Say hello to the Birthday Girl! On Nov. 21, one of Belleville’s most “seasoned citizens” — Florence Coughlan — turned 100 and she received a special visit from Mayor Michael Melham, who brought her flowers and a formal municipal proclamation. She also received a call from Gov. Philip D. Murphy.
“Her home had the first-ever built-in pool in Belleville. She’s a grandmother, great-grandmother and still a ‘Friend’ of the Belleville Public Library,” Melham said. “Wishing her many more years of good health and happiness.”
Here’s the text of the proclamation.
WHEREAS, Florence Coughlin, a Belleville resident since 1957, will celebrate her 100th birthday on November 18, 2022, and
WHEREAS, Florence Coughlin moved from North Arlington to Belleville over sixty five years ago. Florence and her late husband George raised five children in the Township and had the first built in swimming pool in their backyard;
WHEREAS, Florence is the proud grandmother to seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Florence graduated from Montclair State University and worked as a secretary in the Nutley Public Library for many years; and
WHEREAS, Florence also taught many people to speak English through the Belleville Public Library and remains a “friend” of the library to this very day.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Municipal Council of the Township of Belleville extend to Florence Coughlin best wishes as she and her family celebrate her 100th birthday and wish her many more years of health and happiness!
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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.