John Piazza, 89, of Northvale, NJ, passed away on Sunday, August 30, 2020. He was born November 24, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York of parents Quirino and Mary Piazza.  He was the youngest of six siblings.  John worked for the City of New York Highway Department and Construction and also played music in the city for many years.

John and his wife Marie move to Northvale in 1969 where they entertained many people with their musical talents in the Tri-State area.  He was considered not only a friend to many but also to our local churches where he and his wife Marie, daughter Selena and son-in-law Tom Giuliano reached the hearts and souls of so many people.  He will be missed but his spirit will live on.

John is survived by his wife Marie, son John Jr. (late daughter-in-law Barbara Piazza), daughter Selena (late son-in-law Tom Giuliano), grandson Brian, sister-in-law Nancy Lombardo, nephew Joseph Lombardo and step granddaughters Brynn and Kerry.

Visiting hours are Tuesday, September 1 from 5-7 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050). A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday, September 2 at 10 AM at Our Lady of Victories RC Church, Harrington Park.

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John J. Peterson, Jr., 79, of Emerson, passed away suddenly in the presence of his loving wife on Thursday, August 20, 2020. Devoted husband of Marie Rose (nee Frassa). Loving father of John III of Emerson, Michael and his wife Odessa of Washington, NJ, Johanna Bargisen and her husband Scott of Northvale and Anthony and his wife Melissa of Englewood. Proud grandfather of Scott Jr., Eric, Jenna, Courtney and Nicholas and great-grandfather of Rylinn. Dear brother of Norman and the late Ronald, Douglas and Lorraine. Cherished son of the late John Sr. and Valerie of Piermont, NY. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

John was a US Navy Veteran of the Vietnam War. He also served his community as police officer for 26 years for the Alpine Police Dept., achieving rank of Sergeant. He belonged to PBA Local 399 and the NJ Honor Legion. John was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and enjoyed fishing, cooking,  trips to Disney World and time spent at his Florida home.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, August 31, 2020 at 10 AM at Our Lady of Victories RC Church, Harrington Park with interment to follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Tenafly. Visiting hours are Sunday 2-6 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or Shriners Hospital for Children in John’s memory.

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Elaine M. Amorosso, 81, of Northvale, passed away at home on Monday, August 24, 2020. Beloved wife of 62 years of Charles S. Amorosso. Cherished mother of Charles L. Amorosso and wife Diane of Northvale, NJ, Maria Amorosso of Middletown, NY, Debora Campanelli of River Vale, NJ and Lorelie DiMarco and husband Nick of Tappan, NY. Proud grandmother of Charles J. Amorosso and wife Julia, Anthony Campanelli, Brittany Francisco and husband Michael, Richard Campanelli, Alexandra DiMarco, Gregory Amorosso, Christina Campanelli and Joseph DiMarco and great-grandmother of Michael, Matthew and Charlotte.

Elaine was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend who was always there for her family.  “Gram” as her family affectionately called her, had a smile for all and made time for everyone. 

Visiting hours are Friday 4-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale (201-767-3050).

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, August 29 at 9:30 AM at St. Anthony’s RC Church., Northvale with interment to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY.

In lieu of flowers donations to the Northvale Fire Department would be appreciated.

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Epstein, Max, age 94 passed away peacefully on August 15, 2020 at home surrounded by his family. Beloved husband of Francis (nee Romito)of 67 years. 

Born on November 13, 1925 in Englewood New Jersey to Augusta and Angelo Epstein. Loving father of Jerene Lambregste and husband Keith of Park Ridge, June Murphy and husband Brian of Oradell and Judy Murphy and husband Eugene of Old Tappan. He was the adored grandfather of Katrina Washnik and husband Nick, Patrick Murphy and fiancée Colette Biggie, Erick Lambregste, Alexis Murphy, Haley Murphy, Courtenay Murphy, Ana Murphy and great grandfather to Lucas. Eight brothers and sisters predeceased him.Dave, Louis, Vinnie, Sal, Nathan, Harry, Sadie and Rose are now together again.Nieces, nephews and friends will also miss Max dearly. 

Max was a proud veteran of the US Navy and served in World War II. Prior to retiring he was a general contractor, landscaper and worked in the structured cabling industry. 

Max was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. Max loved the game of golf and played till the age of 89. Max was also a fan of the NY Yankees, Giants, and Boxing and loved a good game of cards with friends and family. His other great love was ice cream!

