Patricia DuCasse
Patricia DuCasse, 57, of Brick, passed away on Monday, Feb. 8.
Patricia was born Nov. 5, 1958, to Robert and Victoria DuCasse in Kearny. She was raised in Kearny and was a graduate of Kearny High School. A devout Catholic, Patricia held her faith very highly and was a parishioner of St. Dominic’s Church in Brick.
She was predeceased by her father, Robert DuCasse. Patricia is survived by her mother, Victoria (Kellinski) DuCasse; by her brother, Robert and his wife Lorrie; by her sister, Cathy and her husband Jerry Ghidella; many nieces and nephews; and by her long time companion, John Picco.
A funeral Mass in Patricia’s memory was offered at St. Dominic’s Church, 250 Old Squan Road, Brick. Cremation was handled privately under the direction of Laurelton Memorial Funeral Home in Brick. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.laureltonmemorial.com.
Richard John Grazul
Richard John Grazul died Feb. 8. He was 67.
Born in Newark, he moved to Kearny 35 years ago.
Arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was held at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, and burial followed at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Richard was a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and was CFO of Bardwil Linens. He served in the Air Force National Guard.
Husband of Cynthia (nee Krantz), he is survived by his children Melanie Mollozzi (the late Jason Sokolov), R.J. Grazul Jr. and Natalie Grazul and his grandchildren John, Anthony, Carli and Nicole. He was predeceased by his brothers Edward and Peter.
If you care to make a memorial donation, the family asks that you consider Eye Tumor Research Foundation, 840 Walnut St., Suite 1440, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 or VFW Post 1302 in Kearny.
Linda Rose Humphrey
Linda Rose Humphrey passed away peacefully on Feb. 7.
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.
Linda was the beloved wife of Frank Paterno and the mother of Josh and the late Jeffrey Humphrey. She was the stepmother of Rachel Paterno. She was a wonderful grandmother to Madeline, Leah, Catherine and Anna Humphrey. Sister of Russell and Susan Taormina, she is also survived by her first husband Willard Humphrey.
She lived her 65 years with a great deal of joy, taking every opportunity to follow her love of music and travel. But it was her home and family that she placed above all else. She was a lifelong resident of Kearny, where she raised her two sons and her two dogs. She will be missed more than words can say. However, she will live on in a million memories for everyone who knew her generous spirit and tremendous heart.
Francis Joseph ‘Frank’ Kane Jr.
Francis Joseph “Frank” Kane Jr., 61, of North Versailles, passed away Feb. 4.
Frank was born Sept. 18, 1954, in Kearny, where he grew up and graduated from Kearny High School. He was a member of the Kearny Kardinals football team. He went on to work at Maislin Trucking. Frank carried his love of football throughout his life as an avid fan of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the New York Giants. Frank’s other passions included family, cooking, music, computer games, traveling, driving his car, Looney Toons and Starbucks coffee.
Frank is dearly loved and will be missed by his wife, Dawn Caldwell; children, Aaron, Stephanie, Ryan Kane and Jessica Zuna (Edward); and grandchildren, Travis, Savannah, Kelsey and Ayden. Frank is survived by his mother, Jean Kane; siblings, Susan Zive (Mark), Glenn, Edward and Kenneth Kane (Gail); in-laws, Sherry, Randy, Roberta and Taylor Caldwell; along with many other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Francis J. Kane Sr.
At Frank’s request, no service will be held at this time. A celebration of life will be planned for a future date.
Donations in Frank’s memory may be sent to the Cancer Caring Center in Pittsburgh (http://cancercaring.org/donate/) or Phil’s Friends (http://philsfriends.org/give/). Both organizations provided Frank with comfort and support during the past two years.
Arrangements were by the Alfieri Funeral Home, Wilmerding, Pa. Visit ww.alfierifuneralome.com to leave online condolences.
Robert Bellina
Robert Bellina, 54, of Kearny, died Feb. 11. Visiting was Saturday, Feb. 13, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny. A prayer service was held at 7 p.m. and private cremation followed.
Robert was married to Dorilda (Poirier) and was the father of Amanda and Michael and brother of Karen, Steve, Craig, Bo and Michelle.
Lawrence McGeehan
Lawrence McGeehan, a lifelong Kearny resident, died Feb.12, at the home of his brother Bob. He was 65. Visiting was Monday, Feb. 15, from 4 to 8 p.m., at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass is being offered Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, and burial follows in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Larry was a sub-station electrical mechanic for 36 years for PSEG Palisades division. He was also shop steward for 30 years for both IBEW Local 1320 and 94. He was a member of The Kearny Eagles Club.
He is survived by his brothers and their wives John J. and Judy McGeehan and Robert and Debbie McGeehan. Uncle of Alyson Cole, Jaclyn MacDonald, Kara McGeehan, John McGeehan and Kathleen McGeehan, he is also survived by four great-nieces and one great-nephew.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Carmella Brown
Carmella Brown (nee Bruno), of Westfield, formerly of Harrison, entered into eternal rest Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway. She was 83.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave., Harrison, N.J. 07029.
There will be a graveside service Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. To send condolences to her family, please visit www.mulliganfh.com.
Carmella was born in Harrison and was virtually a lifelong resident. Carmella worked for Sharilyn Fashions in East Newark as garment worker, retiring in the late 1980s. She was a member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
Carmella is survived by her loving children: James Caruso and his wife Susan; Theresa Brown and her husband Kenneth Sumner; Josephine Brown and Mark Dettore; her cherished grandsons James, Nicholas, Brennan, Vincent, Aidan, Colin and a great-grandson, Luca. She is also survived by her dear sister Mrs. Mary Gutowski and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband Arthur Brown in 1985.
Maria L. Feuerstein
Maria L. Feuerstein 61, of Kearny, died Feb. 10.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Monday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m., at St. Cecilia’s Church, Kearny. To offer online condolences, please visit www.armitagewiggins.com.
Mrs. Feuerstein worked at Washington School, Kearny, for over 20 years, most recently as the main office secretary, retiring in 2013.
She was the mother of David and Derek (Melissa) Feuerstein, grandmother of three grandchildren and sister of Lucy Cruz, Gloria Morales, Angela Urquia, Jesus Herrera and Consuelo Boronat.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated.
The Rev. Evan Haener
The Rev. Evan Haener, 53, died Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Relatives and friends were invited to visit at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 504 Davis Ave., Harrison, Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. The funeral service was held Monday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m. Interment took place in Arlington Cemetery, Kearny. To view the complete obituary and to share memories or condolences please visit www.thiele-reid.com.
Evan was born in Los Angeles and raised in Inglewood, Calif. He had lived in Harrison for the last 25 years.
Always interested in church music and hymns, he began his college studies as a music major before switching to religious studies. He studied at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. For one semester, he studied at Westfield House, an affiliate of Cambridge University in England.
After being ordained April 7, 1991, Evan’s first call was to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Harrison. This April would have marked his 25th anniversary.
Rev. Haener earned his M.S. in Sacred Theology from Drew University, Madison, in 1997. It was a degree he was extremely proud of and he later served as an adjunct professor at Pace University in New York City.
Pastor Haener is survived by his wife Christine (Wesser) and one son Ian Haener.
He was predeceased by his parents Thomas and Marjorie (Lester) Haener and his brothers Eric and Paul Haener.
Evan will be deeply missed for his sense of humor, eclectic love of music and theological brilliance.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation at www.angelman.org or to Concordia Theological Seminary.
