Joan T. Nelson (nee Murphy), 80, of Sparkill, passed away at home on Saturday, January 19, 2019. Beloved wife of the late Richard J. Nelson. Cherished mother of Joan T. Nelson and her partner Glenn Westman, Richard J. and wife Debi, Kevin and the late Kris. Adored grandmother of William, Jace, Aidan and Lola. Dearest sister of Jeremiah and wife Sandy and the late Mary Wilson, Kathleen Linarello, Patricia McNichols and James Murphy.

Joan was a dental assistant for the Rockland County Health Dept. for many years. She was a parishioner of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church and belonged to the Pearl River Senior Center.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday 11:30 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church with interment to follow at Frederick Loescher Veterans Cemetery, New Hempstead. Visiting hours are Wednesday 5-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joan’s memory may be made to United Hospice of Rockland or the cancer charity of one’s choice.

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Joan C. Gelalia, 58, of Northvale, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019. Beloved wife for 39 years to Anthony C. Gelalia. Devoted mother of Michelle of Northvale, Brian and his wife Jill of Ramsey and Lisa of Northvale. Dear sister of Richard Korner and his wife Blanca of Demarest. Joan will also be missed by her grand dog Calvin and was looking forward to becoming a grandmother in the spring.

Joan had recently retired from Mercedes-Benz in Montvale where she worked for 17 years.

Visiting hours will be Saturday from 2-5 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers donations in Joan’s memory may be made to the Valley Program Foundation for Children with Autism, http://valleyprogramfoundation.com/ .

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Sylvia Marquart (nee Amodeo), 81, of Northvale, passed away on Thursday, January 10, 2019. Beloved wife of the late John.  Cherished mother of Lisa Ingram and husband David, Joanie Milde and husband William and John Marquart.  Adored grandmother of Michael and wife Brittney, Meghan, Matthew and Timothy and great-grandmother of Charlotte and Aubrey.  Dearest sister of Barbara Policastri and husband Joseph, Angela Giancaspro and the late Loretta McKeever.   Also survived by brother-in-law Jon McKeever as well as many loving nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday at 11:30 AM at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale with interment to follow at Tappan Cemetery.

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Donald L, Tripp,age 89.

Don passed away after complications from pneumonia on December 30, 2018. Don was born in Jackson, Michigan to Doris and Carl Tripp in 1929.

He is survived by daughter Julie (John), sons Steven and Peter, grandsons Aleksander, Thor, Sam, and Torvald and one great grandson, Orion. He is predeceased by his parents, and one son Edward.

After high school he served as an officer in the Naval Reserve, worked as a radar operator in CIC and spent time during his service in Santiago, Cuba.

On a family friend’s suggestion who recognized Don’s artistic talent, he applied to and was accepted at Pratt College of Design in NYC. While at Pratt, Don met and married Anne Damhaug, with whom he had four children. He graduated with a Bachelors of Industrial Design degree, and went on to work for Dumont Labs, and then to work for ITT when they were in charge of the Strategic Air Command defense Program data display group. After the Cuban missile crisis Don designed mobile fire training simulators for the Forestry Department. In 1965 Don and his family moved to Pittsburgh to work on the Gettysburg Centennial Museum. He also worked on railroad museums, an information center for 3 Mile Island, and several historical displays for museums. He designed displays for air shows in Paris and England, as well as doing exhibits for Grumman Aeronautics on the F-18.

His last job was working as an exhibit designer in Northvale, NJ where he worked with many different companies like Mercedes Benz, Volvo Peugeot, Ortho Pharmaceutical and many others. Don was a very gifted artist and enjoyed sharing his gift with others. One of the mediums he enjoyed working in was watercolors, and he did several series of beautiful watercolor scenes. He also did many pictures of residences that hang in several NJ homes as a testament to his legacy.

Don Tripp never met a stranger, he was a friend to all. His kindness and compassion were legendary, and even when he was in pain he always wanted to know how you were, before taking care of himself. He hated to impose on anyone. He loved science and science fiction. He also took pictures of every family event, and now the family has a chronological history in pictures. Don loved animals and was compassionate to all creatures big and small. He would call his friends to check on them, especially those that were isolated, sometimes the only phone call they would get.

Don was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Norwood, and sang in the choir, and developed many wonderful friendships over the years. Don will be sorely missed by his family and friends.

A memorial service to be held on January 12th, 2019 at Presbyterian Church in Norwood at 10:00 a.m.

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Deacon Richard G. Hodges, 90, went home to our Lord on Thursday, January 3, 2019.

Richard was a loving husband of 61 years to Vivian Marie Hodges (deceased 2/22/2008), a faithful father to Dawn Marie Hodges and Karen Vanderbeek of Toms River and Mark Richard Hodges of Keyport, and a devoted Grandfather to Matthew Joseph Hodges of Harrington Park and Andrew Richard Hodges of Jersey City.

Richard was a resident of the Old Tappan Community for 61 years and a charter member and Deacon at the St. Pius X Community of Faith. Over the years, Vivian and Dick were very active in the formation and leadership in the Christian Family Movement, Cornerstone and Marriage Preparation ministries at St. Pius X and active participants of the Cursillo retreat program. Richard served as a Merchant Marine during World War II and in the Army during the Korean War.

Deacon Dick was a comfort for those going through difficult times. He had strength of kindness others admired. He held many life rafts for others who waded into the deep end during their journey to faith. Richard wants us all to remember, “When the spirit of Christ in me responds to the spirit in Christ in you, then the ground between us becomes Holy Ground!”