We will surely miss his sarcasm, soft demeanor and silent laughs. He will be deeply missed and forever loved. 

Funeral services are private. He will be buried with full honor guard at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Cemetery in Arneytown, New Jersey

Doris Emily Lauder, 87, of Piermont, NY, passed away at home on August 15, 2020 surrounded by her family.  Left to honor and remember her are three daughters, Lynn Garcia, Cindy Lauder, Diane Shovlin and her husband, Terry.  Adored by the grandchildren she loved, “Gram” leaves behind Kelly, David, Christina, Charles, John, Jennifer, Julie, Daniel, his wife, Abby, and their son, Colby.     

Doris is the daughter of the late John and Amelia Dapper, and sister of the late John Dapper.  She was married to her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, David W. Lauder, for 42 years until his passing in 1996.  Doris always referred to herself as a “Jersey Girl.”  Formerly of Dumont, Oradell, and River Vale, she was an honor student at Dumont High School, and co-captain of the cheerleading squad.  For 56 years, she was chairperson of her high school reunion committee.  Her outgoing personality and generous nature won her friends for a lifetime, whom she has cherished since childhood. 

Mom lived life to the fullest.  She traveled extensively, and made new friends wherever she went.  Until her illness last year, she had been a volunteer for many years at what was originally Pascack Valley Hospital’s Thrift Shop, as well as being an active member of the Piermont Seniors.  Since moving to her condo in 2010, Mom became the “pet sitter” in her building.  She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her four legged friends.  Mom also enjoyed playing  cornhole, board and card games with family and friends.  She was quite skilled at Rummikub, winning most games, even beating her grandchildren. 

Mom was the best house guest, with more energy than most.  If something needed mending, cleaning or organizing, it was done before she left.  Our friends would ask if they could borrow her!  Whatever you needed, Mom always had a spare.  Whenever you needed her, she was always there to help.  Mom was central to our family, and content to be surrounded by those she loved.  Our hearts are sore.  We miss her more each day.          

 A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday at 11:00 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart RC Church, Tappan, NY, with interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ.  In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to her grandson’s foundation, www.soldiersforwildlife.org, or Tomorrows Children’s Fund at Hackensack Medical Center

Michael J. Mazur, 54, of Congers, NY, passed away on Monday, August 3, 2020 after a long battle with illness.  Beloved husband of Deborah (nee Negri). Loving father of Michael, Anthony, and Joseph.   Michael is predeceased by his father, Frank Mazur. Also survived by many loving relatives and friends.

Michael was born on June 15, 1966 and grew up in Pearl River, NY. He attended Pearl River HS Class of 1984. Mike was a proud member of the Pirate’s Football Team. He was also an integral member of the 1984 PRHS Baseball Team that were Section Nine Champions! They were inducted into the PRHS Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

After receiving a Bachelor Degree in Marketing from Pace University, he worked for many years at Advanced Distribution Systems, (ADS) in management. Michael also worked at UPS, where he devoted many nights to this company.

Michael loved to vacation with his wife and sons. He enjoyed sports and was a big Mets and Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He also loved to watch his sons play sports, and was there for them. Michael will be missed.

Per Covid restrictions, a private memorial will be held at a future date.

Wilbert Oswald Hemans, fondly known as “Bertie”, was born on January 8, 1937 in Blue Mountain District, Manchester, Jamaica, West Indies.  To parents David Henry Hemans, a successful farmer, and his wife Ida Beatrice Hemans, a homemaker.  He was the beloved brother to his sister, Dolores Elizabeth “Dol” Hemans, whom he fiercely loved and protected.

                He received his early education at Belfield Elementary School then attended Clarendon College.  Upon graduation, he worked at Bauxite Mining Company, where he gained his first exposure to physics and chemistry.  He migrated to the United States in 1963 where he attended Fordham University in New York while working at American Express.  He then worked with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, where he participated in the development of the nozzle NASA used for their rocket ships.  After Pfizer relocated, Bert transitioned to Technicon, which was later acquired by Bayer Corporation, where he was a research scientist.

                In 1967, he married Hillary Alwyn Graham, his wife of 53 years, whose union produced three beloved children, Wayne St. John, Tonya Dorothea and Kimberlynn Nanaesi.

