August “Gus” D’Ercole, 86, former Mayor of Norwood passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Beloved husband of 64 years to Gloria (nee Marino) Devoted and loving father and father-in-law of Denise and Vincent Rinaldi, Deborah and Kenneth de Graaf and Suzanne and Ray DeBiasa. Cherished grandfather of Kristin Rinaldi-Favaloro and her husband Jojo, Danielle Rinaldi-Guiterrez and her husband Christopher, Vincent Rinaldi and his wife Alison, Daniel de Graaf and his wife Anna, Ashley de Graaf-Buckley and her husband Brian, Christy de Graaf-Plescia and her husband David, Raymond and Christopher DeBiasa. Proud great-grandfather of Christopher, Giuseppe, Gianna, Cole, Francesca, Vinny and Joseph.

Gus was predeceased by his sisters Adeline DiRienzo, Josephine Maschi, Phyllis Prodigo and Lucy Lissi. Survived by his beloved sisters and brothers Marie DiBlasio, Anna Fleury, Carolyn Everson, Lawrence, Frankie, John and Joey D’Ercole, their families and all of his many nieces and nephews.

The proud son of Carmela (nee Grassi) and Frank D’Ercole, Gus worked from the young age of 8 on a farm which he would eventually turn into D’Ercole Farm and Garden Center in Norwood. Everyone knew “The Farm” where customers would walk in as strangers and leave as family.

His love for Norwood naturally led him to become active politically. Gus served as a councilman for 3 years, the Board of Adjustment for 15 years, the Planning Board for 20 years and ultimately Mayor where he proudly served for 20 years.

A gentleman in every sense of the word, Gus was admired and loved by many. He will be greatly missed by all that knew him. 

Due to the current world health crisis, funeral services are private. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

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Frances Pedoto (nee Battaglia), 90, of Norwood, passed away on Monday, March 30, 2020. Beloved wife of the late James “Puffy” Pedoto. Cherished mother of Elaine Danno and husband Paul of Norwood and Janice Perfetto and husband John, also of Norwood. Dearest sister of the late Mary Marini, Josephine Cambareri and Anthony Battaglia. She is also survived by many other loving relatives and friends.

Frances was a devoted wife and mother and enjoyed cooking for her family. She retired from Fleming H. Revell Publishing Co. in Old Tappan and later volunteered her time at the Buckingham Rehab in Norwood. She was also a parishioner of Immaculate Conception RC Church in Norwood.

Due to the current health crisis, a memorial mass will be celebrated in her memory at a later date.

Those who wish may make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.

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Peter Dowd, 91, born December 5, 1928 in Lislea, County Longford, Ireland, formerly of Woodside, NY, passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Beloved husband of the late Mary. Loving father of Anne and husband Kevin O’Brien, Peter and wife Margaret and Caroline and husband Vincent Mongelli.  Adored grandfather of Roán, Niall, Declan, Maebh, Jack and Nora. Dearest brother of the late John Joseph Dowd and Patrick Dowd.

Before retiring, Peter worked for the NYC Board of Education. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus in Woodside.

Due to the current health crisis, a memorial service will be celebrated at a later date.

Those who wish may make donations in Peter’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

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Simone Evans (nee Filiatrault), 95, formerly of Harrington Park and Westwood, passed away on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Simone was predeceased by her husbands, Philippe Sirois and William Evans, her sister Jeanne Gauthier, her son Mario Sirois, and son-in-law Mark Randall.   She is survived by her children, Claude Sirois and wife Barbara, Jocelyne Glielmi and husband Carmine, Jr., Michele Randall and Norman Sears, as well as her daughter-in-law Josephine Sirois and longtime family friend Kathy Hill.  Cherished grandmother of Jennifer (Howard), Laura (Timothy), Christopher (Stacy), Eric, Daniel (Christina), Amy, Brian (Kaitlyn), Sean, Jessica and Max. Great Grandmother of Samantha, Brayden, Riley, Amanda, Haley, Kyleigh, Leo, Dean and Asher.   

Besides being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Simone worked for SMA Fathers in Tenafly for 13 years. She loved to crochet, loved animals and enjoyed music, arts and crafts.

Due to the current health restrictions, the funeral will be private. A memorial mass will be celebrated at a later date.

Those who wish may make a donation in Simone’s memory to Dementia Society of America.

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  Carole A. Tortorici (nee Knudsen) of Norwood, entered eternal life on March 28, 2020. Beloved wife of Victor. Born and raised in Jersey City, NJ to the late Harry & Rose Knudsen. After graduating from Dickenson High School, Carole worked for Chemical Bank in NYC, where she met her husband. They eventually married at St. Nicholas Church in Jersey City on Oct. 16^th, 1965. Resided in Lodi, Brooklyn and Jersey City before settling in Ridgefield to raise their children Marisa and Charles. Loved and adored by their spouses Gary Mickiewicz and Dawn Tortorici, as well as her loving grandchildren Daniel, Ali (Mickiewicz) and Jocelyn (Tortorici). Also survived by her sister Margaret Knudsen and her son Peter Giella.

