Emmett H. Ball
Emmett H. Ball died June 17 at Clara Maass Medical Center. He was 85.
Born in Greenwood Lake, N.Y., he lived most of his life in Kearny.
Arrangements were by the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home followed by burial in Rosedale Cemetery, Linden. To leave online condolences, please visit www.armitagewiggins.com.
Emmett served in the U.S. Army’s 47th Viking Infantry Division. He then married Mary A. Westmoreland. He worked as a distribution manager at Otis Elevator in Harrison and then worked for Benedict Miller in Lyndhurst. After retirement, he went on to help his daughter Sharon at Lee’s Florist in Kearny.
He is survived by his wife Mary, his daughters Sharon and her husband Jim Carey and Donna Ball. Brother of the late Kearny Fire Capt. Robert Ball, he is also survived by his grandchildren Paul, Jessica and Artie.
If you care to make a memorial contribution, please consider The Kidney Fund.
June Clara Clarke
June Clara Clarke passed away peacefully on June 16. She was 78.
She was a lifelong Newark resident.
Arrangements were by the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by a private cremation. June’s ashes will be buried in the family plot at Liberty Corner Presbyterian Cemetery, Liberty Corner. To leave online condolences, please visit www.armitagewiggins.com.
June was a retired inspector for J. Weiss and Son.
Daughter of the late Clifford and Leona, she is survived by her twin sister Dottie Clarke, her nephew John and his wife Midge along with many great nieces and nephews. June was predeceased by her brother Clifford.
Rafael Egoavil
Rafael Egoavil, 71, passed away on Tuesday, June 17.
Funeral services were under the direction of the Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison. A funeral service was held at the funeral home on Saturday. Cremation was private.
Born in Lima, Peru, Rafael lived in Newark for 25 years before moving to Belleville 15 years ago. He worked for Ford Motor Co., Edison, as an assembly line worker for 30 years retiring in 2002. He was a member of the UAW Local 980, Edison. Rafael served in the Peruvian Army as a paratrooper in peacetime before coming to the US.
He is survived by his wife of 45 years Juanita (Conzo), his children Chris and his wife Heather (Mulhearn) and Rafael ‘Tony’ Egoavil, and his grandchildren Ashley, Ryan, Connor and Olivia Egoavil. He is also the oldest brother of Fausto Egoavil and seven other brothers and a sister. He was predeceased by his daughter Marisol in 1983.
Joseph Albert French
Joseph A. “Skeetz” French 81, died on June 18 in the Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville.
Arranements were by the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was offered at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.
Mr. French was born in Newark and was raised in Kearny. He has lived in North Arlington since 1965.
“Skeetz” was a sheet metal mechanic for many years, retiring in 1994. He was employed by Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 25 in Carlstadt, and was a member for over 50 years.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Queen of Peace Council 3428 in North Arlington.
Joseph is survived by his wife Kathleen (Ricciardi) and his daughter Colleen Cappuccino; siblings Joan O’Connell, Shirley Landati, Barbara Gallagher and John Joll Jr.; four grandchildren Brianna, Kaitlyn, Sammy and Cassandra. He also leaves behind his son-in-law Telly Servitis.
He was predeceased by his son-in law Sammy Cappuccino and most recently by his daughter Kathleen M. Servitis suddenly on May 5, 2014.
Raymond ‘Butch’ Henry, Sr.
Raymond “Butch” Henry Sr., of East Newark, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, June 21. He was 76.
The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave., Harrison, on Thursday, June 26, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Anthony Church, East Newark at 10 a.m., followed by interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Friends may call on Wednesday, June 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. and Thursday starting at 8:45 a.m. For information or directions, please visit www.mulliganfuneralhome.org.
Born in East Newark, Raymond was a lifelong resident. He worked for the East Newark Police Department for 25 years, retiring as a captain in 1993.
Raymond was a proud member of the Policeman’s Benevolent Association.
Raymond is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Lynne Ann (nee Mackenzie.) He was the devoted father of Glenn and his wife Diane of Rockaway, the dear brother of Gloria Jean Lombardo (Joe), Mary Ann Bower, and William Henry. He was a cherished grandfather of Glenn Jr. and Stephanie. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Robert Mackenzie (Mary Lou) and sister-in-law Lois Walsh (David) in addition to many nieces and nephews. Raymond was predeceased by his son, Raymond Jr. in 2008 as well as his siblings Elvin, Richard, John and Hazel.
Dr. Jack Grundfest
Dr. Jack Grundfest, of Kearny and Belleville, passed away on June 18 after a long illness.