                Upon retirement, he and Hillary relocated to Miramar, Florida where he resided until his death.  He spent his retirement years as a surrogate father and grandfather figure to extended family and new friends whom now mourn the loss of their “Uncle Bert”.

                A spiritual man, he would always start his day reading scripture and a devotional.  He attended Christ the Rock Church in Cooper City.

                Bertie loved life to the fullest.  An avid sports enthusiast and a former athlete, Bertie loved tennis, bowling, fishing and soccer.  He loved all genres of music and had an extensive collection of records.

                Although we now mourn our loss, we can just imagine his joy being in the arms of our loving God and Savior and the host of angels.  Sleep on now and take your rest Bertie.  Continue to enjoy the heavenly music until we met again.

                Bert is survived by his wife, Hillary Hemans, son Wayne Hemans and his wife Patricia, Tonya Hemans and Kimberlynn Hemans and her fiancé Marco Martinez; his sister, Dolores “Dol”; brother-in-law, Dr. Lascelve Graham, sister-in-law, Yvonne Graham, grandchildren Raymond, Rayvon, Adrian and Meghan; many cousins, other relatives and a host of friends, among them the Clarendon College brothers and sisters.

https://boxcast.tv/channel/wilbert-oswald-hemans-funeral-service-378587

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Educator, Dog Lover and Devoted Daughter, Mother and Nana, 98

Dr. Virginia M. McCauley, 98, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 9, 2020.

Virginia is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Dr. Diane Fellows (former Principal in Franklin Lakes, NJ and Superintendent of Schools in Alpine, NJ) and George Fellows of Jupiter, FL; her grandson Brian Orlando and his wife Andrea Orlando; her grandson Justin Orlando and his wife Minna Rhee of New York, NY; her granddaughter Julie Fellows Crow of Marietta, GA; her granddaughter Dana Fellows of Ft. Lee, NJ; and her Great-Grandchildren Lily, Michael, Sophia and Sebastian Orlando of New York, NY and Tyler and Evan Crow of Marietta, GA.

Virginia was born on October 14, 1921 in Brooklyn, NY. She grew up in Queens, NY.  She was married to Joseph A. McCauley, Sr. with whom she had two children, Joseph and Diane. She married a second time to William Cook in 1998.

She received a BA in English from Hunter College, an MA in Education from Queens College and an EdD in Education from Fordham University. She taught at Meadowbrook Elementary School on Long Island. She moved to Palisades NY in 1963 and began teaching English at Spring Valley High School and Ramapo High School. After retiring from Ramapo High School in 1993, she taught at Fordham University and St. Thomas Aquinas College.

She remained incredibly active in the community throughout her life. She was a member of the Northern New Jersey German Shepherd Dog Club where she showed her prize-winning German Shepherds. She was also on the Library and Senior Citizens Committees in Palisades, NY.  She never lost the desire to teach and continued tutoring writing and composition into her 90’s. She was an active member at the St. John’s Church in Piermont NY, singing in the choir and participating in religious and community events. Virtual funeral services will be held at St. John’s (stjohnspiermont.org) at 10:30am on Wednesday, August 12^th. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. John’s Church for the Dr. Virginia M. McCauley Fund for Education.  

Charles Victor Wetli, 76, of Alpine, New Jersey, passed away on July 28, 2020 after a short but valiant struggle with lung cancer.

Born in 1943 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Charles spent his early childhood in Green Bay until his parents moved to Manhasset, NY.  Even as a boy in high school, he knew he wanted to become a physician someday.  He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1965 where he majored in chemistry and then went on to pursue a medical degree at St. Louis University. 

As a result of the United States Berry Plan,  Charles was able to defer military service during the Vietnam War era until after he graduated from medical school and completed the majority of his residency in pathology.  Charles served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Laboratory Pacific in Japan, as the Chief of Pathology.

Upon return  to the United States after military service, Charles embarked upon a career dedicated to forensic pathology.  He spent nearly twenty years in the Dade County, Florida Medical Examiner’s Office and then over a decade as the Chief Medical Examiner for Suffolk County, New York.  As a pioneer in the field of forensic pathology, he authored numerous articles in medical journals, as well as several books. The trajectory of  his career in forensic medicine coincided with dawn of the era of the use of scientific evidence to solve complex crimes, and unexplained deaths.  As a result of his training, vast experience, and ability to clearly articulate his findings, he was able to aid many law enforcement agencies and attorneys throughout the nation.  Always valuing education, he taught at the University of Miami School of Medicine and then at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  He has left a lasting impact as a mentor to hundreds of young pathologists throughout the country.

