– Obituaries –
Edward C. Sosman, 77
Edward C. Sosman, 77, of Montclair died on Thursday, July 30, at home. Born in Washington, D.C., he had lived in Westfield before moving to Montclair. Mr. Sosman had been a traffic engineer for Ramp Consulting in New York City before retiring in 1967. During the course of his career, he had analyzed traffic flow in New York City and conducted parking and traffic planning surveys in Newark. He had previously worked in the same capacity for Smith, Dibble & Company in Atlanta. He had also worked as a proofreader for The Citizen in Westfield until 1993. Mr. Sosman graduated in 1946 from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He received his certification in traffic engineering from Yale University’s Bureau of Traffic, and acquired federal accreditation in 1947. He was a Corporal in the United States Army during World War II, and served in the weather service in North Africa. Mr. Sosman was a member of the National Railway, the North Jersey Electric Railway and the Jersey Central Railway historical societies. He also was a member of the National Trust of Historic Preservation, the Westfield Historical Society, and the Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee. A memorial service will be held at a time to be arranged by the family.
September 17, 1998
Albert LaFlamme, Jr.
Albert C. LaFlamme, Jr., 41, of Piscataway died on Tuesday, September 8, in the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in New York City. Born in Passaic, he had lived in Westfield before moving to Piscataway in 1987. Mr. LaFlamme was an automobile technician for 11 years with Somerset Tire Service in Green Brook. He served in the United States Marine Corps during peacetime, and was a member of Piscataway American Legion Post No. 261. Surviving are his wife, Jeanette Hooper LaFlamme; a son, Daniel LaFlamme; his mother, Madeline LaFlamme of Tampa, Florida, and three brothers, William LaFlamme of Jupiter, Florida, Michael LaFlamme of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Steven LaFlamme of Cranford. Services were held on Saturday, September 12, at the Piscataway Funeral Home in Piscataway. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Society, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York, 10012.
September 17, 1998
Helen Cavanagh, 97, Was Secretary; Active in Somerville Democratic Club
Julia Di Prospero, 75
Julia L. Di Prospero, 75, of Berkeley Township died on Tuesday, September 8, in the Community Medical Center in Toms River. Born in Newark, she had lived in Scotch Plains and Bridgewater before moving to Berkeley Township in 1986. Mrs. Di Prospero was a member of the First Aid Auxiliary and the Women’s Club, both of the Silver Ridge Park section of Berkeley Township. Surviving are her husband, Nicholas Di Prospero; a son, Robert J. Di Prospero; a daughter, Celeste Fleming; a brother, Frank Messina, and two grandchildren. A Funeral Mass was offered on Saturday, September 12, at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Scotch Plains. Arrangements were under the direction of the Rossi Funeral Home in Scotch Plains.
September 17, 1998
Alfred T. Rexer, 87
Alfred Thomas Rexer, 87, of Garwood died on Monday, September 7, in Union Hospital. Born in Brooklyn, he had lived in Westfield before moving to Garwood in 1968. Mr. Rexer was a plastics engineer and salesman with Petro Technology of Garwood for the past 33 years. He received a degree in civil engineering from the Brooklyn Polytechnical Institute in 1932. He was a 32nd degree member of the Masonic Lodge No. 284 of Free and Accepted Masons in Floral Park, New York, and a member of the Society of Plastic Engineers. Surviving are a daughter, Susan Zaluk; a sister, Anna Rexer; a grandchild and two great-grandchildren. Arrangements were handled by the Gray Funeral Home, 318 East Broad Street in Westfield.
September 17, 1998
Helen M. Cavanagh, 97, of Somerville died on Tuesday, September 8, at the Raritan Health and Extended Care Center in Raritan Borough.
