Marine Killed In Afghanistan Left Behind Wife, Three Children

Christopher M. Monahan's last tour of duty in the Middle East was his third deployment away from his wife and three small children.

The young man joined the U.S. Marines after he graduated from Central Regional High School in 2006. He lived most of his life in Ocean Gate, but had moved to Island Heights before his deployment, according to his obituary from Anderson and Campbell Funeral Home in Toms River.

Monahan - a Marine Corps motor vehicle operator assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force - was killed on Nov. 26 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said earlier this week.

The 2006 graduate of Central Regional High School was previously deployed twice to Iraq before his deployment to Afghanistan.

His obituary from Anderson and Campbell describes Monahan as "an amazing and loving father, son, brother, grandson and friend."

He leaves his wife Sarah, and his children Nathan, Kierlyn and Caleb; his parents Christopher M. Monahan, Sr. and Sandra Monahan; maternal grandparents Lenny and Linda Adams of Toms River and paternal grandmother Leah Monahan of Bayville; his brother Matt, sister Kaitlyn and his best friend and second brother Rob Zilavetz. Chris is also survived by many loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins, according to his obituary.

Monahan's visitation will be held from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, 703 Main St in Toms River. A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at at St. Barnabas R.C. Church, 33 Woodland Avenue in Bayville. Burial will follow at Brig. General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, NJ.

He was the second Central Regional graduate killed in action in little more than a year.

Army Sgt. John A. Lyons, 26, class of 2003, died in late October last year of wounds he suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.

Lyons' name is one of four plaques at the newly-dedicated War Memorial at Central Regional. The dedication ceremony was held the day before Hurricane Sandy hit. Monahan's name will be on the fifth plaque.