Obituaries for Dec. 9, 2020

Elliot

ROBERT J. ELLIOTT

Robert J. Elliott died Nov. 17, 2020.

He was 76.

Born and raised in Kearny, he had a long career with the phone company starting with Western Electric and ending with Nokia.

He was an avid sports fan, but his real love was playing and watching golf and bowling.

He was predeceased by his parents William and Loretta Elliott and sisters Susan Chew and Diane Eccles.

He is survived by his loving wife Isabella Elliott (nee McQuilkin) and is cherished by his three daughters Barbara Johnson (Michael), Mary Elliott Carri and Christine Elliott. He is loved by his grandchildren Michael Johnson Jr., Danie Johnson, Crystal Dickson, Stephen Carri and Braeden Carri. Brother to Lawrence Elliott (Carol) and Daren Elliott (Marilyn), he had many wonderful nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins and friends. He was adored by all his grand furbabies.

A memorial Mass to celebrate Robert’s life will take place at 11 a.m., Dec. 12, 2020, at St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny.

Elba Gonzalez Mora

Elba Gonzalez Mora of East Newark died at Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020.

She was 84 years old.

The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave. Harrison, on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m. Friends and relatives may visit on Tuesday from 10 to 11 a.m. Her interment will follow in Brigadier W. C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown.  A funeral service will take place at the cemetery at 12:30 p.m.

To send a condolence message to her family, please visit www.mulliganfh.com.

Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 5, 1936, Elba moved to New York City with her family in 1970. In the early ’80s she moved to Harrison and eventually settled into East Newark.  She worked as a cashier at a local laundromat for many years, where she was known and loved by all in the neighborhood, called “Grandma” by many of the local children. She was always willing to lend an ear and offer a helping hand in any way she could, earning her a place in the hearts of many in the community.

While we will all miss her in our daily lives, we’re comforted to know that she is resting peacefully.

Elba is survived by her children, Elba, Angel, Manuel, Hector, Marcos and Harry; 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Luis “Tito” Mora (2014).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the GoFundMe of her son, Marcos Gonzalez, who has been diagnosed with cancer at https://gf.me/u/y9b4yp, or in care of the funeral home, in loving memory of Elba.

Robert J. Geiger

Robert J. Geiger, 76, died Dec. 4, 2020.

Born in Yonkers, New York, he lived in North Arlington for the past 50 years.

He proudly served with the Color Guard in the United States Army during Vietnam. He worked as a shop steward for the IBEW Local No. 3 in Manhattan for over 25 years before retiring in 2003. While with the IBEW, he worked on the construction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.

He was a member of the IBEW Catholic Council, Colony Club and Allied Club, and a member of the Westchester Mechanics.  He was a member of the Historical Society and the Knee-deep Club in Lake Hopatcong.

He worked at Shea Stadium as a score keeper for the New York Mets for over 30 years.

Robert was the cherished husband of the late Phyllis Geiger ( nee Becroft ); the devoted father of Kirk Geiger and Jamie-Day Geiger; the beloved Pop Pop of Nicholas Geiger, Jackson and Sloane Delaney; and the dear brother of the late William Geiger.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Visitation at the Parow Funeral Home, 185 Ridge Road, North Arlington, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. thence to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington for the Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Sabino D. Beatrice

Sabino D. Beatrice of Hazlet died Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Reading, Pennsylvania.

He was 91.

The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave., Harrison, on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 9:15 a.m. A funeral Mass will follow at Holy Cross Church, Harrison, at 10 a.m. Friends and relatives may visit on Monday, Dec. 14, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. His interment will take place in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

To send a condolence message to his family, please visit www.mulliganfh.com.

Born and raised in Newark, Sabino lived in East Newark before moving to Hazlet in 1959. He worked as a machinist for many years. He was a Cub Master and Troop Leader for the Boy Scouts of America, Pack 149 West Keansburg. He served his country during the Korean War in the US Army as a Linesman. He was stationed in Germany from March 1951 to March 1953.

Predeceased by his wife Mary C. Beatrice (2003) and granddaughter Laurie Nicole Kenenitz (2015), Sabino is survived by his loving children, Arthur (Doris), Samuel (Marian), Susan Muso (Mark), Mary Ellen Beatrice and Kathleen Beatrice (William Anderson); his beloved grandchildren, Sam, Amanda, Michele, Angela, Lauren, Mackenna and Maryn; and cherished great-grandchildren, Jacob, Kendall, Beatrice, Harper, Savannah and Owen; and a dear Sister, Marie Visco. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. He was also predeceased by his sister, Josephine Cioffi.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Wounded Warrior Foundation, in care of the funeral home in loving memory of Sabino.

Agnes Neilson

Agnes Neilson (nee Hamilton) died Nov. 30, 2020.

She was 91.

Born in Hamilton, Scotland, she immigrated to the United States in 1952 and lived most of her life in Kearny.

Visitation was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny.

Agnes loved her job waitressing at Lyles Restaurant and then Tops Diner. Her husband Claude co-owned the Royal Meat Market in Kearny for many years.

Beloved wife of the late Claude, she was the cherished mother of Robert Neilson, Elizabeth Teixeira and Andrew Neilson. She is also survived by her seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Agnes was predeceased by her grandson Sean.

To honor her life and personality, we’d like to share a frequent saying she would exclaim: “I love you more big dauds and wee curly bits.”

Gary Todd

Gary Todd of Kearny died Nov. 30, 2020.

He was 72.

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

Gary was a Vietnam veteran and had a career with McNeil Sales and Service.

He is survived by his loving wife Cheryl Todd (nee Hopton). He was the beloved father of Rena Cimirro and her husband Larry and Danielle Todd; the cherished grandfather of Angelica, Victoria and Gabriela Cimirro; dear brother of Thomas Todd, Mary Walsh and Judith Platt. He was predeceased by his siblings Wallace, Phyllis, Ellen, Barbara, Jackie, Billy and Donald. He was also the brother-in-law of Holly LaBrode and Denise and Alan Wiggins. Also surviving is his goddaughter Lisa LaBrode Torres.

Antonino Vargas-Palma

Antonino Vargas-Palma, 77, of Harrison died Nov. 27, 2020.

Visitation at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.

Carlos A. Sarmiento

Loving son, husband, father and grandfather Carlos Alfredo Sarmiento died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020.

Arrangements were by the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home in Kearny. Carlos was laid to rest in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Carlos is survived by his mother, Enma Franco; wife, Grace Galarza Sarmiento; his children Carlos Hipolito Sarmiento, Maria Paulina Sarmiento and Ana Maria Sarmiento; and his grandchildren Tiago Antonio Ribeiro and Ryder Alejandro Ribeiro.

Carlos was born in Ecuador on July 10, 1954, where he served as a captain of artillery in the Ecuadorian Armed Forces prior to moving to the United States where he dedicated his career to transportation services.

Carlos was a devoted father, husband and grandfather. He enjoyed joking with and spending time with his family, especially his two grandsons Tiago and Ryder, who have gained so much from his love and dedication. He was a strong, resilient and loving man who will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all who knew him.

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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off 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 Facebook Live, 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 West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.