Wayne T. Creech
Wayne T. Creech, 62, died on May 2 in the St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston.
Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. A funeral service was held at First Presbyterian Church, Kearny, followed by interment at Bloomfield Cemetery, Bloomfield. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.
Wayne was born in Irvington and was a lifelong resident of Kearny. He earned a B.A. in history from Montclair State University.
Mr. Creech was employed as for Prudential in Newark for the last 42 years, most recently as Senior Associate, Actuarial.
Wayne was very close to the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington. He proudly served as the church sexton since 1986 and was a member of the chancel choir, as well as a supervisor at the Presbyterian Boys and Girls Club. Wayne was also a member of the Associated Humane Society, the LVA of West Hudson and volunteered at St. John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark.
He is survived by his beloved wife Diane (Sutton), his sister-in-law Susan and brother- in-laws David, Paul, Leslie and Jeffrey Sutton; mother-in-law Anna Sutton as well as his cousins Lloyd, Todd, Bradley and Marsha Domke.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to any one of Wayne’s memberships would be appreciated.
Carol L. Curtis
Carol L. Curtis, 89, a longtime resident of Kearny passed away peacefully on May 3.
Arrangements were by the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by a private cremation.
Born in East Orange, Carol graduated from Clifford J. Scott High School, East Orange and attended Centenary College, Hackettstown. During World War II, she was employed as an instrument tester at the Thomas A. Edison factory, West Orange. She married Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Llewellyn Curtis in 1943.
While living in Kearny, she was vice president of the Republican Party and actively participated in local and national elections. She was a member of the Kearny Library Board for six years.
Carol and her husband Lew gave many lively piano and violin recitals for young people at their home. They both were members of the Montclair Music Club which supported many young musicians. During the 1980’s they performed with The Harmony Steppers, a music and dance group that gave free performances at nursing homes in New Jersey.
She is the beloved wife of 57 years of the late Llewellyn Curtis. She will be dearly missed by her son Taylor Curtis. She was predeceased by her other son Jeff Curtis and her sister Doris Ledford. She is also survived by friends and relatives.
In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease or the Susan G. Komen Foundation would be appreciated.
Lorenza Gassert
Lorenza (Miranda) Gassert, 77, of West Orange, died Thursday, May 2.
Born in Newark, she resided in Kearny and East Hanover before moving to West Orange 10 years ago.
Lorenza was employed as a catering specialist for Miteloa Deli in East Hanover for 12 years prior to her retirement. Previously, she was employed as a crossing guard for the Kearny Police Department, serving as shop steward and crossing guard union representative.
Lorenza was a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Church in East Hanover and a member of the church’s Rosarian Society.
She was predeceased by her husband, Charles Gassert, by two brothers, James and Frankie Miranda and by a sister, Phillis Shriver. Lorenza is survived by a son, Chuck Gassert of Annapolis, Md., three daughters, Doreen Kiall and husband, Charles of Freehold, Charlene White and husband, Thomas of Chesapeake, Va. and Catherine Alanko and husband, Tracy of Riga, Mich., 12 grandchildren, a great-grandchild and a sister, Nancy Campbell of Wharton.
Funeral services will begin 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at Hancliffe Home for Funerals, 222 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover, with a 9:30 a.m. Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church. Entombment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.
Dorothy Jane Reid
Dorothy Jane (Shurr) Reid, 83, of Bonita Springs, Fla., formerly of Kearny, passed away peacefully at Life Care Center of Estero, Fla. surrounded by her family on Sunday, April 14.
She was born June 5, 1929 in Newark, the daughter of John and Jane (Herlihey) Shurr.
She was the beloved wife of James C. Reid, her devoted husband of 62 years. She is survived by her loving children James (Hannah) Reid Jr., Jane (Bob) Hurley, Diane (Jim) Pettigrew, William (Anne) Reid, and Christopher (Lauren) Reid and six grandchildren, Kristen, Jennifer, Ryan, Kyle, William and Jack. She was predeceased by her brother Vincent.
Dorothy was a real estate broker employed by Borgos and Borgos Realtors in Kearny, NJ for 15 years and was the Director of the St. Stephen’s School CCD program for 25 years. She and her husband, Jim, were also members of the Arlington Players Club.
A memorial service, currently pending at St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny, will be announced soon.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dorothy’s memory may be made to the Alvin S. Dubin Alzheimers Resource Center, 12468 Brantley Commons Court, Fort Myers, Fla. 33907. Online condolences may be made at www.gendronfuneralhome.com.
Stanley Szymanski
Stanley Szymanski died on April 28 in the home of his daughter. He was 82.
Born in Newark, Stanley lived many years in Kearny before moving to Bethlehem, Pa.
Arrangements were by the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Dr., in Kearny. A funeral Mass was held in Our Lady of Sorrows, Kearny, followed by burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.armitagewiggins.com.
Stanley served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict and was a member of the Harrisburg American Legion. He was a member of the Teamsters and was a retired truck driver. He loved all animals and was an avid bowler and pool player.
Husband of Anna (nee Burke), he is survived by his children and their spouses Stanley and Cathy, Alan and Valerie, Debbie and Joe Re, Donna and Jim Camargo, Glenn and Kathleen and Bob Wydro. Brother of Bernice Malley and the late Chester and Raymond, he is also survived by his grandchildren Conor, Aeden, Christopher, Jillienne, Jared, Daniel, Cameron, Monica, Gabrielle, Patrick, Kathleen and Shannon. He was predeceased by his pal Max.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the ASPCA.
Evelyn Yarze
Evelyn (Lane) Yarze, 82, died on April 30 at her home in Kearny.
Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. A funeral Mass was offered in St. Cecilia Church, Kearny, followed by entombment at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.
Mrs. Yarze was born in Newark and lived in Union before moving to Kearny 25 years ago.
She was a secretary at Westinghouse in Newark for many years before retiring. Evelyn is survived by many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and nephews. She was a kind and gentle soul who was a lover of animals and will be missed by Rosie her dog and her two cats Brat and Mommy.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Humane Society (www.humanesociety.org) in Evelyn’s memory would be appreciated.
