Frank Alonzo
Frank Alonzo, 77, passed away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 3, at his home in Harrison.
The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave, Harrison, on Tuesday Jan. 7, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Church, East Newark, followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Relatives and friends are invited to call from 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. For information, directions or to send condolences to the family please visit www.mulliganfuneralhome.org.
Born in Oak Hill, W. Va., Frank moved to New Jersey as a young boy before moving to Harrison 44 years ago.
He served in the United States Air Force for four years.
He had worked for Raritan Valley Bus Service and N.J. Bell Telephone Company before retiring in 1993.
Frank is survived by his beloved wife, Amelia “Sissy” (nee Belmont); his devoted nieces Maria Belmont and Anita Ferreira and her husband, Tony and their children Anthony, Jenna and Jillian; and by his caring sisters, Jeanne Orcutt and husband Harold, Sue Kolcun and husband Chuck and his brother, Donald and wife Nancy. Frank was a fun-loving and dedicated uncle to his six nieces and nephews, Diane, Chuck, Chrissy, Rob, Joe and Mike; 10 great-nieces and nephews and two great-great-nephews.
Donations may be made to either St. Anthony’s Church, 409 N. Second St., East Newark, N.J. 07029 or to Hospice Care of Hackensack, 25 E. Salem St. 2nd Floor, Hackensack, N.J. 07601 in loving memory of Frank.
Marie Basile
Marie P. Basile, 69, died on Dec. 21 in St. Joseph Villa in Wissahickon, Pa.
Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. A funeral Mass was offered at St. Cecilia’s Church, followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thielereid.com.
Miss Basile was born in Brooklyn and lived in North Arlington before moving to Kearny in 1972.
She was a clerk for Prudential Insurance in Woodbridge for 35 years, retiring in 1996.
Marie is survived by her brother Thomas A. Basile and his wife Denise Wallack; one niece Yvonne Basile; her uncle Anthony Basile, and her cousin Carolyn Basile.
Mary Ann Bielski
Mary Ann Bielski (nee Brennan), of Toms River, passed away Monday, Dec. 30, at St. Claire’s Hospital in Dover.
Mary Ann was born on March 25, 1949, to the late Martin and Catherine Brennan of Kearny. Mary Ann is survived by her husband Robert Bielski and her daughter Erin Catherine Coller and her husband Matthew, all of Toms River, and also her brother, Joseph Brennan of Bergenfield.
Mary Ann was a devoted wife and loving mother who enjoyed time with her family and spending her summers at Island Beach State Park. Mary Ann was a member of the Fairleigh Dickinson financial aid family for 12 years from 2000-2012. Mary Ann exemplified unselfishness and touched the hearts of those that knew and loved her. Mary Ann was a parishioner at St. Justin the Martyr Church, Toms River.
Arrangements were by the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 995 Fischer Blvd., Toms River. A Mass of Christian burial was held on Monday, Jan. 6, at St. Justin the Martyr Church, followed by burial at St. Joseph Cemetery, both in Toms River. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the ALS Association: 321 Norristown Rd. Suite 260 Ambler, Pa. 19002 in honor of Mary Ann Bielski. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com.
Jorge L. Bless
Jorge L. Bless, of Kearny, passed away on Dec. 31. He was 43-years-old.
Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Jorge moved to the United States with his family when he was 12-years-old. They lived in Harrison before moving to Kearny in 1995. He worked for AXA Financial, Secaucus, as a annuity analyst for the last 11 years.
Jorge is survived by his beloved wife, Maria (Roca), cherished daughters Natalie and Melanie Bless, loving parents, Jorge E. and Ana M. (Santos) Bless and dear siblings, Henry E. Bless and Ana E. Martinez.
Arrangements were under the direction of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison. His funeral services and interment will take place in Peru. For information or to send condolences to the family please visit mulliganfuneralhome.org.
Mary Victoria McDonough
Mary Victoria McDonough, 67, died peacefully at home on Jan. 1 after a lengthy illness.
