WILDWOOD CREST – A former Cape May County prosecutor and municipal judge for the City of Wildwood and Lower Township died April 28 of natural causes surrounded by his family.
John Corino, 94, was also a businessman in the area, building the Midtown Motel (currently Blue Palms) in Wildwood, in 1968, opening the Midtown Bar and Lounge, and then opening The Summer Place, in Wildwood Crest, in the late 1970s.
Corino served as the Cape May County prosecutor on two separate occasions: From 1971-1976 and 1982-1992. During his first term, he was the first full-time prosecutor in the county, as all previous prosecutors were part-time.
According to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Corino created one of the first narcotics task forces in the state, a victim witness unit, crime scene unit, and a forensic laboratory that remains one of two nationally accredited forensic chemistry labs operated by county prosecutor’s offices in the state.
Corino also authorized the first wiretap operation in the county that ultimately led to the break-up of a narcotics ring, resulting in arrests and convictions.
“Prosecutor Corino’s presence can be felt in the office today based on his creation of the lab and units and the many other valuable units and programs that we rely on daily to ensure the safety of the residents and visitors to Cape May County,” said County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland in a press release issued May 6.
Corino was also the solicitor for the Borough of Wildwood Crest, as well as operated his own legal practice. He also served as president of the Cape May County Bar Association and was an active member of The Union League for many years.
“It is impossible to convey all that Dad was, but if only one word could be used to describe him, it would be love,” wrote daughters Corinne Robinson and Doreen Corino Holton in an email to the Herald.
He had a love for “his family and friends, loved living in the Wildwoods and hosting many summer visitors at their motels, loved the law and justice, and loved his country,” according to his daughters.
“He was a great father, a phenomenal man,” added Robinson. “He will be missed.”
Corino was born and raised in Clifton, where, upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, in 1944, at the age of 17. He completed his World War II service as a radarman on the destroyer USS Perkins, patrolling off the coasts of Japan and the Philippines.
After being honorably discharged following four years in the Navy, Corino decided to become an attorney and graduated from Seton Hall College and St. John’s University, obtaining his Juris Doctor.
In 1950, he married Josephine Liberatore. They were married for 65 years before she died in 2015.
“Two of Dad’s favorite pastime loves were music and golf,” according to his daughters.
He learned to play the accordion, piano, and organ at an early age and enjoyed playing music for his family and friends for almost all his lifetime.
“Dad was a great bowler and golfer, but golf became his true passion,” they added.
He was a member of the Wildwood Golf and Country Club (now The Shore Club) for over 50 years and was past president and board member emeritus.
“He traveled and played at many wonderful golf courses throughout the country and was very pleased to have accomplished a hole in one at Wildwood Country Club,” his daughters said.
In addition to his daughters, Corino is survived by son-in-law Lee Robinson; Corino Holton’s partner Richard Arriviello; grandson, John Holton, his wife Rini, and their two daughters, Evangelina and Olivia, and grand dogs Zippy and Bogey. He is also survived by nephews John Kill (Antoinette) and Joseph Major (Gail) and his niece Rosemarie Fruci.
A Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled to be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. May 10, at Notre Dame de la Mer Parish, Assumption Church, 7100 Seaview Ave., Wildwood Crest.
Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at the church. Interment was to be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, in Lower Township.
Donations may be made in Corino’s memory to Love of Linda Cancer Fund Inc., PO Box 1053, Wildwood, NJ 08260, or Tunnels to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306.
Condolences can be made at https://ingersollgreenwoodfh.com.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
