Obituaries — Feb. 28, 2018

John Tillberg

John Tillberg, formerly of Kearny, passed away on Feb. 15, 2018, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

John is survived by his loving daughter, Heidi Tillberg of Sevierville, Tenn.; and three loving grandchildren, Neomi, Kai and LJ.  John is also survived by four sisters, Lorraine Burdge, Dorothy Guckin, Barbara Bitz and Judith MacPhail; and two brothers, Harry and Robert.

John was always filled with fun and had a big heart.

He truly loved everyone he met and the feeling was mutual.

He will surely be missed by all.

Funeral arrangements are private.

Rufina Fuentes

Rufina Fuentes, 96, passed away Feb. 20, 2018.

Private arrangements were handled by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny.

Rufina is survived by her daughter, Lydia Perez, and her grandson, Joseph Perez.

Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan of Kearny died at home on July 13, 2014.

He was 80.

Private cremation arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny.

Robert is survived by his niece Jeanette Diana Morgan Packard and nephews Michael and George Morgan.

Irene Roseluke 

Irene Roseluke (Lekawa), of Harrison, passed away on Feb. 13, 2018.

She was 91.

Private arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny.

Born in Windber, Pa., she lived in East Newark for 12 years before moving to Harrison in 1940.

She worked for RCA as a tube maker before becoming a homemaker in 1940.

Beloved daughter of the late Walter and Sophie (Cyganik) Lekawa, she was the wife of (the late) Anthony “Zeke”; dear sister of the late Jennie Swientnicki; devoted mother of Robert and Barbara (Charles) Pannullo; cherished grandmother of Dawn (George) Brea, Dale and (Shiela) Pannullo and Renee Pannullo, Courtney and Shantay Brea, Dale Jr. and Alexis Sophie Pannullo, John Bianchi and Justin Pannullo; great-aunt of Jonathan, Jessie and Sarah Swientnicki and great-great grandmother of Jayden Pannullo.  She was also dear aunt of Carol and Michael Swientnicki.

Michaelina ‘Mickey’ D’Alessandro

Michaelina “Mickey” D’Alessandro, 89, of Kearny, died on Feb. 21, 2018, at home.

Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral, Kearny. Services were at the funeral home. Entombment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Born in Bayonne, Michaelina moved to Kearny in 1973.

She was an assistant hairdresser at her daughter’s hair salon, Sandra D’s, in Bayonne, for 26 years.

She was the beloved wife of the late Emilio D’Alessandro; mother of Emilio (Kathy), John (Marian), Sandra (John W. Pratt) and Joseph (Cheryl) D’Alessandro and Catherine (Michael) Giancaspro; sister of Nancy Cusick and Michael Abate; grandmother of Marc, Melissa, Michael, Joseph Jr., Laura, Kristen, Steven and Kenny; and great-grandmother of Katlyn, Hailey, Trevor, Kaleb, Lily, Kayleigh, Shaun, Emily, Amanda and Alaina.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Rutherford Bible Chapel, 161 W. Passaic Ave., P.O. Box 5, Rutherford, N.J. 07070 would be appreciated.

Agnes F. Holmes

Agnes F. Holmes, 88, of North Arlington, died on Feb. 19, 2018.

Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home. Religious services and Eastern Star Services took place at the funeral home. Cremation was private.

Born in Kearny, Agnes spent her entire life in North Arlington.

She was an assistant branch manager with Valley National Bank in North Arlington for 15 years, retiring in 1994. She was a former president of the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School PTA in North Arlington and member of the Order of the Eastern Star Eclipse Chapter 226, Lyndhurst, for 68 years.

She was the beloved wife of the late Arthur Holmes.

Mother of Janice (Jimmy) Anzevino and Barbara (William) Van Riper, she was also the sister of the late Malcolm Ferguson and grandmother of Elizabeth, Gennaro, Michael, William and Ian.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Gennaro Anzevino Memorial Scholarship Fund, 209 Parkway, Maywood, N.J. 07607 would be appreciated.

Thomas J. Powell

Thomas J. Powell, 76, of Brick Township, passed away Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, surrounded by family.

Born in Newark on July 26, 1941, to the late Alfred and Ann (Reynolds) Powell, he was raised in East Orange.

Along with his wife, they raised their family in Verona before relocating to Harrison and summered in Brick Township until permanently moving there eight years ago.

A graduate of the National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma, he was in the banking industry until his retirement as Vice President of National Westminster Bank in New York City.