He was born in Kearny on April 7, 1917, the youngest of five children. His parents, Aaron and Gertrude Grundfest, came to the U.S. from Minsk in 1913. He was a graduate of Kearny High School, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from N.Y.U., and earned his M.D. degree in 1943 from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine.
He married Karolyn Scott, a classical musician from Little Rock, right after graduation. He then interned at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Staten Island. Subsequently, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps on Saipan and became deputy surgeon of the Western Pacific Base Command. He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Theatre Campaign Medal, and the Victory Medal.
After the war he took further training at Indianapolis City Hospital and at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, N.Y. He was a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was medical director at the former West Hudson Hospital and served as chief of surgery in three hospitals: West Hudson Hospital in Kearny, Clara Maass Hospital in Belleville, and St. James Hospital in Newark and held the position of assistant clinical professor of surgery at N.J. College of Medicine.
Dr. Grundfest was active in many community activities including the Men’s Clubs of Congregation Ahavath Achim and Congregation Ner Tamid. He was a commander of Amvets Post 43 and surgeon general of Amvets for the State of N.J. He was a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club and served as a president of the Belleville chapter. He sponsored the Belleville Rotary Merit Awards for Scholastic Achievement at Belleville High School. He was a trustee of the Essex County United Fund, was a staunch supporter of the New Jersey Symphony, and contributed to many other charitable organizations including the Belleville Foundation.
He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Karolyn; his daughter, Dr. Sharon Grundfest-Broniatowski of Cleveland, Ohio; his son Dr. Warren Grundfest of Los Angeles, Calif.; grandsons Daniel Broniatowski, D.M.A., of Boston, Mass. and David Broniatowski, Ph.D., of Baltimore, Md.; and great-grandson, Noah Broniatowski. He was pre-deceased by his brothers, Harry Grundfest, Ph.D., of New York and Woods Hole, Mass., Dr. Philip Grundfest of West Orange and Isaac Grundfest who died in childhood; and a sister, Rose Grundfest Schneider, Ph.D., of Galveston, Texas.
Services were held at the Jewish Memorial Chapel, Clifton, June 22. Contributions can be made to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Belleville Public Library, or Temple Ner Tamid. For more information, visit www.jewishmemorialchapel.org.
Nicole Malato
Nicole Malato (nee Briamonte), of Toms River, passed away on June 18 at the CareOne at Wall in Wall Township. She was 37. A loving mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin and friend, Nicole always put others’ needs and wants ahead of her own. A three-year breast cancer survivor, she used her time and talents to help others fighting the same battle. She created two blogs, “all these things plus one” and “Stained Glass;” published articles in “Reader’s Digest” and “Coping” magazine; and wrote and self-published a book, “When Life Hands You PINK Lemons: Making the Best of Early Stage Breast Cancer,” about her experience so that other women could benefit from what she learned during her journey. She also was an ardent supporter of the Cancer Support Community in Eatontown, raising money and serving as a featured speaker at events.
Nicole was a woman of great faith, who was involved in her church community. She helped co-found the youth group at Queen of Peace Parish in North Arlington. She also traveled to Lourdes, France, on a pilgrimage with the Order of Malta in 2013.
Among her favorite things in life were her family and friends, cruises, road trips, walks on the beach, afternoons on her boat, all things Disney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, country music, the Muppets and Golden Girls marathons on TV.
Professionally, Nicole spent 15 years as a human resources professional for a number of companies, including Groundwater and Environmental Services (GES), Schering-Plough, Lockheed Martin IMS, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ. Most recently, she had been promoted to senior human resources manager at GES. She held an M.B.A. in human resources management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in organizational psychology from the College of New Jersey.
Visiting for Nicole was from the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A funeral Mass was held at Queen of Peace Church, followed by entombment in Holy Cross Cemetery, both in North Arlington.
Nicole is survived by her husband, Steve; her son, Steven; her mother and father, Jane and Frank Briamonte Jr.; her brother and sister-in-law Frank and Erika Briamonte and their three sons; her brother and sister-in-law Chris and Eileen Briamonte and their two daughters; her brother and sister-in-law Rick and Courtney Briamonte and their son; and her mother-in-law Anna Malato.
Helen P. Park
Helen P. Park died June 18. She was 84.
Born in Kearny, she also lived in Florida and then Newton.
Arrangements were by the Armitage and Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by a private cremation. Her ashes will be interred in the family plot at Arlington Cemetery. Condolences may be posted at www.armitagewiggins.com.
Helen is survived by her children John, Jimmy, Janice, Dave and Barbara Sullivan and Walt and George Rheinheimer. Sister of the late William, John and James Park, she is also survived by many grand and great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