Of all of his many accomplishments, he was most proud of his family.  His wife, Geetha, was the love of his life.  Together, they were able to travel the world, spending time in places as exotic as Vietnam, Cambodia, the Galapagos Islands, Morocco, and Machu Pichu. Although, in reality, it did not matter where he travelled as long as he was with his precious Geetha. A voracious reader, he was rarely found without a book in hand. He treasured spending time with his seven grandchildren and was the most involved grandfather one can imagine. 

Charles was predeceased by his parents, Mary (nee Carriveau) and Cletus Wetli.  He is survived by his wife, Geetha; his children, Cletus, Carla (Philip), Kavita (Sean) and Vikram (Danielle); and his grandchildren, Luke, James, Nathan, Elizabeth, William, Julia and Caroline.

Due to the restrictions placed on public gatherings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a private funeral will be held.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the National Park Foundation.  https://give.nationalparks.org/site/Donation

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Anthony August Piano (July 26, 1926 – July 20, 2020), known as Tony Piano to friends and colleagues, passed away just shy of his 94th birthday. His death was caused by cardiac arrest likely the result of the congestive heart failure that developed only a month earlier; prior to this, Tony lived an extremely healthy life. A firm believer in nutrition and vitamin supplements, Tony was never ill until he developed pneumonia at 91 years old. And even then, he recovered quickly, remaining limber and energetic until shortly before his death at nearly 94.

Tony had a sharp mind and quick wit until the bitter end.  With a career spanning radio, television, the music industry, theater, publishing, and advertising, Tony worked as a music director, lyricist, composer, A&R man, musician, playwright, creative director, magazine Editor, and copywriter.  He was also a proficient astrologer, and used his mathematical expertise to create a novel numeric system for chart interpretation. Over the years, he did thousands of charts and amassed  enough material for a book that he never got around to writing.

Anthony August Piano was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.  His parents were 1st generation Italian-Americans, and English was the only language spoken in his home. Anthony had a natural aptitude for languages, however, and became fluent in French, Latin and Russian, attending St. Michael’s Diocese High School in Brooklyn and graduating at the top of his class.  During Word War II, Tony was accepted into the Navy’s prestigious V12 college training program, and was sent to Princeton, and later Harvard University. Tony graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in English, with a concentration in Shakespearean free verse. He used this skill to write poems and sonnets throughout his life, as well as the book and lyrics for a musical comedy (“Chantecler”) written entirely in Shakespearean free verse. Also while at Harvard, Tony played trumpet in a jazz ensemble that featured Jack Lemmon on piano.

Shortly after college, Tony worked as a music director at ABC radio for “Your Dancing Party,” a live 2-hour show featuring big band music, and was discovered by the Head of A&R at Columbia Records, none other than Mitch Miller.  Mitch hired Tony as an A&R rep for Columbia, where his key focus was helping to develop new talent; nevertheless, Tony also helped to launch the iconic TV program, “Sing Along with Mitch.”  During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Tony worked with musical acts such as Art & Paul, Tony Romeo, The Four Voices, Buzz Clifford, and Chubby Checker.  Also during this time period, Tony teamed up with his cousin the composer Michael Colicchio, and wrote several songs recorded by Columbia artists: “On a Merry-Go-Round” (Percy Faith & His Orchestra), “Mickey My Love” (Paul Evans), “Annie B is Gone” (Ronnie Chapman), “The Beatnick Bounce” (The Beats), and last but not least, “Cherie,” and “The Story of Our Love” (Johnny Mathis).  

While at ABC, Tony met Anne Claudia Grassi, and says he immediately knew she was the perfect partner for him.  They married in 1954 and later brought Mark Michael, Claudia Anne, and Jane Maria into the world. Sadly, Anne passed away from lung cancer in 2016.

In 1964 Tony embarked on a personal project for his young children, a musical fable based on the popular television show “Diver Dan.” The project culminated in the LP record, “Diver Dan and the Bermuda Onion,” featuring the voices of improv maestro Del Close and TV personality Kay Lande (of “Birthday House” fame), as well as Columbia artists Tony Romeo, Buzz Clifford, and Tony Piano himself playing 3 of the characters. Although distribution of the album was so limited it never achieved commercial success, the story was engaging enough and the songs catchy enough to charm 3 generations of children who were lucky enough to listen to it.

