The Westfield Leader Newspaper
The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

– Obituaries –

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Thomas Ricciuti, 79, Owned Area Clubs; Served at Battle of the Bulge, Normandy

Patrick Spina, Sr., 64

Patrick M. Spina, Sr., 64, of Malabar, Fla., died on Sunday, July 16, in the Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Fla.

Born in Westfield, he had lived in Scotch Plains before relocating to Brevard County in Florida in 1970.

Mr. Spina owned Spina Construction in Melbourne. Surviving are his wife, Dorothy Spina; five sons, Patrick Spina, Jr., Thomas Spina, Steven Spina, Michael Spina and Robert Spina; a daughter, Debbie Volpe; his mother, Jennie Spina; three brothers, Iggy Spina, Santo Spina and Leonard Spina; a sister, Mary Coleman; 12 grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.

Services were held under the direction of the Fountainhead Memorial Funeral Home in Palm Bay, Fla.

July 27, 2000

Anna Buthe, 91

Anna Buthe, 91, of Lakewood died on Friday, July 21, in the Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood.

Born in GoppingenJebenhausen, Germany, she had lived in Mountainside before relocating to Lakewood three years ago.

Surviving are two daughters, Nancy Brewer and Linda Sullivan; four grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

Graveside services will be held at 10 a. m. today, Thursday, July 27, in the Atlantic View Cemetery in Manasquan.

July 27, 2000

James J. Waters, 79, Army Veteran; Was Teacher and Principal in Linden Josephine Armando Romeo, 74, Was

Westfield Crossing Guard for 20 Years Vincent Lynch, Sr., 88, Civil Engineer;

Among Liberators of Rome During War

Thomas Ricciuti, 79, of Seaside Park died on Saturday, July 22, at home.

Born in the Bronx, he had lived in Plainfield and Scotch Plains for 45 years before moving to Seaside Park in January of 1997.

Mr. Ricciuti had owned and operated night clubs for more than 40 years before retiring in 1992. He owned the Arrow Lounge in Scotch Plains and City Lights in Perth Amboy.

He was an Army veteran of World War II, having served in the Battle of the Bulge, the Invasion of Sicily and Italy, North Africa and at Normandy Beach on DDay.

He was a member of the Scotch PlainsFanwood Optimist Club, where he was a charter member, and the Scotch PlainsFanwood Veterans of Foreign Wars. As a Scotch Plains businessman, he received the PBA Gold Shield.

He was predeceased by his wife, Viola Ricciuti, on July 30, 1999, and by a son, Thomas Ricciuti, in 1987.

Surviving are a son, Frank Ricciuti of Westfield; two daughters, Michele Immordino Seaside Park and Valerie Fisher of Scotch Plains; a sister, Anne DuCret of Florida; seven grandchildren and a greatgrandson.

Graveside services will be held at 11 a. m. tomorrow, Friday, July 28, at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains.

Arrangements were under the direction of the Silverton Memorial Funeral Home in Toms River.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Grace’s Kitchen, care of Grace Episcopal Church, 600 Cleveland Avenue, Plainfield, 07060 or Animal Birth Control ABC, P. O. Box 353, Pine Beach, 08741, or to the American Cancer Society, 1035 Hooper Avenue, Suite No. 2, Toms River, 08753.

July 27, 2000

James J. Waters, 79, of Westfield, a former teacher and Principal, died on Monday, July 24, at home.

Born in Hoboken, he had lived in Jersey City, Cliffwood Beach and Linden before moving to Westfield in 1953.

Mr. Waters had been employed by the Linden Board of Education for 40 years before retiring in 1984.

A sixthgrade teacher at School One for 20 years, he spent the remainder of his career as Principal of different schools in the district.

He was the Past President of the Parish Council at St. Helen’s Roman Catholic Church in Westfield, where he was also a parishioner.

Mr. Waters was also Past Chairman of the Cub Scout Committee in Westfield.

He was a member of the New Jersey Education Association, the Union County Education Association, the National Education Association and N. E. A. R. (Retired Education Association).

He earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Rutgers University.

Mr. Waters served in the United States Army during World War II, achieving the rank of Technical Sergeant.

