Adler leaves behind his four sons - Jeffrey, Alex, Andrew, and Oliver - some of whom were regulars on the campaign trail, and his wife, Shelley, an attorney and former Cherry Hill councilwoman whom he met at Harvard Law School.
Small in size - particularly next to Runyan, a former football player - Adler had a powerful, comfortable presence in front of a crowd, and was known for his oratorical skills and positive demeanor.
Far from a liberal Democrat, Adler voted against the Obama health care bill and worked on legislation with the likes of noted libertarian U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R., Texas).
Gasps rippled through a hearing of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Monday afternoon when Chairman Paul Sarlo (D., Bergen) announced Adler's passing.
"I'm a little flustered," Sarlo said. "We just learned one of our former colleagues, John Adler, has just passed away."
Attendees bowed their heads in a moment of silence.
"It's a very sad day in Trenton," said Sarlo.
Sarlo said Adler was a compassionate man who served his constituents well and spoke of his children often.
Adler also often referenced his childhood in Haddonfield, where his father owned a dry cleaning store. When Adler was still in junior high school, his father had a series of heart attacks that left him unable to work. He lost the business, and died when Adler was still a teenager.
Adler and his mother lived on Social Security benefits for widows and minors - a point he emphasized to senior citizens in vowing to protect the program for them. Those payments helped send him to Harvard for college and law school.
