Gertrude Kersting (nee LeCount), 99, of Dumont, NJ, formerly of the Bronx, passed away on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Joseph Kersting, Sr. Loving mother of Joseph Kersting, Jr. and his wife Margaret, Irene Delalla and her husband Paul and Kevin Kersting. She was the proud and cherished grandmother of eleven grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Dearest sister of the late John, William and Warren.

Gertrude was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She was a secretary for many years in Englewood and was reportedly the first female bank teller in the United States during WWII.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 10 AM at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale, NJ with interment to follow at Tappan Cemetery, Tappan, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Calvary Hospice, www.calvaryhospice.org, would be greatly appreciated.

Stanley Matthews, 92, of Harrington Park, passed away at home surrounded by the love of his family on Sunday, March 19, 2023. Beloved husband of Niki (nee Papadimitriou). Cherished father of Sam and his wife Anastasia, Katherine DeGruccio and husband Charles and Allison Orecchio and husband Thomas. Proud grandfather of Matthew, Anthony, Niko, Athena, Stella, Niki, Steele, Alex and Phoebe. Loving brother of Petros andwife Maria, Stavros and wife Joanne, Potula Georgoutsos, Evangelia Traintafilakos and the late Efstratios, Elias and Spyros. Dear brother-in-law of Vasiliki, Angeliki, Kiki and the late Panos and Kyriakos. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and other loving relatives and friends.

Stanley was a Greek immigrant from Sparta, Greece who epitomized the American Dream. He was a restaurateur whoowned and operated Matthews Diner and restaurants in Bergen County. He was a member of the Pan Gregorian Restaurant Cooperative and a parishioner of St. John the Theologian G.O. Church in Tenafly. He founded the Greek Children’s Fund in 1983 and was a proud recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and recognized for his many philanthropic and civic works. Above all, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Visiting hours are Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 4-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale. A Funeral Service will be held Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 10 AM at St. John the Theologian G.O Church, Tenafly with interment to follow at Brookside Cemetery, Englewood.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Greek Children’s Fund, PO Box 541500, Flushing, NY 11354 or St. John the Theologian, 353 E. Clinton Ave, Tenafly, NJ 07670 would be greatly appreciated.

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Raúl R. Ruiz, 73, of Waldwick, NJ, formerly of the Bronx, passed away on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. He is survived by his loving daughters; Amanda Ruiz, Heather Wall and her husband Eric, and Kimberlin Ruiz.  Cherished grandfather of Dale and Abby. Loving brother of Carmen Ruiz. He is also survived by many other loving relatives and friends.

Known to many close to him as “Paco”, Raúl was an MRI and X-Ray Technician for over 30 years at Pascack Valley Hospital until it closed, and thereafter worked at Clara Maas Medical Center.  Raúl was born in Puerto Rico, where he spent summers as a child.  Raúl enjoyed watching most (if not all) sports, and always had an opinion as to how the teams played and what they should do next time.  He was a loyal fan to the New York Jets and New York Yankees.  Raúl never missed an opportunity to tell anyone about a new place to eat they should try, and would travel near and far for his favorite restaurants.  

He was a devoted father and grandfather.  He will be missed.

Visiting hours are Sunday, March 26, 2023 from 10 AM – 12 Noon at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Raúl’s memory may be made to the American Heart Association.

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Renee Polce (nee Canton Baccara), 93, of Harrington Park, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Victor T. Polce. Cherished mother of Victor M. Polce and his fiancé Rebecca Baxter. Loving grandmother of Jackie and her husband David, Stephen and Veronica and great-grandmother to Chase and Brooks. Dearest sister of the lateLuccetta and Nini. Also survived by her Godson, Robert Gaulin,wife Patti and many cherished relatives and friends.

Renee was a hairdresser for both A&S and Henri Bendel in New York City for many years before retiring.  She was a devoted parishioner of St. Pius X Church and loved to travel with her husband Victor, especially to her native France.

Visiting hours are Friday, March 17, 2023 from 5-7 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ.  A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 10 AM at St. Pius X Church, Old Tappan, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, www.globaldownsyndrome.org, would be greatly appreciated.

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Michael A. Verdicchio, 62, of Maywood, NJ, formerly of Hackensack, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. He was predeceased by his loving parents, Dominick and Marie, his brother Carmine and his sister Marie Orsini. Michael is survived by his loving brothers; Anthony and wife Rosemary, Joseph, Gerald and wife Debra and Frank. He was also the long-time boyfriend of Gladys Mosley, the cherished uncle of many nieces and nephews and a dear relative and friend to many others.

Michael was born with many health problems but despite that he was always fun-loving with a great sense of humor. Michael loved to be the life of the party and always had his family and friends laughing with his funny words and comments.  Michael’s famous WAH WAH is something he will forever be remembered for!  He loved his family dearly and will be missed by all who knew him.

