Obituaries for Feb. 1, 2023

Bernadette M. McGrath

Bernadette M. McGrath of Harrison died peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.

She was 94.

Funeral services were under the direction of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison.   A funeral Mass was celebrated at Holy Cross Church,  Harrison. Her interment took place in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Born in Harrison, Bernadette was a lifelong resident. As a dedicated parishioner of Holy Cross Church, Harrison, for many years, she was a CCD teacher and a member of the Rosary Altar Society.

Predeceased by her husband Joseph Edward “Buddy” McGrath in 1983, Bernadette is survived by her loving children, Joseph (MaryRose), Teresa, Mary (Mark) Van Koy, John (Susan) and Gerard “Jerry” McGrath, 13 cherished grandchildren and seven dear great-grandchildren. She is also survived by many

nieces and nephews. Bernadette was predeceased by her siblings, Thomas Mansfield, Ann Mae Harrison and John Mansfield.

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

Jenna M. Cruz

Jenna M. Cruz, of North Arlington, died peacefully at home on Jan. 26, 2023.

She was 29.

Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Her service was at the funeral home and burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Jenna was the beloved daughter of Charlene (nee Minniti) and the late Joseph Cruz. Cherished granddaughter of Marie Cruz and the late Joseph and Paul Minniti and the late Mary. She is also survived by many loving friends and family who supported her during her brave struggle for life.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to John Theurer Cancer Center, 92 Second St. Hackensack, N.J. 07601

 Jacinto Almeida Silva

Jacinto Almeida Silva died at home Jan. 26, 2023.

He was 86.

Born in Porto, Portugal, he has lived most of his life in Kearny.

Visiting will be Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 from 4 until 8 p.m. at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. His funeral Mass will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Jacinto was a retired welder from Dye Specialties in Jersey City and enjoyed his second career as a school crossing guard in Kearny.

He was the husband of Marilyn (nee Cichino) and father of Jose Almeida (his wife Michele), Fatima Santiago and the late John Almeida. Brother of Jose Silva, he is also survived by his grandchildren Jonathan, Jasmine, Christian, Sofia, Jessie, Meadow, John and Ryan along with his great-grandchildren Joziah and Lyla Jo.

Donald E. DeRogatis Sr.

Donald E. DeRogatis Sr., currently of Whiting, died at home Jan. 26, 2023.

He was 81.

Born in Newark, he lived many years in North Arlington before retiring to the Jersey Shore.

Visiting was at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. His funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 9:45 a.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington. Burial will be in Arlington Cemetery in Kearny.

Don was a retired firefighter from the Hackensack Fire Department. He was also the past chief and volunteer firefighter as well as the construction code official, both in North Arlington. He was past president of the Sonata Bay Community and was a member of the Knights of Columbus in Bayville.

He is survived by his loving wife Margaret (nee Thompson) “Marge” and was the father of Donna Perlee (the late Jan Meyer), Barbra Cama (Michael), Donald E. DeRogatis Jr. (Christine) and Elizabeth DeRogatis. Father-in-law of Donald Perlee, he was brother of Antonia Mason, Gina Marshall and the late JoAnn Carnasciole and brother-in-law to Jack Thompson. Also surviving are his grandchildren Emily, William, John, Jennifer, Christina, Jamie, Juliet, Kayleigh, Andrew, Matthew, Lauren, Robert and Maggie and his “bonus” grandchildren Payton and Josh. He is survived by his lifelong family friends, the Hedenberg family.

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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.