Born in Elizabeth, she had lived in Westfield for 30 years before moving to Somerville in 1957. Mrs. Cavanagh had worked for 25 years as a secretary to the president of the National Maritime Union in New York City before retiring. She was a member of the Somerville Borough Democratic Club, and was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Somerville. She was predeceased by her husband, Edmund F. Cavanagh, in 1980. Surviving are a son, Edmund J. Cavanagh of Somerville; two daughters, Jeanne Beaver of Clark and Helen Koba of Withee, Michigan; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandson. Funeral services were held on Saturday, September 12, at the Immaculate Conception Church in Somerville. Arrangements were handled by the Cusick Funeral Home in Somerville.
September 17, 1998
John MacCormack, Sr., 79, Was Lineman; Decorated Veteran of World War II
Terese A. Roche, 39
Terese “Tracey” A. Roche, 39, of the Neshanic section of Hillsborough died on Wednesday, September 9, in Avon-by-the-Sea. Born in Red Bank, she had lived in Cranford and Westfield before moving to Hillsborough in 1992. Ms. Roche was a 1977 graduate of Westfield High School and had earned an associate’s degree in medical record technology from the Union County Technical Institute in Scotch Plains in 1979. She was an accredited record technician for New Jersey and was a member of the American Health Information Management Association and the Society for Clinical Coding. She was self-employed as a health information management consultant with health care facilities since 1986. From 1985 to 1986, Ms. Roche had worked as a technical supervisor at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick in the medical record department. She was also a former employee of N.J. Pro, a physician review company in East Brunswick. She was predeceased by her father, Christopher Roche, in 1980. Surviving are her mother, Irene Roche of the Neshanic section of Hillsborough, and two sisters, Regina Indyk of Readington Township and Kathy Roche of New York. Services were held on Monday, September 14, at the Mary Mother of God Church in Hillsborough. Arrangements were handled by the Hillsborough Funeral Home in Belle Mead. Donations may be made to The Somerset County ARC, P.O. Box 382, Manville, 08835 or to the Cerebral Palsy Association, 380 Hamilton Boulevard, Piscataway, 08854.
September 17, 1998
Alma R. Hauff, 73
Alma R. Hauffe, 73, of South Plainfield died Friday, September 11, at King James Care Center in Somerset. Born in Plainfield, she had grown up in Brooklyn and moved back to Plainfield before settling in South Plainfield in 1985. She was a homemaker. Surviving are a son, Robert Hauffe of Fanwood; four brothers, Jimmy Burke of Middlesex, John F. Burke of South Plainfield, Oliver L. Burke of Salem, Long Island, New York, and Ernest W. Burke of Merrick, Long Island, New York, and a sister, Shirley Lambert of Lawrenceville. Arrangements were handled by the Higgins Home for Funerals in Plainfield. Donations may be made to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, 08903.
September 17, 1998
Carl Guttenberger, 83, Drove School Bus; Member of Westfield Knights of Columbus
Alvin E. Montgomery, Mason Leader; Former Engineer at Picatinny Arsenal
Ann C. Ritterbush, 68
Ann Correja Ritterbush, 68, of Westfield died on Thursday, September 10. She was the daughter of the late Augusta and Richmond H. Ritterbush. Ms. Ritterbush was educated from kindergarten through high school in the Westfield public schools. She attended Western College in Ohio and Pembroke College in Providence, Rhode Island. While in high school, she became an accomplished equestrian, participating in many equitation events in the northeast, including Madison Square Garden horse shows. She won the Van Sinderen trophy for horsemanship. Ms. Ritterbush pursued a career in ethnic dance, performing in Cuba and in New York City. She had also worked for Handy Associates, a personnel firm in New York City, and at the Woolworth store in Westfield. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Richmond H. Ritterbush, Jr. Interment took place in the family plot in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Arrangements were handled by the Higgins Memorial Home in Freehold.