Visiting hours are Sunday, March 12, 2023 from 2-6 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Michael’s memory may be made to The Lake Drive School for the Deaf, 10 Lake Drive, Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 (973) 299-0166.

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Anne L. Soto, 102, of Tappan, NY, passed away at home on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Humberto. Cherished mother of John  and Stephan Soto. Proud grandmother of Clayton and Nick Soto. Loving sister of the late Josephine LaCalamita. Beloved aunt to Cira and Rocco Calabrese , Cathy Thompson , Jack and Bonny  LaCalamita and Michael LaCalamita along with Great Aunt to Sal , Richard and Christopher . 

Anne was a teaching assistant for the South Orangetown School District for over 20 years, Above all, she was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and will be dearly missed. Everyone who knew her Loved her . 

Visiting hours are Monday, March 6, 2023 from 5-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 10:30 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart RC Church, Tappan with burial to follow at Tappan Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Anne’s memory may be made to st. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, the American Red Cross, www.redcross.org or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, www.t2t.org.

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John Patrick Flynn, “Jack”, 85, of Orangeburg, NY, passed away on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Beloved husband of Anne Marie (nee Strelkoff). Loving father of John C. and wife Gale, Mark and wife Jill, Eric and fiancé Tracy and Stephen and wife Audrey. Proud grandfather of Abigail, Bridget, Theresa, Sydney and husband Alex, Jack and fiancé Becca, Siobhan and husband Jesse, Aidan, Deirdre, Harrison, Arden and Olivia. Dear brother of the late Raymond and Mary. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Jack was a US Army Veteran.  He was a member of the American Legion James H. Anderson Post 1199 in Orangeburg. John retired from AT&T and then worked many years at NYU.

Visiting hours are Friday, March 3, 2023 from 3-7 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 10 AM at St. Catharine’s Church, Blauvelt with burial to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Jack’s memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.

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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved sister Anne, or as we lovingly called her-Tootie, a nickname given to her by our father. Tootie was born on December 22nd, 1961 to Maude and James Nolan in Queens NY.
When she was 2 yrs old, the family moved to Blauvelt NY. Tootie grew up there and graduated from Tappan Zee High school in 1980. She then went on to attend Rockland Community College where she earned a degree in nursing.
Tootie was an LPN and worked at Nyack Hospital for many years and than went into the private sector as a home health aide.
In 1984, Tootie married her sweetheart Teddy Schultze and they settled in Campbell Hall NY.  
Tootie and Teddy were soulmates who did everything and went everywhere together. They especially enjoyed spending their summers at Sand Beach at Highland Lake in NY
Tootie is predeceased by her Husband Teddy and her mother Maude and her father James.
She is survived by her (5) brothers-Thomas (Judi), Danny (Laura), Jimmy(Debbie), Johnny (Jeanine) and Patrick (Vanessa) -her (4) nieces-Kelly, Lesley, Melissa and Mia- her (6) nephews-Christopher, James, Nicholas, Kyle, Brian and Collin as well and many cousins and friends.
Our sister was a kind hearted soul and we will miss her.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday March 9th, 2023 from 7pm till 9pm at the Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ 07647.

Bruce G. Luzzi, Sr., 69, a lifelong resident of Norwood, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. He was the beloved father of Michelle Rochford and her husband Richard and the late Bruce S. Luzzi, Jr. Dear brother of George Luzzi, Robert Luzzi and Douglas Chyhai, and was predeceased by his twin brother Gregory. Loving uncle of Michael Luzzi.

Visiting hours are Saturday 9-11 AM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM at the funeral home with burial to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY.

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Hneineh Madkour, 93, of Saddle Brook, NJ, formerly of Weehawken, NJ and Bethel, CT, passed away on Friday, February 24, 2023. She was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the daughter of Yousef and Saide Abou Samra.

Beloved wife of the late Najeeb “James” Madkour. Devoted mother of Samir Madkour and his wife Violette, Antoine and his wife Rose, Sabah and her late husband Sami Chammas, Kamil Madkour and his wife Diane, Ghassan and his wife Nicole and the late Ibrahim Madkour. Cherished grandmother of Rima, Raymonda, Jack, Samir, Sarah, Sandra, Steven, Alijah, Nadia, Cale, Preston, Lincoln and great-grandmother of Sasha, Christoper, Alexandra, Madelyn, Giuliana, Nicholas, Crystal, Danielle, Mia, Azzat, Noah, Zayn and Mazin.  

She had a passion for all things to do with cooking and feeding her loved ones. Nothing made her happier than gathering with her beloved family and friends, all of whom will miss her zest for life dearly.

The family will gather at St. Anthony Maronite Church, 17 Granville Ave, Danbury, CT on Saturday at 9 AM. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 AM. Interment will follow at St. Peter Cemetery, Danbury, CT.

www.pizzifuneralhome.com