Florence Nixon
Florence Nixon (nee McLaughlin) died Oct. 22, 2025.
She was 94.
Born in Newark , she lived most of her life in Kearny before moving to Shohola, Pennsylvania, eight years ago. Visiting will be Tuesday, Oct. 28 beginning at 11 a.m. at the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, 596 Belgrove Drive, Kearny. Graveside prayers will be at 12:30 p.m. in Arlington Cemetery, Kearny, conducted The Rev. Joe Mancini, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church.
Flo was retired from the West Hudson Hospital Billing Department. She had been active in the Kearny Woman’s Club and the St. Stephen’s Seniors.
Wife of the late John Nixon, she was the mother of Liz McAveney (Jerry), Dana Wojciechowski (Gary), John Nixon and the late Bob Nixon (Helen). She was also the grandmother of Sean, Brian, Caitlin, Danielle, Gary, Keith, Kristen, John, Rob, Lori and the late Matthew. She is also survived by 21 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to a charity of your own choice in her memory.
Beverly Hayes
Beverly Hayes, 92, of Largo, Florida, died peacefully at home on Oct. 20, 2025, to be reunited with the love of her life.
Born Dec. 31, 1933, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, she later moved to Kearny to begin married life and raise a family. Beverly worked her entire career as a bookkeeper at the Ben Franklin “five and dime,” Franklin Plastics and for Doreen A Catanio, CPA. She later relocated to Largo, Florida, where she devoted her time to volunteering and giving back to the Palm Hill and St. Paul UMC communities.
She took great pride in her family and her home, welcoming loved ones with warmth and grace. A true lady of impeccable manners, she cherished etiquette and the small details that made everything feel more special. She possessed a steady strength, deep courage and unwavering determination to the very end.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 72 years, George Wesley Hayes Sr.; and is survived by her sons Jeffrey Sr. (Kathy) and George (Laurie); six grandchildren — Jennifer Stephens (Eric), Karen Hanrahan (Jason), Sharon Brown, Jeffrey Hayes Jr., Kristen McGrogan (Michael) and Christopher Hayes (fiancé, Brooke Lorup); and eleven great‑grandchildren — Michael Jr., Kayla, Connor, Daniel, Thomas, Tyler, Brynn, Liam, Devin, Owen, and Emma. She was predeceased by her parents, two brothers and a sister. She is survived by her sister, Shirley Shank, and her cousin, Becky Widdick.
In keeping with her wishes, a private cremation will take place and there will be no public services. The family will gather privately to celebrate her life.
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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.