Joyce M. Okuniewicz
Joyce M. Okuniewicz sadly died Oct. 20, 2024.
She was 81.
Raised in Kearny, she made her home in Blairstown for the past several years. She was a graduate of Boston University and received both her Ph.D. in physical chemistry and her doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota.
Joyce was a devoted friend of animals and took great pleasure in all wildlife and natural surroundings. To her cousins’ children, she was the caring and concerned “Aunt Joyce” — always eager to learn about their various activities.
Predeceased by her parents, Anthony and Mancia Okuniewicz, she is survived and will be greatly missed by her loving cousins and friends.
A funeral Mass to celebrate Joyce’s life will be celebrated at St. Stephen’s Church, 141 Washington Ave., Kearny, on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at 10 a.m. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, 340 Ridge Road, North Arlington.
Carlos Alberto Calouro
Carlos Alberto Calouro, 74, died Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. He was born in Sao Miguel, Acores, Portugal, and emigrated to the US at the age of 24 and resided in the Ironbound Section of Newark before settling in Harrison 30 years ago.
Carlos worked for the Heavy and General Construction Laborers Local (LUINA) of Newark from 1984, retiring in 2011. Previously, he worked for Beacon Sweets in Newark for nine years. He proudly served in the Portuguese Army. Carlos was an avid Benfica fan. He most recently became a college soccer fan following Marist Men’s Soccer, particularly his grandson Evan Marques #6.
Son of the late Francisco and Sofia (nee Moreira) Calouro; husband of the late Gilda “Jill” (nee Mota) Calouro; devoted and loving father of Diane Bayas and her husband Miguel and Susan Marques and her husband Carlos; dear brother of the late Jose, Emanuel and Ida; cherished grandfather of Amanda and Tyler Bayas and Evan and Aaron Marques.
The funeral took place at the Buyus Funeral Home, 426 Lafayette St., Newark, NJ 01705. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Newark. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ.
Please visit www.buyusfuneralhome.com for more.
Georgina Paz
Mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, cousin and friend Georgina Paz (nee Mesa) died surrounded by loved ones on Oct. 26, 2024, at the young age of 66.
Georgina was born in Cuba in the town of Corralillo, Villa Clara, and was the fifth of 10 children. She emigrated to the United States in 1971 at the age of 12 with her parents and seven of her siblings as her two oldest sisters had already married.
They settled in Harrison which is where she lived the rest of her life. She met and fell in love with her husband, they married in 1974 and began their lives together raising their three daughters. Together they owned and ran a bodega on Harrison Avenue for many years and later incorporated their own company, Carlos Painting.
In 1993, Genaro died suddenly, leaving Georgina widowed at the age of 35, to raise her three daughters alone. She continued to run the painting company until 2020. Anyone who had the pleasure of working with her saw Georgina was an incredibly hard worker, very detailed and was passionate about every job as if it were her own home.
Those who were lucky enough to know Georgina were blessed to know her beautiful and giving soul. Though she always worked long days and hours, she was always ready to help anyone who needed it, whether she was asked or not. Making others happy brought her true joy. She often showed her love by cooking for others and inviting them to her home. Nothing made her happier than having her home filled with her loved ones. She often showed up on her loved ones’ doorsteps surprising them with their favorite meal for their birthdays. Her face would light up when she saw how happy they were to receive it.
Aside from cooking, Georgina loved flowers, taking and receiving pictures, the color purple and doing puzzles with her sisters. The part of her life that brought her the most happiness were her children and grandchildren. She was always taking pictures to capture all their special moments and finding ways to do all she could for them.
Georgina is predeceased by her husband, Genaro A. Paz, and her parents, Maximiliano and Maria Mesa. She is survived by her daughters Rosemary, Yezenia and Gina, her grandchildren Robin, Angel, Anabelle, and Daniel, and son-in-law Jesus. Georgina also leaves behind her loving sisters, a brother, many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Family and friends of Georgina visited at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Holy Cross Church, Harrison. The interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Mary Mooney
Mary Mooney, (nee Murphy), 95, died Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, at Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack.
Relatives and friends visited at the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove
Drive, Kearny. A funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Sorrows R.C. Church, Kearny. Entombment was in Holy Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington.
Born in Paisley, Scotland, Mrs. Mooney immigrated to the United States in 1969 and settled in Kearny.
She worked in the child support division for the Hudson County Court System in Jersey City for 25 years before retiring in 1999. Prior, she worked at Prudential in Newark for 15 years.
Mary is survived by her children, James A, Mooney and Rosemary Mooney and her longtime friend, Maria Vasiliades. She was also the aunt of Eileen Evans and Carol Ross.
She was predeceased by her husband, James Mooney and her sister, Eileen Ross and her husband, James.
Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thiele-reid.com.
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.