Patricia Battista
Patricia Battista (nee Hickey) died Dec. 11, 2020.
She was 64.
Born in Brooklyn, she moved to Kearny in 1982. Arrangements are by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A memorial Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, 11 a.m.
Pat was a graduate of Felician University. She was a former president of the Roosevelt School PTA and was a charter member of the Kearny Education Foundation. Pat worked for the Kearny Board of Education for 25 years as a teacher’s aide. Pat was also a coach for Kearny Recreation soccer and won two divisional championships.
Beloved daughter of the late James and Mary, Pat is survived by her loving family — her husband Lewis C. Battista, her children Joseph (his wife Melissa) Battista, Kathleen and Michael Battista. Dear sister of Steven Hickey, Kathy McGrade (Tom) and Jacqueline Sabbagh, also surviving her are her beautiful grandson Joseph Thomas, nieces Kate and Nicole, nephew Jimmy and her best pal Max.
In lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation to the St. Peter’s Prep Annual Fund at www.spprep.org.
ALAN KIMBALL
Alan Kimball died Dec. 4, 2020.
He was 58.
Private arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny.
Alan was the beloved son of Rosemarie (nee Keane) and the late Martin C. Kimball. He was the husband of the late Laura and brother of Marty Kimball and the late Paul Kimball.
Karen DuBois ‘Basmajian‘
Karen DuBois “Basmajian” died at home on Dec. 7, 2020.
She was 72.
Born in Newark, she lived many years in Kearny before moving to Pennsylvania 15 years ago.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Burial was in Arlington Cemetery, Kearny.
Karen is survived by her loving daughter Elizabeth Gryta (David), her sisters; Diane, Dawn and Holly, her beloved grandson Quintin Colabella along with her dear friend Eileen Cicchetti.
Richard S. Hartman
Richard S. Hartman died Dec. 11, 2020, at Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville.
He was 88.
Born in Elizabeth, he was raised and lived in Philadelphia. He was a true Philadelphian. He also lived in New York City and Glen Ridge before moving to Orange in 1985.
Private arrangements are by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny.
A very talented and accomplished musician, Richard was ordained as music minister of the First Presbyterian and Trinity Church in South Orange. He held a B.S. and a B.A. degree from Temple University.
He was the president of the Hartman Beaty Organ Company, Inc., and was Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Richard was also very active with the Seton Hall University Christian Jewish Relations League.
Richard is survived by his beloved husband and music partner David Beaty. He is also survived by his niece Jeanne Fluegge and her family and his dear friend Frank Kain. Jeanne’s husband Jerry predeceased Richard.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Hartman Westman Fund for Music at the First Presbyterian and Trinity Church of South Orange.
Peter Kealy
Peter Kealy died Dec. 10, 2020.
He was 79.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, he lived in Kearny for 60 years.
Arrangements are by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. He will have a funeral Mass at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 18.
Peter served in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 to 1965.
Peter was the beloved husband of Eileen (nee O’Keefe) and loving father of Sharon (her husband Manny) Ferrao and David (his wife Angela) Kealy. He was the cherished grandfather of Victoria, Alex, Nick and Amanda.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
John A. Kotlowski
John A. Kotlowski died at home Dec. 13, 2020.
He was 88.
Born in Jersey City, he had lived in North Arlington since 1982.
Arrangements are by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Relatives and friends are invited to his funeral Mass Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington, at 1:30 p.m. Burial will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
John worked many years for Western Electric in South Kearny and retired from AT&T in New York City. After retirement, John enjoyed driving a bus for the Tot Spot. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and enjoyed his days bowling.
Husband of the late Anne Marie (nee Hadley), he was the father of John M. Kotlowski (Roxanne), Joseph A. Kotlowski (Patricia) and Susan E. Clifford (Mark). Also surviving are his grandchildren Lauren, John J., Kaitlyn, Jessica, Joseph, Heather and Mark, along with his great-grandchildren Holden, Madison and Jonathan.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the charity of your own choice.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.