Kevin Canessa Sr.
Kevin Canessa Sr., the father of The Observer’s Kevin Canessa Jr., died Feb. 13, 2021, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
He was 68.
Kevin was born July 26, 1952, to Joseph and Anne (Leon) Canessa, in Jersey City. In the late 1960, he and his family moved to Long Branch before he moved back to Jersey City after he married Margaret Slane in 1972.
After Kevin Jr. was born in 1974, Kevin Sr. enlisted in the United States Navy and served for several years, spending most of his time stationed in Diego Garcia, a small British Island territory in the Indian Ocean. He was also stationed in Hawaii, California, Texas and Louisiana — all during peacetime.
He remarried in 1982 and had two more children, April and Joseph Canessa.
Later in life, he worked on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, spending months at a time at sea, away from family.
He battled demons his entire life, but was always proud of his service to his country.
Aside from his children, Kevin is survived by siblings Rosie, Michael, John, Andrew, James, Colleen and Patrick Canessa. His brother, Joseph, died three months before him.
A memorial service will take place in the summer in New Jersey. His cremation in Louisiana was private.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the annual fund of Salve Regina University at www.salve.edu.
Anthony F. Stanlos
Anthony F. Stanlos died Feb. 27, 2021.
He was 73.
Born in Newark, he lived most of his life in East Newark before moving to Kearny.
Arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny. Graveside service were in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Jr. (as many affectionately called him) served as a cook in the U.S. Army. He retired after many years as a bridge tender for Hudson County. He worked most of his career at the Clay Street Bridge in East Newark.
Son of the late Sophie and Anthony Stanlos, he is survived by many friends in East Newark.
Anna T. Ferris
Anna T. Ferris died March 1, 2021.
She was 91.
Born in Pennsylvania, she lived most of her life in Kearny.
Arrangements are by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Kearny. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Anna was a very active participant in community affairs. She enjoyed politics and was active with Our Lady of Sorrows Church. She was a CCD teacher and a member of the Rosary Society.
Wife of the late John Ferris Jr., she was the mother of John (Annabelle) Ferris, Kenneth (Karolyn) Ferris and the late Deborah Ferriero and Kathleen Ferris. Sister of Mildred Pristupa and the late Mary Carpenter, Tony, John and Joe Sabestinas, also surviving are her grandchildren Timothy, Sean, Michael, Lisa, Kenny, Kaitlyn and Ozzie along with six great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.
Linda Ann Smith
Linda Ann Smith, (nee Stapleton) 79, died Thursday, March 4, 2021, in St. Michael’s Medical Center, Newark.
The funeral was from the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Cecilia Church, Kearny. Cremation was private.
Born in Kearny, Mrs. Smith was a lifelong resident.
She was a medical assistant for Robert J. Hanlon, MD, in Kearny for 14 years before retiring in 1997.
Linda was a former member of the St. Cecilia Church Rosary Society.
She is survived by her husband, John F. Smith Sr.; three children, Diane Greco, John F. Smith III and Christopher Smith. She also leaves behind five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mrs. Smith was predeceased by her siblings Janice Vautrinot and James Stapleton.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to the American Heart Association in her memory would be appreciated.
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.