Joan Ellen Gassert
Joan Ellen Gassert, 63, of Toms River, died May 22, 2018, at Community Medical Center, Toms River.
Joan was born in Newark. She worked as a medical transcriptionist for Orange Memorial Hospital in Orange.
Surviving is her Husband Robert J. Gassert and her Brother Robert G. Stemplinger.
Visiting was at Silverton Memorial Funeral Home, Toms River. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at Justin’s RC Church. Entombment was in St. Anne’s Cemetery, Wall.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Francis Bread Line, New York, N.Y.
Valentim M. Frade
Valentim M. Frade, of Kearny, died May 29, 2018.
He was 61.
Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. Mass was celebrated at St. Cecilia Church, Kearny. Burial was in Arlington Cemetery, Kearny.
Valentim was the husband of Maria (Fernandes) and father of Telma Carinhas and Miguel Frade. Also surviving are his grandchildren Lucas, Andre, Emma, Duke and Sofia, along with many other relatives here and in Portugal.
John Avery Wilder
John Avery Wilder, of Washington Township, died peacefully on May 18, 2018, at Hackettstown Medical Center.
He was 63.
Wilder was born Aug. 22, 1954, in Winston-Salem, N.C., to the late George and Cora (Knight) Wilder. John studied mathematics at North Carolina State University and later built a career in construction for over 30 years, in which he polished many skills ranging from the operation of heavy machinery to carpentry.
He was a man who truly enjoyed working with his hands — his many hobbies included gardening, woodworking and building and flying model airplanes. John had an adventurous spirit, which took him skydiving, hang gliding and riding motorcycles.
He was kind and compassionate, which was shown through his love of all animals, never turning away even the most peculiar of pets that were brought home.
He is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Jeanne; his son, Michael; his daughter, Joan; and his sister Joan Hunt.
A memorial service to celebrate John’s life will take place June 16, 2018, at 2 p.m., at the Scala Memorial Home, 124 High St., Hackettstown.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to the ASPCA, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, D.C. 20090-6929 or to an animal rescue of your choice.
Scala Memorial Home, Hackettstown, was in charge.
Manuel V. Maciel
Mr. Manuel V. Maciel, 50, of Nutley, died Wednesday, May 30, 2018, at his home surrounded by his loving family. A funeral service took place at St. Paul’s Congregational Church, Nutley, on Monday, June 4 Cremation was private. Visitation was at the Biondi Funeral Home of Nutley
To send online condolences, visit www.biondifuneralhome.com.
Mr. Maciel was born in Portugal and resided in Nutley for many years. He was a manager at Economy Supply Co., Harrison.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 23 years, Nora (nee Maguire) Maciel; his devoted children Samuel and Ella; his devoted mother Julia (nee Vale) Maciel; his loving brother Jose Maciel and his wife Rosa; his loving sister-in-law Erin Matrona and her husband John; his loving brothers-in-law Gavin Maguire and his wife Amy and Ryan Maguire; his loving nieces and nephews, Kelly Maciel, Dennis Maguire, Johnny and Frankie Matrona and Shaw and Finley Maguire. He is also survived by his loving dogs Ricky and Harvey and his loving cat Squirt.
Mr. Maciel was predeceased by his father Manuel Maciel, his mother-in-law Helen Maguire and his father-in-law Rod Maguire.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Manny’s honor for Samuel and Ella’s college fund would be kindly accepted in care of Nora Maciel, 44 Plymouth Road, Nutley, N.J. 07110.
Kathryn Budinich
Kathryn Budinich, (nee LaPrete), 71, of Jersey City and Nutley, died Tuesday, May 29, 2018.
Born in Jersey City, Kathryn was a true daughter of the city’s Marion Section. With Richard, her loving husband of 49 years, Kathryn gave years of service to the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and Marion communities, honing her gifts as an event and party planner and a chef.
Inspired by their experiences, she and Richie founded Word of Mouth Caterers in 1986 and later the nationally renowned 15 Fox Place in 1999, and together with their beloved son Marc, they have since shared the abundant joy of the Italian family table with hundreds of thousands.
Her friends and loved ones extend far and wide, all having been swept up into the greater “family” that Kathryn nurtured, cherished and fiercely protected.
Kathryn is survived by Richie her husband; Marc her son; her granddaughter Sophia; her daughter-in-law Cindy; her sister and best friend Angela; brother-in-law James Murphy; brothers- and sisters-in-law Martin and Joann Budinich, John and Diane Budinich, Geraldine and Richard Heuston and Dennis and Charlene Budinich; and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Jersey City. Entombment was in Holly Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to CureAHC (Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood), 8480 Honeycutt Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, N.C. 27615.
