Santino DePaola
Nino DePaola, a longtime resident of Kearny, died Tuesday, Jan. 15.
He was 87.
Born in Italy, Nino emigrated to the US as a young man where he met his wife, Kathleen (nee Krieger) of North Arlington. The two were married until Kathleen’s death in 2005.
Nino was the owner and proprietor of Nino’s Men’s Fashions in Kearny until his retirement in 2003.
He is survived by his son, Nino, his wife, Kira, and their daughter, Olivia – as well as his brother, Mario and sister, Leda.
A commitment ceremony took place in Holy Cross Cemetery,l North Arlington.
Mary Burke
Mary A. Burke, 90, died Jan. 5, 2025, at Community Medical Center, Toms River.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, on Sunday, Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. A funeral blessing will be offered at 1 p.m.
Born in Orange, Ms. Burke was the only daughter of James and Mary Richcufsky Burke. She graduated from Kearny High School in 1953 and lived in Kearny for many years before moving to Whiting 37 years ago.
Mary was a claims adjudicator for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Newark for 22 years before retiring.
Her most proud accomplishments in life were raising her five children and providing a loving happy home for her family when she purchased her first home in Kearny at 409 Davis Ave.
Ms. Burke was a long-time parishioner at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Kearny and later at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Toms River. She was a member of the Lithuanian Club of Kearny and the Lithuanian Club in Toms River.
Mary loved dancing, singing and traveling.
She is survived by her children, James P. Handlin, William G. Handlin (Alane), Marcella G. Callaghan and Catherine L. Ferrer (Giuseppe). She was the grandmother of Natalie, Austin, Sara, Donald, Allen, Melanie, Jonathan and CJ.
Mary was predeceased by her son, Charles A. Handlin, one brother, Raymond J. Burke, and two grandchildren, Nikki Handlin and Michael John Handlin. She was also predeceased by her lifelong friends, Dolores, Yolanda and Carol, who she loved like sisters.
Sheila R. Carroll
Sheila R. Carroll, 87, of North Arlington, died Feb. 5, 2025, at Valley Hospital in Paramus.
Sheila was born on May 30, 1937, in Newark, to her parents Frank and Susan (Bloksberg) Carroll. Her family moved to Kearny while Sheila was in middle school, and Sheila graduated from Kearny High School in 1952. Sheila was a devout Catholic, raised to be a woman of strong Christian faith, but she was also very proud of her Jewish heritage that came from her mother’s family.
She was a parishioner of Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington. Sheila worked for the State of New Jersey as a licensing clerk. She retired in 2007.
Sheila was the former wife of George Griggs. Together they raised three children. Sheila deeply cherished her relationships with her children and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchild. She was the matriarch of the family who had an infectious smile.
She was always smiling because she was deeply proud of her family and felt blessed to have them close by. Her grandchildren adored her and loved celebrating birthdays, graduations, holidays and nights out with Grandma Sheila. She had a special bond with them, and they loved taking her out on the town, showing everyone that their Grandma was someone truly special.
She made them laugh, and they knew they could tell her anything because their secret was safe with Grandma.
Sheila loved being around her family. Laughter and a good time were the golden rule, and many times that laughter revolved around her oldest son Tom’s attempt at humor. Sheila had a special way of making her family members feel that each of them was her favorite, but they loved to joke with Grandma Sheila that her youngest son Michael was really her “favorite.”
Her family, especially her daughter Susan, will miss laughing with her about her many different hairstyles from her younger years. They will all miss her famous homemade chocolate and vanilla pound cakes that accompanied her to all the family gatherings, but most of all, they will miss her magnanimous presence in their lives.
Sheila is survived by her son Thomas Griggs and his wife Marie, her daughter Susan Consalvo and her husband Bernie, and her son Michael Griggs and his wife Dana. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren Olivia, Thomas Jr, Jillian, Brittany, Brandan, Bernie, Danielle, Michael Jr. and Sean, along with her great-granddaughter Brooklyn, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Sheila was predeceased by her parents Frank and Susan Carroll, her brother and sister-in-law Gerald and Carol Carroll, her nephew Steven Carroll and her dear friend Carol Yurik.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. A Christian funeral Mass was celebrated at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington. Cremation followed the Mass.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to the North Arlington Emergency Squad.
Rosario Navarro
Rosario Navarro died Jan. 29, 2025.
She was 82.
Born in Mexico, she had lived in Kearny the past 33 years.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home. Cremation was private.
Rosario is survived by her husband Sergio, children Sergio Jr. and Roxanna, her sister Martha, brother Luis and her grandchildren Priscilla, Christian, Sergio III and Joshua along with her great-grandson Ryan.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Carol Costello
Carol Costello (nee Van Volkenburgh) died Feb. 4, 2025.
She was 84.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Carol was originally from Kearny and raised her family in North Arlington. She was the owner of the High Seas Restaurant in North Arlington.
Wife of the late Angelo, she is survived by her children Debbie Gallagher, Dan Costello and Martin Costello, her grandchildren Billy Gallagher, Michael Costello, Danny Costello, Samantha Costello and Jack Costello along with her four great-grandchildren
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Ignacio Ahedo
Ignacio Ahedo of Kearny, born in Spain, died Feb. 3, 2025.
He was 92.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny.
Husband of Maria (nee Maza) he was the father of Ignacio Ahedo (Maria), Maria Silva (Manny) and Edward Ahedo (Elaine). He is also survived by his grandchildren Monica, Manny, Adam, Natalie, Nichlos, Adriana and Antonia along with his great grandchildren Penelope, Sebastian, Isabella and Santi.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Manuel Reyna
Manuel Reyna, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.
He was 91.
Born in Lima, Peru, he immigrated to the US and was a longtime resident of Kearny. Miguel was known for his kindness, wisdom and the warmth he extended to everyone he met. He loved fixing his car, cleaning the snow and cooking his famous “asado” for his family.
Miguel was a devoted husband to Maria, a cherished father to Cecilia and a loving grandfather to Amir.
His legacy of love, resilience and generosity will continue to live on through his family and the many lives he touched.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Mass was celebrated at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.
Miguel will be deeply missed and will forever remain in our hearts.
“To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.”
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.