Jon W. Hester
Jon W. (Ole Man) Hester, 75, of Broward County, Fla., and Habersham County, Ga., passed away Sunday, Sept. 20.
Mr. Hester was born February 23, 1940, in Towns, Ga., to the late Claude and Thelma Towns Hester. He was a self-employed truck driver for 50-plus years. Mr. Hester was of the Church of God Faith.
In addition to his parent, he was preceded in death by brothers Curtis and William Hester and sister Jeannie Keith. Mr. Hester is survived by his daughters and their spouses Ann Marie Hester and Hugh Howell of Cleveland, Ga., Patricia Hester Fearon and John Fearon of Kearny, sons John Hester of Pembroke Pine, Fla, Tim Hester and Karen Katz of Cooper City, Fla; sister Grace Wilson of Kissimmee, Fla; grandchildren and spouses Deb and Eric, Nick and Lauren; grandchildren Sam, Bryannah, Zack, Jen, J.T., Liz, T.J. and Jordan; great-grandchildren Brody, Erica and Colton.
Services will be held in Miami, Fla. Those wishing to express condolences may do so by visiting www.whitfieldfuneralhome.com.
Joseph Kerr
Joseph Kerr, of Kearny, died Oct. 6 in Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville. He was 82.
Arrangements were by the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by a private cremation.
Joseph was a teamster with Local 478. After retirement, he worked as a crossing guard in Kearny. He was a 50-year member of Copestone Ophir Lodge 108, F. and A.M. He also was an elder and deacon at the Knox Presbyterian Church, Kearny, and was an avid Giants fan.
Husband of Dorothy “Dotty” (nee Cockcroft), he was the father of Lorrie Nash (Joel), Darcy Barbulescu (Ryan), Wendy Kerr (Bruce) and James Kerr (Susan) and the brother of Francis Kerr (Pat) and the late Lucille, Charles, Wally, Dorothy, Lois and David. He is also survived by his grandchildren Karly, Tara, Jacob, Rebecca and Nicholas, many nieces and nephews and his best pal Cooper. Joe still held a special place in his heart for his buddy Moose.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to Kearny Youth Soccer or Russell Refuge in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Dariusz Kosc
Dariusz Kosc died Oct. 3. He was 48.
Born in Poland, he lived in Kearny.
Arrangements were by the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny.
He is survived by his wife Martyna and his children Milena and Aleksandra.
Debra G. Merchant
Debra G. Merchant (nee Zagorski), of Kearny, passed away at home on Oct. 5. She was 57.
Arrangements were by the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral service was held at the funeral home, followed by a private cremation.
Debbie is survived by her devoted husband Bob Merchant and her loving children, Starrett, Amanda and Robert T. Merchant. She was also the dear sister of Stephen and Sharon Zagorski and the late Gary Zagorski.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.
Mary Rose
Mary Rose (nee DelGuercio) passed away at home on Oct. 10. She was 90.
Born in Newark, she lived in Kearny before moving to North Arlington in 1984.
Visiting will be on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m., at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, and burial will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. www.armitagewiggins.com
Mary had been married to James J. Rose for 71 years. He passed away just this past April. She is survived by her daughters and their husbands Gerri and Robert Hooper, Nancy and Alan Kapuschinsky and June and Mark Halpin; her grandchildren Rob (Janel), Kim (Frank), Alan and Kyle; and her great-grandchildren Allison and Julie. She is also survived by her wonderful caregiver Lineth, who took exceptional care of both Mary and Jim. She was predeceased by her sisters and their husbands Ann and Elmer Weber and Fran and Joe Chiariello.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Helen Marie Siberini
Helen Marie Siberini (nee Shekon) passed away in South Carolina on Oct. 9. The former resident of Harrison and Kearny was 83.
Born in Coupon, Pa. on Sept. 14, 1932, Marie moved to Harrison as a child. She then moved to Kearny after being married and lived there until 1976. She spent the subsequent years between Bushkill, Pa. and Murrell’s Inlet, S.C.
In addition to being a loving wife of 62 years, devoted mother, grandmother and friend, Marie was a fan of baseball’s Gil Hodges and singer Sergio Franchi, veteran of the bowling league at Yaeger’s in Harrison, an avid bingo player and watcher of “The Price Is Right,” owner of Ken’s Wood’s Campground in the Poconos, and proud she lived to see a Polish pope.
Marie was preceded in death by her parents, Stella and Stanley Shekon, and brothers Robert and John. She is survived by her husband, Alfred; children, Michael (Karen), Linda (Chet Hinton) and Alan; six grandchildren, Samantha, Alix, Anthony, Christopher, Ashlynn and Joseph; sisters, Penny Crockett, Dorothy D’Angelo and Edna Sroczynski; brother Charles Shekon; many in-laws, nieces, nephews and their children.
A memorial service will be held in South Carolina. Condolences may be left at www.burroughsfh.com.
Rena E. Stoll
Rena E. Stoll (nee Ellingwood), a lifelong Kearny resident, passed away peacefully after a long, classy and fulfilling life. She was 99. Private burial arrangements are being arranged through the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny. Rena will be laid to rest alongside her husband George and son Jeffrey in The Arlington Cemetery, Kearny. To leave online condolences, please visit www.armitagewiggins.com.
Rena was a sales associate for Saks Fifth Avenue in Short Hills. Prior, she worked in the same capacity for Haines in Newark. Rena was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington where she served as a deacon, a session member and belonged to Circle 9. She was president of the Roosevelt, Lincoln and Kearny High Schools P.T.A. and went on to serve as P.T.A. Council President. She was a longtime member of the Arlington Woman’s Club and the Arlington Players Club. Rena was also a founding member of the West Hudson Hospital Volunteer Group and served on the hospital’s auxiliary board.
Wife of the late George Stoll, she was also the longtime companion of the late Joe Cundari. Mother of Rena J. Doran, she was predeceased by her son Jeffrey E. Stoll and her son-in-law Ron Doran. She is also survived by her grandchildren Sasha Doyle, Justin Doran and Elizabeth Gray and her great-grandchildren Charlie, Tom, Lila, Will, Henry, Rowan, Molly and Celia.
There will be a memorial service scheduled for Rena in the next few months. Notice of that will be published. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Kearny.