Riotto Funeral Home, Jersey City, was in charge.
Elaine Todd
Elaine Todd, of Holmdel, formerly of Kearny, died May 14, 2018, surrounded by her devoted family at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank.
She was 77.
She was born and raised in Kearny before moving to Holmdel where she lived for 46 years.
She was predeceased by her loving husband William Todd and survived by her sons Steven, Jeffrey and his wife Gina, and her two daughters Sandra Collins and Christine Salsano and Gary Kenthack, 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be celebrated Saturday, June 9, at 10:15 a.m., at St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church, 311 Carr Ave., Keansburg.
For more information and condolences visit www.laurelfuneralhome.net.
James Crawford Reid Sr.
James Crawford Reid Sr., 93, passed away on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at Alaris at Cedar Grove.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, June 5, at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny, at 11 a.m. The family will receive visitors in the sanctuary beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Mr. Reid was born in Kearny and lived there until moving to Bonita Springs, Fla., in 2000. He returned to Kearny in 2014. He has lived in Cedar Grove for the last three years.
Jim served in the United States Coast Guard from 1942 until 1946.
He was the General Manager at DeMassi Cadillac in Lyndhurst, from 1969 until 1985.
James is survived by his children, James Reid Jr. and his wife, Hannah, Jane Hurley and her husband, Robert, Diane Pettigrew and her husband, James, William Reid and his wife, Anne and Christopher Reid and his wife, Lauren. He was the grandfather of Kristen, Ryan, Jennifer, Kyle, William Jr., Jack and Madeline.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Dorothy (nee Shurr) Reid and his siblings, William Reid, Ina Marcello, Maybelle Brain and Thora McColley.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Arlington Players Club, 12 Washington Place, Kearny, N.J. 07032.
To view the complete obituary, visit thiele-reid.com.
Russell J. Shardlow
Russell J. Shardlow, 68, passed away on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, at his home in Harrison, after a brief illness.
A concelebrated funeral Mass was celebrated at Holy Cross Church, Harrison. Cremation was private. The Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, Kearny, was in charge.
Mr. Shardlow was a lifelong resident of Harrison.
Russell was a graduate of Essex Catholic High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University, Newark.
His early career in mortgage banking was based in New York City. More recently, he was the Founder and President of Alpine Personnel, Inc., in Kearny, a position he held for 19 years before retiring several years ago.
He is survived by his beloved sister, Kathleen A. Shardlow, and several first cousins.
He was predeceased by his parents, Russell J. and Minerva (nee Micchelli) Shardlow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to Holy Cross Church would be appreciated.
To view the complete obituary or to share memories or condolences, visit thiele-reid.com.
James P. Cundari
James P. Cundari, 99, of Sandusky, Ohio, died Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at home with his children present.
Jim was born in Harrison on Dec. 21, 1918, the son of Anthony and Carolina Cundari. He was a graduate of Holy Cross Grammar School (1932) in Harrison, and Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (1936) in Newark. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Manhattan College in New York City in 1940.
After college, Jim worked as a cost accountant at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City and then at the General Motors Hyatt Bearings Division office in Harrison, from 1941 to 1965 as a supervisor in the cost-accounting and inventory-control department. In 1965, Hyatt merged with New Departure, and Jim was transferred to the merged New Departure Hyatt Headquarters offices in Sandusky, Ohio.
After a total of 41 years of service, he retired in 1982.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Jim volunteered his services as a member of the newly formed auxiliary police and later on as a charter member of the volunteer Harrison Emergency First Aid Squad.
In 1943, he was called to active service and was a sergeant in the U.S. Army “Tropic Lightning” 25th Infantry Division from 1943 to 1946, and saw combat actions against the Japanese in the rugged mountains of Luzon, Philippine Islands, from January through August 1945. In September 1945, his division landed at Nagoya, Japan, as part of the occupation forces to secure the peace.
Jim received his honorable discharge certificate on Feb. 15, 1946, and was awarded the following medals for his service: the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal (with three bronze stars), the Army of Occupation Medal for Japan, the Philippines Liberation Medal (with one bronze star), the Philippines Civic Action Medal, and the Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Badge.
Afterward, he summarized his service memories in “A Soldier’s Story.” Excerpts from those memoirs have appeared in the Tropic Lightning Flashes publication of the 25th Infantry Division Association. Earlier this year, he was interviewed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer and his Profile of Service story appeared on the front page of its March 26 edition, and in Stars and Stripes, a publication of the American Military.