The viewing will be held at Pizzi Funeral Home, Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ from 6-8 PM on Friday January 4, 2018. The funeral mass will be held at St. Pius X Church. 268 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ at 11 AM on Saturday January 5, 2018 with a viewing in the church from 10-11 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations in loving memory of Deacon Dick would be most appreciated to assist with his medical care giving expenses. Please address to: Dawn M Hodges, 33 Saint David Drive, Toms River, NJ 08757.

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Mary Karanikitas (nee Missailidis), 84, of Northvale, passed away on Tuesday,  January 1, 2019.  Though she lived in Northvale for many years, she took great pride in  saying she was raised in Brooklyn. Beloved wife of Konstantinos “Gus”. Loving mother of Sophia Karanikitas of Mount Laurel, NJ and Lukas Karanikitas and wife Kristine of Northvale. Cherished grandmother of Alexander and Lilly Anna. Adored sister of Stephen Missailidis and wife Fay and the late Cleopatra and Alexander. Dearest aunt of Frances and Anthony Ward-Smith, Michael and Kiki Missailidis and Despina and Nektarios Logakis as well as many other loving relatives here in the U.S. and Greece. Beloved honorary grandmother to Nicholas, Courtney and Gavin Cortright.

Mary was a brilliant student in her youth having graduated high school in just 3 years. She was a member of the Northvale Golden Age Club.  Most of all Mary will be remembered for her sweet and gentle nature. 

A Service will be held at Ss. Helen and Constantine Greek Orthodox Church, West Nyack, NY Friday at 12 noon with interment to follow at Tappan Cemetery, Tappan, NY. Visiting hours are Thursday 2-4 and 7-9 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, Northvale (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers donations to “Mass General Hospital -Faustman Research.” Please include “Cure Diabetes Now Fund” in the memo line. 

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Rachel Lerch (nee Milhaupt), of Old Tappan, NJ, formerly of Bergenfield, NJ, passed away at home on Monday, December 31, 2018.

Survived by daughter Ann Lierman of Ringwood and son Robert of New York and grandsons A.J. and Steven and granddaughter Rachel. Husband Clarence Lerch died February 12, 1980. Prior to her marriage was a Deputy Clerk in the Circuit Court in Wisconsin and did court reporting. Married Clarence and lived in St. Louis until 1960 when his company transferred to this area. Since 1974 she was a church organist in many parishes: St. John’s, Bergenfield, St. Pius X, Old Tappan, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Tappan, NY. (Also was organist for many years at Holy Trinity, Newark, Madonna, Ft. Lee, St. Brigid’s, North Bergen and St. Rocco’s, Union City.)

A member of the Catholic Daughters for many years – and their organist. She was very active in three Rosary Societies and organized trips to Broadway Shows for 30 years (sometimes having as many as five buses.) On the Parish Council at St. Pius X for many years and was their Recording Secretary; on the Local Board of Assistance in Old Tappan for many years.

A member of the Old Tappan Golden Age Club and was their secretary for many years. She was in a number of bridge clubs, which she enjoyed very much. A lover of animals – she boarded dogs and cats for many years.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday 10 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart RC Church, Tappan with interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ. Visiting hours will be Thursday 4-7 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rachel’s memory to the Church of St. Francis of Assisi Breadline, 135 West 31st St, NY, NY 10117 or your favorite charity.

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Kevin Peter McGurl, “Wheels”, 61, of Northvale, died December 29, 2018. Beloved son of the late Hugh and Mary McGurl. Cherished brother of Marie Shanahan and partner Veda Andrus, Joan Hostnik and husband Charles and Stephen McGurl and wife Elizabeth. Adored uncle of Ryan, Alyssa, Michael, Emily, Connor, Farrell and Liam, his Godson. He was a great-uncle to Bradley Aodhan McGurl. Also survived by his cousins Pat, Jean, Steve, Ed and Kevin and many cousins in Ireland.

Kevin was a Technical Analyst with Volvo, BMW and Land Rover/Jaguar for over 30 years before retiring in 2015.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Saturday 11 AM at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale.

In lieu of flowers, donations to a veteran’s organization would be greatly appreciated.

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Frank J. Rizzo Jr., 71, formerly of Harrington Park and Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Son of the late Frank Rizzo Sr. and Concetta M. Rizzo. He is survived by daughter Jennifer, son Michael, sister Lorraine Steel, brother Paul Rizzo (and wife Chris) and former wife Donna.

Frank was a retired long time business owner. He was a Thoroughbred Horse owner and an avid fan of Horse Racing. Services will be private. Send condolences to Pizzi Funeral Home, Northvale, NJ.

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Grace T. Gibaldi (nee Ferrante), 94, formerly of Tappan, NY, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 28, 2018. Grace was predeceased by her beloved husband Angelo and her cherished daughter Lee. She is survived by her loving sons; Richard and wife Bunnie of Yorktown, VA, Joseph and wife Catherine of Newport News, VA and Paul and wife Laura of Queensbury, NY. Adored grandmother of Kevin and wife Isabel, Stephen, Lee and husband Brandon, Alison, Tony, Mariana, Damaris, Lucy and Therese and great-grandmother of Colin, Brandon, Anabel, Brody and Lily. Dear sister of Sophia Spinelli and Josephine Jaeger.

Grace was born and raised in Brooklyn. She moved to Tappan in 1960 and lived on the same street for the next 44 years blessed with many wonderful neighbors, friends and acquaintances. She was a devoted parishioner of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church and long time member of the Altar Rosary Society. A loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and dedicated homemaker, she was a gifted cook and enjoyed preparing meals for family, friends, and guests.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, January 5 at 10 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Tappan with interment to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY. Visiting hours are Friday 2-4 & 7-9 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale, NJ (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers, donations in Grace’s memory may be made to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, 120 Kings Highway, Tappan, NY 10983.

www.pizzifuneralhome.com