Surviving are his wife, Anne Sharkey Waters; a daughter, Suzanne Crane of Wayne; five sons, the Reverend Philip James Waters, Pastor of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Newark; David Patrick Waters of Somerville, Christopher John Waters of Englewood, Colo., Robert Brian Waters of Cranbury and Richard Charles Waters of Henryville, Pa., and six grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a. m. today, Thursday, July 27, in St. Helen’s Church, with interment to take place at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Dooley Colonial Home, 556 Westfield Avenue in Westfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either Center for Hope Hospice, 176 Hussa Street, Linden, 07036, or Helping Hands and Hearts, St. Helen’s Parish Center, 1600 Rahway Avenue, Westfield, 07090.

July 27, 2000

Josephine Armando Romeo, 74, of Westfield died on Sunday, July 23, in her home.

Born and raised in Bloomfield, she lived in Westfield for 42 years.

She had been a school crossing guard in Westfield for 20 years before retiring in 1975.

Surviving are her husband of 25 years, Russell Romeo; two sons, Joseph Beninato and Albert Beninato; a daughter, Donna DeRosa; two stepdaughters, Linda Romeo and Marie Kuen; two sisters, Rose Perdian and

Mary Rinsky, and five grandsons. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered yesterday, Wednesday, July 26, at the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield. Interment took place at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Arrangements were handled by the Dooley Colonial Home, 556 Westfield Avenue in Westfield.

Memorial donations may be made to the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad, 335 Watterson Street, Westfield, 07090.

July 27, 2000

Vincent J. Lynch, Sr., 88, of Basking Ridge died on Wednesday, July 19, at home.

Born in Highland Mills, N. Y., he had lived in Lodi, Hasbrouck Heights, Brooklyn and Scotch Plains before moving to Basking Ridge.

Mr. Lynch had been a civil engineer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in New York for many years before retiring 23 years ago.

He received a civil engineering degree in 1934 from Catholic University in Washington, D. C. and a degree from Fordham Law School in 1954.

He served as a First Lieutenant with the Combat Engineers of the 98th United States Army during World War II and fought in North Africa and Italy at Monte Casino and Anzio.

Mr. Lynch’s unit also lead the Allied Forces in the liberation of Rome.

Surviving are his wife of 63 years, Agnes J. Lynch; three daughters, Mary Jean Van Neste, Eileen A. Sweeney

and Megan Shashaty; two sons, Vincent J. Lynch and Brian P. Lynch; 12 grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

A Mass was offered on Saturday, July 22, in St. James Roman Catholic Church in Basking Ridge.

Arrangements were under the direction of the Gallaway & Crane Funeral Home in Basking Ridge.

July 27, 2000

Michael S. Dacey, 45

Michael Scott Dacey, 45, of Pittstown died on Tuesday, July 18, from injuries he sustained in an automobile accident in Franklin Township.

Born in Staten Island on April 12, 1955, the son of Andrew and Rose Dacey, he had lived in Cranford, Mountainside and Scotch Plains before moving to Pittstown seven years ago.

Mr. Dacey was employed as an advertising manager for Hayward Pool Products in Elizabeth.

He was a communicant of St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in Pittstown and was a member of the Men’s Cornerstone at the Immaculate Conception Church in Clinton.

He was a member of the Hunterdon YMCA Indian Guides.

Surviving are his wife, Annette Musacchio Dacey; two sons, Kyle Dacey and Ryan Dacey of Pittstown; his mother, Rose Dacey of Scotch Plains, and a sister, Donna Morrows of Ocean Grove.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, July 22, at the Kearns Funeral Home in Whitehouse, followed by a funeral liturgy in the Immaculate Conception Church in Clinton. Interment took place at Evergreen Cemetery in Clinton.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, 08822.

July 27, 2000

Clarification

The name of the funeral home was inadvertently omitted from an obituary for Mary H. Bellman which appeared in last week’s edition.

Gray Funeral Home, 318 East Broad Street, Westfield, 07090, was in charge of Mrs. Bellman’s arrangements. We regret the omission.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

DiFrancesco Proposal

would hike the number of delegates by 440, thus putting the GOP ahead of the Democrats with 4,572 delegates. The Democrats will send 4,335 delegates to their convention in Los Angeles next month.

