fund the Southern Regional Scholarship Fund named “The Matt Caufield Scholarship.” Donations can be sent with that memo to Donna Caufield, 313 Holly Drive, Manahawkin, NJ 08050.