Kearny’s Earl Cromwell (c.) with Mayor Alberto Santos (l.), officials and friends.
By Ron Leir
Observer Correspondent
Three West Hudson residents were among Hudson County’s 2013 Seniors of the Year honored at the annual luncheon sponsored by the Hudson County Office on Aging, held May 29 at the Casino in the Park, Jersey City.
The honorees were: Earl Cromwell of Kearny, Sylvia Pomponi of Harrison, and Eileen Schimenti of East Newark.
Harrison’s Sylvia Pomponi (c.) with Mayor Ray McDonough (back l.) and colleagues.
Cromwell, 80, was born in Nova Scotia and was a member of the Royal Air Force before moving to the U.S., settling in Kearny in 1955. He has been a tutor for the Literacy Volunteers of America, is a member of the Friends of the Kearny Public Library, serves on the board of the local chapter of the Salvation Army, and is an active member of the Optimist Club. He also serves on the Inter-County Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse and the board of the Kearny Municipal Alliance. He and his wife Moira are married 56 years and have three sons.
Pomponi, 75, is a lifelong Harrison resident and Harrison High School alumna. She worked for the town’s water department for 33 years, volunteered on the Board of Health, Public Library Board and the old West Hudson Hospital. She was involved with the Medical Reserve Corps and has served as an exercise guru for the Harrison Senior Center for the last eight years. She is the mother of two sons and a grandmother.
Schimenti, 68, is a retired bank officer who was involved in improving the economic efficiency of the East Newark Elementary School as a member of the borough school board. An active community member, Schimenti shops and helps fill out insurance forms for fellow seniors, is a Bingo caller at church and a member of the Rosary Society of St. Anthony’s Church. She and her husband Louis have been married 48 years and have four children and eight grandchildren.
East Newark’s Eileen Schimenti with Mayor Joseph Smith (l.), Freeholder Chairman Anthony Romano (back l.) and County Executive Tom DeGise (back r.).
The other honorees from around the county are: Helen Hams of Weehawken (Outstanding Senior of the Year), Marie Fitzsimmons of Bayonne, Patrick Forenza of Guttenberg, Vincent Wassman of Hoboken, Shafqat Khan of Jersey City, Melody Acosta of North Bergen, Rita Casazza of Secaucus, Eloina Camejo of Union City and Romelia Loynas of West New York.
State Sen. Barbara Buono, who is running for governor on the Democratic ticket, was a guest attendee.
Also on hand were Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, Hudson County Freeholder Chairman Anthony Romano, Carol Ann Wilson, director of the county Department of Health & Human Services, and various local officials.