Funeral services were under the direction of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison. A funeral Mass was offered at Holy Cross Church, Harrison. Her interment took place in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. For information or to send condolences to the family, please visit mulliganfuneralhome.org.
Known to her family as Torry, and to her friends as Vicki, Mary Victoria was born on August 14, 1946, in Newark and lived most of her life in her beloved Harrison. She attended Holy Cross School, Marylawn of the Oranges Academy, and graduated from the College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, in 1968. Her teaching career included 19 years with the Harrison School District where she taught first grade. She had also taught English at the El Centro Bilingual, Cuernavaca, Mexico. A parishioner of Holy Cross Church for most of her life, Mary Victoria served as a lector and as a Eucharistic minister. She was active in the church choir, the Rosary Society and taught C.C.D. for many years. Her community service included membership on the Board of Trustees of the Harrison Public Library and teaching English as a second language.
Predeceased by her parents, Marie T. (Young) and Raymond J. McDonough Sr., Mary Victoria is survived by her sisters, Maureen Miller of Sparta, and Kathleen Fitzpatrick of Los Angeles, by her brothers and sisters-in-law Thomas and Ann McDonough and Mayor Raymond McDonough and his wife Constance, all of Harrison, nieces Kimberly and husband Alfredo Huaranga, Breena and husband Taku Taira of Glendale, Calif., Kara and husband David Bajot of Palo Alto, Calif., nephews Thomas and wife Tara McDonough and Michael and wife Suzi of Mission Viejo, Calif. and great-nieces and nephews, Anthony and Giuliana Huaranga, Lev and Sei Taira, and Katie and Sarah Fitzpatrick and Alex Bajot.
Mary Victoria will be greatly missed by her family and by her many friends and associates both at Holy Cross and Lincoln School. Memorial donations may be made to the Holy Cross Restoration Fund, 16 Church Square, Harrison, N.J. 07029 or to a charity of your choice in her loving memory.
Anna Mae Pearn
Anna M. (Joll) Pearn, 94, died on Dec. 27, 2013, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Arrangements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Dr., Kearny. The funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by interment in Rosedale Cemetery, Linden. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.
Mrs. Pearn was born in Kearny and lived there most of her life.
She was employed for the U.S. Postal Service and served as a personnel supervisor at the bulk mail in Kearny for many years.
Anna is survived by her children Maryann Witherspoon, Fred, Frank and Tom; one sister Mildred Mella; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband Frederick Pearn, her sons Robert and John and her grandson Freddie.
Pauline Plaugic
Mrs. Pauline Plaugic, of Kearny, died on Dec. 31. She was 77.
The funeral Mass was held at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery. Arrangements were by the Condon Funeral Home 684 Kearny Ave., Kearny.
Mrs. Plaugic had been an administrative assistant for Bambergers in Newark for many years until retiring.
Pauline is survived by her husband, Donald and her children, Deborah Diglio (Paul), Paula Bardzilowski (Ronald), Donna Pedati (Philip) and Donald Plaugic Jr. (Angelina). Also surviving are her brother, Harry Gerstenmaier as well as her 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations to barnabashealthhospice.org.
Mary Wharrie
Mary Wharrie (nee Mc- Nally) died Dec. 9 at her home in North Arlington.
Born in Paisley, Scotland, she lived in North Arlington for the past 48 years.
She was a food service worker at the West Hudson Hospital in Kearny before her retirement. She was a member of the North Arlington, Happy Senior Citizens and the North Arlington Senior Activity Center.
She was the beloved wife of the late William James, the cherished mother of Raymond and his wife Alice and William and his wife Robin, the loving grandmother of William Craig and Steven James, and the dear sister of James McNally of England and Nan Bennett of Australia.
The funeral service was held at the Parow Funeral Home, 185 Ridge Rd., North Arlington, on Thursday, Dec. 12. A private cremation followed.
Donations in her memory may be made to the North Arlington Senior Activity Center, 11 York Rd., North Arlington, N.J. 07031.