“This summer, the Republican Party will not only select our candidate for President, but also chart our party’s future. My proposal, New Voices for the Grand Old Party, will involve more Republicans in future conventions by dedicating seats to local, grassroots activists who’ve never before attended,” said Senator DiFrancesco, a delegate to the 2000 GOP Convention and a Scotch Plains resident.

Senator DiFrancesco told The Westfield Leader and The Times of Scotch PlainsFanwood that his goal is to “open up and broaden” the Republican Party.

“It’s not an outrageous proposal. It’s reasonable,” he told The Leader

and The Times.

“With the addition of these new delegates, nearly 20 percent of the attendees at the 2004 convention would be local, firsttime participants,” he added in a released statement.

Delegates Seek Unified GOP At Party’s 37th Convention

By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD — As New Jersey’s delegates to the 37th Republican National Convention prepare to head to Philadelphia this weekend, among them will be three prominent officials from the WestfieldScotch Plains area.

The Convention’s business will start Sunday afternoon for the 54 members of the Garden State’s delegation. The delegation actually is staying in a hotel across the Pennsylvania state line in Cherry Hill as a show of support for the state of New Jersey.

The delegation will gather for a business meeting Sunday afternoon with an opening Convention ceremony on the Philadelphia waterfront scheduled for the evening. Prime time network coverage will begin on Monday night. The convention ends Thursday night.

The highlight, of course, will be the nomination of Texas Governor George W. Bush and his running mate, former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, for President and Vice President, respectfully. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of State, General Colin Powell, will head up the list of prime time speakers.

Among the delegates will be Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco of Scotch Plains, Assembly Speaker Jack Collins, Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger and Union County Republican Party Chairman Ronald Frigerio, both of Westfield.

Senator DiFrancesco said the purpose of the convention is to, “Drum up the enthusiasm among activists to kickoff the (Presidential) campaign.” He said the GOP needs to bring party loyalists together and unite party.

Assemblyman Bagger, a first time delegate, said this year’s convention is significant in that Republicans have the opportunity to elect a Republican President along with GOP majorities in the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives for the first since the Eisenhower Administration in the 1950s.

He said he was “honored and excited” to be chosen as one of three delegates from the Seventh Congressional District.

“The Republican Party in 2000 is focused on winning (the Presidential race),” he added. The GOP has lost the last two campaigns, in 1992 and 1996, to the ClintonGore ticket after winning five of the previous six Presidential campaigns.

Mr. Bagger noted that local interest in the Seventh Congressional race will only enhance active campaign

participation among Republicans. “I feel much better than I did in 1996,” said Mr. Frigerio, another first time delegate. “I think the posture is much different than it was in 1996. I think we have the better candidate for sure.”

Mr. Bagger noted this year’s elections feature critical Congressional races, including New Jersey’s Seventh District.

With a slim five seat lead in the House, Republicans are expected to focus on the campaign of the party’s candidate in the Seventh District, Michael A. Ferguson, against Democrat Maryanne S. Connelly of Fanwood.

Mr. Ferguson is among only a dozen Congressional candidates invited to speak briefly at the convention on Monday.

Daniel Quinonez, Mr. Ferguson’s Campaign Manager, said the opportunity for the candidate to speak before national delegates “is actually very exciting.”

Mr. Ferguson, a community college professor, will speak on education. The daytime festivities will be televised by CNN and CSPAN.

Seventh Congressional District contender Maryanne S. Connelly has released the findings of a new survey which puts her ahead by three percentage points against her Republican opponent, Michael A. Ferguson.

The survey was conducted for the Connelly Campaign by Lake Snell Perry & Associates. It shows Mrs. Connelly, a former Fanwood mayor and her party’s nominee in the Seventh District in 1998, ahead of Mr. Ferguson, 3734 percent. The survey has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.

Daniel Quinonez, Campaign Manager for Mr. Ferguson, said the campaign was “very excited” by the release of numbers by the Connelly Campaign, which put the candidates in a statistical dead heat. He expressed surprise that Mrs. Connelly would release such numbers.

Connelly for Congress Campaign Manager Sujata Tejwani noted that of those who said they were undecided in the poll, 35 percent claimed to be Democrats, compared to 27 percent for Republicans and 33 percent for independents.