September 17, 1998
Carl J. Guttenberger, 83, of Rahway, a former longtime Westfield resident, died on Saturday, September 12, in Rahway Hospital. Born in Newark, he had lived in Westfield for 52 years before moving to Rahway in May. Mr. Guttenberger had been a school bus driver for the Vogel Bus Company in Garwood for 20 years, retir
ing in 1992 from the Union Catholic High School route. He had previously worked for General Motors in Linden for 35 years, retiring in 1972 as an electrical inspector. He was a communicant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Scotch Plains. Mr. Guttenberger was a member of the Knights of Columbus Monsignor Watterson Council of Westfield. He was predeceased by his wife, Amelia F. Rubino Guttenberger, in 1996, and by a son, Carl E. Guttenberger, in 1985. Surviving are three daughters, Gertrude Merriam of Napierville, Illinois, Rosemary McRobbie of Napa, California, and Dolores Connell of Rahway; a sister, Helen Mueller of Kenilworth, and six grandchildren. A Funeral Liturgy was held yesterday, Wednesday, September 16, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Interment was at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. Arrangements were handled by the Dooley Colonial Funeral Home, 556 Westfield Avenue in Westfield.
September 17, 1998
Alvin E. Montgomery, 64, of East Orange died on Tuesday, September 8, in the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, he had lived in Scotch Plains before moving to East Orange eight years ago. Mr. Montgomery had been a mechanical engineer at the Picatinny Arsenal in Dover for 38 years before retiring in 1988. He was a 1956 graduate of Tennessee State University in Nashville, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at the university. Mr. Montgomery was a 33rd de
gree mason, a Past Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful King William Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons, a Past Right Worshipful Deputy Grand Master of Grand Lodge, a Right Worshipful Grand Financial Secretary, and a First Lieutenant Commander of the Mohaab Grand Consistory of New Jersey. He was also a member of the Morocco Temple 1 Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine/ Shriners; the Joshua Lodge 8 for more than 30 years; the Queen of Sheeba Order of the Eastern Star, and the Ruth Chapter 2 Order of the Eastern Star, all in Newark, and Minister of State for the General Grand Masonic Congress of the United States. Mr. Montgomery served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. Surviving are his wife, Catherine Montgomery; a daughter, Adrien Van Doimen; two sons, Brian Montgomery and Carl Montgomery; two stepsons, James Glenn and Jamor Glen Glenn; three brothers, William Montgomery, Samuel Montgomery and Clifford Flood, and five sisters, Delores Montgomery, Eileen Montgomery, Audra Davis, Barbara Brown and Althea Kennedy. Services were held on Monday, September 14, in Christ Church of Montclair. Arrangements were handled by the Cotton Funeral Service in Newark.
September 17, 1998
John H. MacCormack, Sr., 79, of South Plainfield died on Thursday, September 10, at home. Born in Irvington, he had lived in
Scotch Plains before moving to South Plainfield 36 years ago. Mr. MacCormack had been a lineman for Bell Atlantic in Summit for 35 years prior to retiring in 1981. He served in the New Jersey National Guard and entered the United States Army in 1940. Mr. MacCormack, who participated in the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded the Bronze Star, was honorably discharged in 1945. He was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local No. 827 of East Windsor. He was predeceased by his wife, Philomena MacCormack, in 1983. Surviving are a daughter, Margaret A. MacCormack of South Plainfield; a son, John H. MacCormack, Jr. of Texas; two brothers, Bruce MacCormack and Stuart MacCormack, both of Point Pleasant, and five grandchildren. Services were held on Monday, September 14, at the McCriskin Home for Funerals in South Plainfield.
September 17, 1998
Westfield Review Announces Addition of Sunday Course
WESTFIELD — Les Jacobsen, Director of Westfield Review, Inc., has announced the addition of another Sunday section of PSAT and SAT preparation. The new section will begin this Sunday, September 20, and run for eight consecutive Sundays between 3 and 6 p.m. According to Mr. Jacobsen, Westfield Review provides area students with comprehensive preparation for the upcoming PSAT and SAT exams. Instruction is provided by experienced Westfield High School English and mathematics teachers, he said. “The demand for our courses has increased beyond our expectations,”
Mr. Jacobsen stated. “Some parents have reserved spots in the classes more than a full year ahead of actually taking the course.” The additional section will offer the students the same level of SAT and PSAT preparation over 24 hours in both verbal and mathematics which is provided in the Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening classes, according to Mr. Jacobsen. “We have a few seats available for this new Sunday afternoon class,” he stated. Individuals interested in reserving a space for this class may call (908) 317-2774.
