John J. ‘Jack’ Burlick Jr.
Known for his generous warmth and caring personality, John J. Burlick Jr. died peacefully on July 26, 2024.
Born on June 3, 1944, in Newark, the son of John and Mildred Burlick, Jack grew up in Bloomfield and was a loyal alumnus of St. Benedict’s Prep. He graduated from Niagara University in 1966, acquired an MBA in marketing and management at American University, Washington D.C., in 1968 and served as First Lieutenant in the US Army from 1968 to 1970.
His professional career included several years with Nestle and Tropicana.
In 1994, he established JB Marketing Services, but for the latter 20 years, he was marketing-interventionist regional director for New Jersey and New York City with Clearbrook Treatment Center, Laurel Run, Pennsylvania.
Jack was very proud of his Polish/Ukrainian heritage, an avid golfer, loved to travel, enjoyed hundreds of detective novels and had countless friends. Above all else, he will be fondly remembered for always being ready to help anyone in need.
Predeceased in 1989 by his wife, Sandra, the mother of his two children, Jack is survived by his loving and devoted wife Margaret (Marnie), cherished sons Matthew and his wife Taryn, and Michael and his wife Diana; his admiring sister Cynthia Murphy and her husband Jim, and his adored grandchildren Jackson, Grayson, Sara and Ana.
Visitors will be received at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny on Thursday, Aug. 1 from 3 to 8 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church, 520 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, Newark, on Friday, Aug. 2 at 10 a.m.
Contributions in Jack’s memory may be made to St. Benedict’s Prep, 520 MLK Boulevard, Newark, N.J. 07102.
Mary Kennedy
Mary E. Kennedy, (nee Kimball), 99, died Saturday, July 20, 2024, at home in Whiting.
Relatives and friends visited at the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Cecilia R.C. Church, Kearny. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Born in Stonington, Connecticut, Mary lived in Kearny and Piscataway before moving to Whiting 20 years ago.
Mrs. Kennedy was collector and seller of antiques. She owned and operated the Old & New Shop for 15 years beginning on Midland Avenue in Kearny before relocating the shop to Kearny Avenue. Mrs. Kennedy was an avid painter, having started in oils, then transitioning to watercolors in her later years. She sold her works at art shows, and eventually painting became a hobby.
She is survived by her children, Rita Pallotti (Charles), Christine Gallagher, Maryann Kopfer, Ronald Kennedy and Kevin Kennedy (Monica). Mary was the grandmother of Eleanor Quinless, Christian Kennedy, Jason Pallotti, Adam Kennedy, Nicholas Kopfer and Jessica Pallotti and the great-grandmother of Layla Quinless, Russell Kennedy, Alexander Ramirez, Andrew Ramirez, Jovanny Reyes, Chloe Britting and Robert Britting.
Mary was predeceased by her husband, Irving “Pete” Kennedy, three sons, Russell Kennedy, Roger “Rory”” Kennedy and Peter Kennedy, two grandchildren, Iris Gallagher and Heather Gallagher and one great-grandchild Aiden Ramirez as well as her siblings, Joseph, Martin and Thomas Kimball and Anne Kirchner.
Robert J. Savoy
Robert J. Savoy, 87, of Kearny, died peacefully July 20, 2024 at his home.
He was the devoted husband of Carol McCleary Savoy for 62 years. Bob was a loving father to Sharon Savoy Rutledge, Michelle Savoy Pisano (Ron) and Robert M. Savoy. He was beloved by his brother, Kenny Savoy (Elke). Bob was also beloved by and devoted to his two grandchildren, Kimberly Rutledge Matthijssen (Jared) and Kyle Rutledge (Laura) as well as three great-grandchildren, Emily Rutledge, Teddy Matthijssen, and Ryan Rutledge. Bob was a favorite uncle of many nieces and nephews who he loved dearly.
He was a tractor trailer driver for many years.
Bob was inducted into the Kearny High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his prowess on the football field. He was president of the student council at his alma mater while a student and later president of the Kardinal Booster club as a parent. He participated in many groups at St. Cecilia Church in his hometown of Kearny, including volunteering at their food bank.
He leaves behind a legacy of love and tenderness which will endure.
Friends and relatives visited at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Dr. Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church, Kearny.
In lieu of flowers, kindly send donations to the Kearny Food Pantry Network or a charity of your choosing.
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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.