Mr. Quinonez said the Connelly Campaign also indicated the number of persons saying they were Republicans was a lot higher than the Ferguson Campaign expected.

The survey was conducted July 15 to 17 among 500 registered voters who were identified as likely to vote in November.

* * * * *

The Ferguson Campaign is expected to begin the submission of press releases and campaign issue position papers within the next weeks, according to Campaign Manager Daniel Quinonez.

He said Michael A. Ferguson, who won the fourperson GOP primary on June 6, with 41 percent of the vote, has been concentrating on building his grassroots and fundraising efforts.

* * * * *

Maryanne S. Connelly has hailed the passage of the marriage penalty tax relief by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The penalty cost couples $1,400 annually.

Mrs. Connelly said she favors increasing the federal investment in education to hire more teachers and modernize public schools. She said such action would reduce property tax rates in the Garden State.

* * * * *

District 7 is a column devoted to campaign news in New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District. Information should be submitted via email to paul@ goleader. com.

Seventh Congressional

Local Residents to Take Part In Avon Breast Cancer Walk

WESTFIELD — Four local residents are participating in the Avon Breast Cancer 3Day Walk to raise funds for breast cancer treatment and research, a 60mile walk from Bear Mountain to New York City that will take place from Friday through Sunday, October 13 to 15.

Marian McCarthy, Bernadette Houston and Susan Hess, all from Westfield, and Karen Delaney of Scotch Plains, have been training since March for the walk. The four – who met through the Junior League of ElizabethPlainfield, are walking some 40 miles per week to ready themselves for the event.

An initial kickoff fundraiser was held in June in Westfield, which was attended by 60 local women. Carol Rapaport, a breast cancer survivor

and event walker, was the featured speaker. She described the event as “fulfilling, relationshipbuilding and extremely rewarding.”

Many of the women who will participate in the upcoming event are breast cancer survivors or will be walking in memory of a lost loved one or in celebration of a loved one’s survival.

Now in its eighth year, the event, sponsored by Avon, has distributed nearly $40 million to over 500 nonprofit and universitybased breast health programs across the country. To date, Ms. McCarthy, Ms. Houston, Ms. Hess and Ms. Delaney have raised $17,000 from sponsors.

To become a sponsor of the Avon Breast Cancer 3Day Walk, please call (908) 2325664, extension no. 107.

A REWARDING JOURNEY… Dedicated local residents prepare for the Avon Breast Cancer 3Day Walk, from Bear Mountain to New York City, which will take place from Friday through Sunday, October 13 to 15. Pictured, left to right, are: Bernadette Houston, Marian McCarthy, Karen Delaney, Susan Hess and Carol Rapaport. Caregivers to Meet

Aug. 7 in Westfield

WESTFIELD — A support group for individuals caring for elderly or chronicallyill loved ones meets on the first nonholiday Monday of each month at 8 p. m. in the Parish Center of St. Helen’s Roman Catholic Church on Lambert’s Mill Road in Westfield.

These are information and sharing sessions. The next meeting will take place on August 7.

For more information, please call Marilyn Ryan at (908) 2321867.

Historical Society Hosts Talk on U. S. Presidents

WESTFIELD — A look at the lives of America’s 42 presidents as writers, authors, poets and literary subjects will be the topic of a talk by Nat Bodian of Cranford at the First Wednesday Luncheon of the Westfield Historical Society at B. G. Fields Restaurant in Westfield on August 2 at noon.

Mr. Bodian’s talk will draw from a year’s worth of research and writing on a book about America’s presidents, as well as from experience during his own 30year career in the book publishing industry and from books he has written on publishing topics.

Regular attendees of the luncheon will be contacted by a telephone committee of the Society to verify their reservations. Space permitting, others may attend by calling (908) 2332930 by noon on Monday, July 31.

Westfield Property Tax Bills Printed With Wrong Year

By PAUL J. PEYTON

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

For the second consecutive year, the property tax bills printed by a Union County vendor have contained

incorrect information. While the tax bills will not be reprinted, Westfield Tax Collector Susan Noon explained that residents should note that the preliminary tax year, located just below the perforation, should state 2001 and not 2000, as indicated on tax bills sent out this year.

Ms. Noon has contacted Union County Tax Board Chairman John K. Meeker, Jr., noting the printing error.