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Jay, whose birth name was James Paul, died on Friday, Aug. 30, according to his obituary on the Hillsborough Funeral Home website. He was 55 years old.
A GoFundMe launched for Jay's family had raised more than $8,000 as of press time.
Known affectionately by loved ones as the "All American Hero," Jay grew up in West Orange and went on to work at the Parsippany Pathmark, where he met his wife, Jenette Reilling, with whom he shared three children, Jordan, James, and Joe.
Jay was a member of the Coast Guard having joined in 1991 and serving as a rower, a helicopter rescue swimmer, and more, his obituary reads. After retiring as a chief petty officer in 2015, Jay went on to work as a flight nurse with Atlantic Health for 20 years, and as a registered nurse for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Jay was one of Atlantic Air Ambulance's original flight nurses, the organization said, noting he was "larger than life and touched everyone he came in contact with."
Neel Mehta, a former colleague, posted a moving tribute to Jay.
"If you ask someone that works in emergency medicine or in the EMS world, what makes the best of the best provider?
You’ll most of the time hear.. 'if I can trust you taking care of my family or me, then you’re good to go in my book'
"That’s not a title that comes lightly and Jay was the best of best. If any of us ever got hurt, I would pray it was Jay taking care of me in the ER or flying in to pick me up."
Joyce Coakley, who went to nursing school with Jay, shared one story about a patient with large, swollen legs who was being wheeled past them.
"[Jay] stopped the stretcher and gave the lady a comforting touch on her shoulder and confidently said to her, 'Don’t you worry, you’re going to be just fine. The Rockettes are waiting for you!'
"That was Jay. That woman let out the biggest laugh, and so did we."
Click here for Jay McChesney's complete obituary with service details.
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