Panagioula Golematis Vlachos
Panagioula Golematis Vlachos, 88, died peacefully on Dec. 30, 2023, with her loving family beside her.
Born in 1935 in Thesvi, Theveon, Greece, she was the cherished daughter of the late Haralambos Golematis and Alexandra (Kollias) Golemati Panagioula resided in Kearny.
Panagioula immigrated to the United States in 1952 with her younger brother, Alex Golematis, under the Orphan Act. This act was mainly intended for people from southern Europe, an act for the relief of certain refugees and orphans.
She worked hard, learned the language and became an American citizen. She went back to Greece in 1958 and married the late George Vlachos, the love of her life, and brought him back to the United States. Together as a team, they worked hard and sponsored all their siblings and their families to the United States.
Panagioula was a person who radiated love for all. She was a person of profound faith and knowledge and imparted all her kind wisdom to anyone seeking her advice but especially to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Panagioula’s memory will be treasured by her family, friends, and all who were fortunate enough to experience her pure joy and happiness as well as her ability to light up a room as she entered it always with love for all.
Panagioula was predeceased by her parents, Haralambos Golematis, Alexandra (Kollias) Golematis, her siblings, Dimitrios Golematis, Athanasios Golematis, Triandafilia Golematis, Maria Golematis, Vassilios Golematis, Eleni (Golematis) Mihalis, Ekaterina (Golematis) Karadimos, and the love of her life, her husband, George Vlachos.
Panagioula is survived by her daughters, Konstantina Vlachos Keastead and her husband Scott Keastead, Alexandra Kontos and her husband Christos Kontos. Her grandchildren who loved and adored her, Christy Kontos Jordan and her husband Reilly Jordan, Julia Kontos and her fiancé, Joe O’Brien and Mikayla Georgia Keastead. Panagioula was also blessed to have great grandchildren who always were able to bring a smile to her day, Calliope Margaret Jordan and Sophie Elise Jordan. Panagioula is also survived by her brother, Alex Golematis and many nieces and nephews.
Panagioula’s presence will always be felt here, in the way we take care of each other, in the tenderness which we have for each other as we try to fill the unfillable shoes of this amazing woman who graced this earth.
A viewing will take place at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 818 Valley Road, Clifton, Jan. 3, 2024, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., followed immediately by a service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org.
Gerard Gauthier
Gerard Thomas Gauthier, “Jerry”, 70, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, in Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville.
Relatives and friends visited at the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, where there was also a service. Interment was in Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City.
Born and raised in the Greenville Section of Jersey City, Gerard lived there until moving to Kearny 40 years ago.
Mr. Gauthier was a supervisor at Abraham & Straus in Secaucus for many years before working at Riviera as a supervisor also in Secaucus.
He is survived by his one brother, Laurent Gauthier, cousins, Gerarda and Bill Robinson and several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. Jerry was predeceased by his parents, Laurent and Edith (nee Dalton) Gauthier and one sister, Judith Quinn.
Jerry had a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. He will always be remembered as having a great sense of style and fashion as well as loving music, New York, and the Jersey Shore. He loved all animals as well as the Green Bay Packers. He was a beloved uncle who will be deeply missed by his nieces and nephews whom he was always very generous to.
Peter Garippa
Peter Garippa died Dec. 26, 2023.
He was 95.
Born in Kearny, he was a long-term resident.
He loved traveling the world and lived in California for 10 years.
Memorial visitation will be Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive in Kearny. His ashes will be buried with his parents at Arlington Cemetery in Kearny.
Peter was a graduate of Newark College of Engineering and was an active supporter of the NJIT Alumni Association. He was a retired engineer, having worked for General Electric in New York City. He was a deeply spiritual man and enjoyed singing every Saturday on his Evangelical Zoom Group.
He was the brother of Mary Femino, David Garippa and the late John, Ralph, Joseph and Philip Garippa. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, their families and his loving and devoted caregiver Alina Martinez.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St Jude Children’s Hospital.
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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.