In the mid-1960s, Tony left the music industry and became an advertising copywriter. He said this decision was fueled by his wife’s request that he spend more time at home with his children and less time on the road.  Tony started out at Madison Avenue agencies, creating award-winning campaigns for IBM and Lysol, among others, then launched a boutique ad agency in Tappan NY with partners Elliot Leader and Dick Perlstein (Leader, Pearlstein & Piano). Being a business owner was not Tony’s thing, however, so that venture was short-lived.

Tony shifted gears and tried the publishing business in the late 70s, when a former client hired him to launch “Identity,” a quarterly magazine focused on the Italian-American experience. As Editor-in-Chief, Tony got to select content for each issue and even wrote a series of articles about Brooklyn. The magazine only lasted a year before it was re-purposed and sold to another publisher, and Tony decided it was time to focus on finishing the musical he’d been writing with his cousin Michael.

In 1981 “Chantecler, A Musical Fable in Two Acts with book and lyrics by Anthony Piano and music by Michael Collichio” previewed for 3 weeks on Broadway. Critics and potential producers were invited to attend and asked for constructive feedback. The show was very well-received, and a group of producers agreed to back a full-scale re-launch of the show on Broadway, provided Tony and Michael make some suggested revisions to the play. Unfortunately, the play never got produced because Tony was never quite satisfied with the revised version. Many years later, after his cousin Michael had passed away, Tony said his greatest regret in life was that he didn’t “just sit down with Michael and finish the damn show!”

Later in the 1980s, Tony started Thinking Systems Inc., a one-man copywriting shop where he wrote for various clients until he retired at 91 years old!  Tony found that he had a real knack for direct-mail copywriting, and was never without work during the 35+ years he was self-employed. During those years, Tony worked in an office he’d set up in his family home in Airmont, NY, where, he discovered, he was truly happiest.

Despite his remarkable life, if you were to ask Tony what he considered his most important role to be, he’d tell you that it was “being Jane Piano’s father.” Tony’s youngest child Janie had developmental disabilities and her life was very challenging, but she was also an evolved soul who exuded joy and love to everyone she met.  Tony adored Janie and derived great happiness from cooking her favorite meals, taking her out to restaurants and shows, taking her swimming in the pool, telling her stories, making her laugh, and just doing things that made her happy. After Janie passed away in 2011, Tony said he no longer feared death, because he knew that when he died, he’d get to be with her again.

After growing up in Brooklyn, Tony lived in 2 other NY boroughs after he married Anne—Queens, and The Bronx. But it was New Jersey where Tony spent much of his adult life.  He and Anne bought a house in Closter, NJ, where they raised their 3 kids, then moved slightly north to Rockland County, NY (Airmont) in 1995. They were fortunate to have their son Mark looking after them in their later years, particularly when they could no longer drive. After Anne passed away, and with his eyesight failing, Tony agreed in 2017 that it might be time to retire, sell the house in NY, and move to Charleston, SC with his daughter Claudia and son-in-law Michael.

In 2019, Tony made the big move to South Carolina with Claudia and Mike. Tony liked everything about the Charleston area, and every time he left the house, he noted that it was the cleanest and friendliest place he’d ever been! He always remarked on the abundance of trees, plants, and flowers all year round, and he found the warm climate to his liking. Tony considered his son-in-law Mike to be one of his best friends, and they had lots of fun together, especially singing and telling stories over breakfast every day, right up until the very end. On Monday July 20, Tony passed away at home, in his own bed, which is just how he would have wanted it.

Tony is survived by his son Mark, his daughter Claudia, his son-in-law Mike Dryden, his niece Maryanne Neddenien, and his nephews Bob and Andrew Brady.

There will be a funeral service for Anthony Piano at Pizzi Funeral Home in Northvale, NJ on Saturday September 5, 2020 at 10am, followed by a mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church at 11am. Tony’s cremains will be laid to rest near his daughter Jane at The Garden of Memories in Paramus NJ.

Those who wish can watch a livestream of the wake and funeral mass through the following link:

https://boxcast.tv/channel/anthony-august-piano-memorial-mass-477495