In New Jersey, Jim was a volunteer active member of the Knights of Columbus Youth Program. Over the span of 35 years as a member of the Columbus Cadet Corps, he rose in the ranks and in 1963, was named the State Commander of the Corps. In 1949, he organized and set up a weekend camp in South Jersey for the cadets, to which a permanent building was set up in 1955.
In 1937, Jim was a charter member and counselor of the Knights of Columbus Columbian Squire Youth Council. In 1941, the Knights of Columbus awarded him a gold medal for saving a youth from drowning in August 1940 at a camp site in West Milford.
Jim was the chief counselor of the Junior Achievement company sponsored by his company in 1950 and 1951. In 1958, the Savoy Building and Loan Association of Harrison, appointed him as Treasurer and Director, and he continued in that capacity until his transfer to Sandusky, Ohio.
In Sandusky, Jim became a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. He became active as a counselor in the CCD program for high school students, was elected to the school board in 1971 and served as its President in 1973 and 1974.
In 1970, at the request of the parish council, Jim was asked to prepare a financial budget, make monthly reports to the parish council, school board and finance committee. He continued with reports to the school board until the merger of the three schools in 2003. Reports to the Finance Committee continued until the appointment of a business manager in 1998, at which time the finance committee appointed him as a permanent member.
In 1988, Jim established an endowment for the school to help defray the cost of education, and arranged an “All Class Reunion” of the graduates of Sts. Peter and Paul Elementary School. He was general chairman of the yearlong Sts. Peter and Paul 125th Anniversary Celebration. He published the Sts. Peter and Paul 125th Anniversary Book, a 304-page book of the complete history, articles and pictures of the church from 1866 to 1991, which was made available to all parishioners. In July 2017, he published the Sts. Peter and Paul 150th Anniversary Book, which contained the original 304 pages with the addition of another 192 pages covering the activities of the 1991 to 2016 period.
In his personal life, Jim enjoyed many activities. In sports he was a New Jersey High School State Champion (1936) in the one-mile relay, served as a cross country manager from 1936 to 1940 at Manhattan College (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America Champions), and enjoyed playing tennis until 1982. His love of music included an extensive collection of records dating back to 1936. He had a photo collection of his family, travels, etc., and authored several books for his children and grandchildren of the personal experiences of his life.
Jim was always very dedicated to his family, always being present at every major event in the lives of his four children, his brothers and sisters and all his in-laws, grandchildren and nephews and nieces. He was always present for happy and sad occasions.
Jim was a life time member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the National Association of Cost Accountants and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and the 25th Infantry “Tropic Lightning” Army Division.
Survivors include his children Anthony (Anita) Cundari of New Albany, Ohio; Joseph (Giorgia) Cundari of Sandusky, Ohio; Johanna (James) Powers of Sandusky, Ohio; and Maria (John) Horvath of Oxford, Mich.; grandchildren Christine (Jamie) DiSalvo of Maryland; Michelle (Matt) Hutchins of Pataskala, Ohio; Caterina and James Cundari of Sandusky; and Darryn (Leah), Bradley (Cassie) and Nicole Horvath of Michigan; great-grandchildren Marcus and Silas DiSalvo and Juliette Hutchins; and many nephews and nieces, grand-nephews and nieces, great-grand nephews and nieces, and cousins.
Jim was preceded in death by his loving wife of 65 years, Johanna, in 2015; his parents, Anthony and Carolina Cundari; brothers Dominic and Joseph Cundari; and sisters Catherine and Vincentine Cundari.
The David F. Koch Funeral Home, Sandusky, Ohio, was in charge. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday, June 5, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Sandusky. The Rev. Joseph Steinbauer officiated.
Interment in the veterans’ section in Meadow Green Memorial Park Cemetery, Huron, Ohio.
Memorial contributions in memory of James P. Cundari may be given to Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 510 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, Ohio 44870; Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 10 Franklin Place, North Arlington, N.J. 07031; Holy Cross Church, 323 Harrison Ave., Harrison,N.J. 07029; or to one’s favorite charity.
The family would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to Jim’s physicians and their staffs, Firelands Home Health, Adult Comfort Care and Stein Hospice.
The dedicated loyal citizen, soldier and family man now rests in peace in God’s hands. Jim is now reunited with his loving wife Johanna.
Your memories and words of comfort may be shared with Jim’s family at www.davidfkoch.com.