Thomas was an active member of the Cedar Grove Elks, where he enjoyed playing music with his two sons. He was a member of the North Essex Development Action Council and the Harrison Redevelopment Commission.

Thomas also served as a commissioner and past chairman of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus Father James J. Kelly Council 3632 of Cedar Grove.

A devout catholic, Thomas was an active parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head for many years.

Thomas is preceded in death by his parents, his brother John “Jack” Powell and his nephew Alfred “Butchie” Powell.  He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Margaret (Hedderman) Powell and by his children and their spouses, Thomas Powell Jr. (Sharon) of Lincoln University, Pa.; Matthew A. Powell (Catherine) of Brick; and Susan Kelly (Paul) of Havertown, Pa.; by his brother Alfred Powell of South Carolina; sisters, Ann “Nancy” Hankins of Wall; Maureen Powell of Florida; and Marilyn “Tootsie” Kenny of Freehold.

Thomas is also survived by his cherished grandchildren, Thomas III, Ryan, Matthew Jr., Caterina, and Xavier Thomas, many nieces and nephews, and by his grandpups, Scout, Hunter and Bailey.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Weatherhead Young Funeral Home, 885 Mantoloking Road, Brick. The funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Feb. 29, at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart RC Church, Bay Head.

Cremation will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Thomas’ memory to a charity of your choice.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.weatherheadyoung.com.

Christina R. Chew 

Christina R. Chew (nee Hahn), 83, of Kearny, died Feb. 24, 2018.

Funeral is from the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Dr., Kearny, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Cecilia Church, Kearny, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Visitation is on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 4-9 p.m., at the funeral home.

Born in Kearny, Christina was a lifelong resident. Until recently, she worked as a teacher’s aide at Lincoln Middle School in Kearny. Previously, she worked at the Ke-High Luncheonette, and at the Scotland Yard in Kearny.

Nothing made her happier than doing things for others.

Christina was predeceased by her husband Richard E. Chew, son Richard E. Jr., and son-in-law Richard DeMauro. She is survived by her son Keith and daughter-in-law Rosemary of Middletown; daughter Mary Mullen and son-in-law David of North Haledon; son David and companion Crystal of Raleigh, N.C.; and Joseph of Kearny.

She is also survived by her grandchildren Brenden and Samantha, Richard, James, David, Courteney, Adam and John; great-grandchildren Sophia and Layla; her lifelong friend and niece JoAnne Martin; her friend and daughter-in-law Kathleen Sheedy; the family of Bob and Wendy Burton; many nieces (to whom she lovingly referred to as “the best nieces in the world”), nephews and countless cherished friends and colleagues of the Kearny School District.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the JDRF (www.jdrf.org) or to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).

Sylvia A. View

Sylvia A. View (nee Malanda), 78, of Belleville, died Feb. 22, 2018, at Clara Mass Medical Center, Belleville.

Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Cremation was private.

Born in Barre, Vt., Sylvia grew up in Pine Beach before moving to Belleville 55 years ago.

She was the owner of Magic Cottage Nursery School in Belleville for over 15 years. She also was a licensed realtor/broker at Marzulli Real Estate in Bloomfield for over 30 years.

She was the beloved wife of the late Charles W. View. Daughter of the late Angelo and Pearl Maland. Mother of John W. View and his fiancé Elvia and the late Charles A View, she was the sister of the late Angelo Malanda.

She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Sylvia was deeply loved by friends and family.  She will always be remembered by anyone who had the pleasure to meet her.  She was a person who would sacrifice of herself to help someone in need.  She also had a passion to protect abused/abandoned animals and was actively involved in pet adoption/rescue.  She was a true warrior in life and one of the strongest people we ever knew.

In lieu of flowers, donations to your local veterans’ association would be appreciated.

Anna Carfagno

Anna Carfagno (nee Lyons) passed away peacefully at home Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018.

She was 85.

She was the beloved wife of the late Alfonso Carfagno; devoted mother of Joanna Sagitas (Vincent) and Paula Reyes (John); cherished grandmother of David and Ian Sagitas and Aaron and Luke Reyes; and dear sister of Rita Lyons-Henry (James) and the late Catherine, Mary and Margaret.

Before retiring, Anna worked at Hobbies in Newark. She was very active in her community and enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.

The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave., Harrison, on Wednesday Feb. 28, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Cross Church, Harrison, at 10:30 a.m.  Viewing will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. Entombment will be in Holy Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harrison Cancer League, in loving memory of Anna.

If you would like to send condolences to the family, please visit www.mulliganfh.com.

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