‘Rough Runners’ Set Course for 5K Race At Intermediate School
WESTFIELD — On Sunday, October 4, the Teddy Roosevelt “Rough Runners” 5K Run will be held at Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield, at 9 a.m. The event will be held rain or shine. Pre-registration, which is non-refundable, is $8 and must be postmarked by Monday, September 28. Same-day registration will cost $10. T-shirts will be available while supplies last. Pickup of race packets and sameday registration will take place from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. No registrations will be taken after 8:45 a.m. The course begins and ends at Roosevelt School and will follow along the paved streets around the school. Water stations will be available along the course. Following the 5K Run, there will be a one-mile Fun Run. Registration is free and all participants will receive a lollipop. For further information or to receive a registration form, please call Race Directors Michelle Aquino or Lou Cerchio at (908) 789-4573 or (973) 887-5234. Forms and checks may be mailed to Roosevelt Intermediate School, 301 Clark Street, Westfield, 07090.
County Officials Discuss Projects at Rotary Club
WESTFIELD — Union County Manager Michael J. Lapolla and Union County Freeholder Mary Ruotolo were the guest speakers at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Westfield. Mr. Lapolla discussed the $285 million county government budget, of which 50 percent is funded by taxes, while the remainder comes from fees and grants. He reported that the economic health of the county is good. Mr. Lapolla also spoke about the county’s Resource Recovery Facility in Rahway, more commonly known as the incinerator, as well as the light rail train system, a new mall and assistance available from the Department of Economic Development. Mrs. Ruotolo spoke about three projects in progress in Union County. They include Access 2000, which provides teacher training in technology plus computers in all classrooms; the Project Pocket Park Program, which promotes the development or improve
ment of parks and playgrounds, and the Heart Grant Program, which includes artists, musicians, theater groups and cultural events. Both guest speakers responded to questions posed by Rotarians as part of their program.
Louise Strobel, 100, Retired Sales Clerk; Had Worked 20 Years for Newark Bakery
Louise E. Strobel, 100, of Ithaca, New York died on Saturday, September 12, at the Kendal-at-Ithaca Taughannock House in Ithaca. Born in Newark, she had lived in Mountainside before moving to Ithaca in 1995. Miss Strobel had been a sales clerk for Munch’s Bakery in Newark for 20 years before retiring in 1947. The bakery was owned by her late brother
in-law, Louis Munch. She had previously worked for the Johnson & Murphy Company in Newark. A Funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, in Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Mountainside. Arrangements are being handled by the McCracken Funeral Home in Union.
September 17, 1998
Circumnavigators Elect Mr. Morasso As Club’s Second VP
WESTFIELD — Alfred Morasso, Jr. was recently named as Second Vice President of the Circumnavigators Club. The club, founded in 1902, is made up of men and women who have circumnavigated the globe. Mr. Morasso, now retired, served as Vice President of the Maritime Overseas Corporation, and spent some 50 years in the shipping industry. The Circumnavigators Club seeks to “encourage global fellowship and understanding,” according to organization spokeswoman Helen H. Jost. It has nine worldwide chapters and has planned several trips abroad.
Matthew R. Dooley
Dooley Funeral Service, Inc.
Caring & Courteous Service to theCranford/Westfield Area Since 1913
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556 Westfield Avenue 233-0255
Joseph F. Dooley Manager
Cranford
218 North Avenue 276-0255
Francis J. Dooley Jr. Manager
– Since 1897 –
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