   Carole was employed by the Boro of Ridgefield for 28 ½ yrs. as a clerk and eventually Deputy Boro Clerk. She was the perfect example of a public employee, as she always put others before herself. She was instrumental in organizing the Ridgefield Employees Association. After her retirement she settled in Norwood, NJ with her husband.

   Carole especially cherished cooking for her family. Her grandchildren will forever remember her famous meals. They always said “eating at Gram’s on any given night was like eating Thanksgiving dinner.” She will always be remembered for her strong work ethic, her warm smile and above all caring for her family.

   Due to the current health restrictions, services will be private. A mass in celebration of Carole’s life will be planned for a future date. Carole and her family are very grateful for the care that she received at Holy Name Medical Center and The Valley Hospital throughout her battle. During this extremely trying time in many ways, donations in Carole’s memory may be made to the following: HelpHolyName.org – ValleyHospitalFoundation.org – stjude.org

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Barbara Argenti (nee Cosseta) 86, a lifelong resident of Northvale passed away on Thursday, March 26, 2020.  Beloved wife of the late Raymond Argenti.    Devoted and Loving Mother and Mother-In-Law of Dan & Laurie Argenti of Westwood, Caesar & Kit Argenti of Norwood, Raymond Argenti of Forestburgh, NY, Kathy Sajban & James of Butler and Pam Carpanini & Russell of Northvale.  Cherished Grandmother of Lea, Melissa, James, Chante´, Mark, Andrew, Joseph, Laura and Alex.   Great Grandmother of Cora, Marco and Colin.

Barbara took great pride in being a homemaker.  She was a kind and gentle soul and was admired by many.  Barbara was a first class lady who was loved and will be missed by those whose lives she touched.  

Due to the World Pandemic, services are private.  A memorial service will be scheduled in the future.

In lieu flowers donations can be made to Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Research. 100% of your donation goes directly to Pancreatic Cancer.  www.Lustgarten.org

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Craig Sheppard, 78, of River Vale, passed away at his home on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Beloved husband of Kathy (nee Masters) for 54 years. Proud father of three sons, Roy (Denise), Craig (Christin) and Wayne (Jennifer). Cherished grandfather of Tyler, Vincent, Kyle, Michael and Shaylin. Dearest brother of Virginia Walden and the late Bruce. He is also survived by many other loving relatives and friends.

Craig was a US Navy veteran. After the service he began working as a service technician in the banking industry before retiring after 42 years. Craig loved nature, especially fishing and hunting.

A memorial service for Craig will be held at a later date and will be announced.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Craig’s memory may be made to your favorite charity.

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Gerald L. Morelli, 77, of Park Ridge, formerly of Old Tappan and Norwood, passed away on March 19, 2020. Beloved husband of Marilyn (nee Johnson).  Cherished father of Lori Ryan and husband David, Gerald Morelli and wife Barbara, Matthew Morelli, Janine Morelli and Jennifer Morelli. Proud grandfather of Connor, Melissa, Liliana, Matthew and Jonathan. Dearest brother of Maureen D’Ercole and husband Frank, Kevin Morelli and wife Norma and Richard Morelli and wife Patricia.

Gerald was a business owner and entrepreneur. He loved nature and the outdoors and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Unfortunately, due to the current global health crisis, funeral services for Gerald will be private. A memorial mass to honor and celebrate his life will be announced at a later date.

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Josephine Tolve (Gianino), 82, a long-time resident of Norwood, NJ affectionately known to her family as Joan and to her friends as Jo or Big Red passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2020.

Beloved wife of the late John J. Tolve. Cherished mother of Jeanine Tolve and Denise Tolve Friedland and Jeanine’s partner, Joseph Quinn. Proud grandmother of Marlee Friedland and JakeFriedland. Dear sister of the late Salvatore Gianino.  

Josephine was the Nursing Home Coordinator at Englewood Hospital for 27 years.  Josephine was a long time choir member at Immaculate Conception Church in Norwood, a volunteer and the best hostess and chef anyone will ever meet.

Due to the seriousness of the Corona Virus outbreak and the restrictions in place, there will be a small private burial this week and we will celebrate her life with family and friends in the future.  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Church Of The Presentation in memo: “Youth Ministry Mission Trip in Memory of Josephine Tolve”.   Donations can be sent to:

Church of The Presentation, 271 West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River, NJ  07458.  Attn:  Youth Ministry

With thanks for all the assistance during this difficult time to The Pizzi Funeral Home.  www.pizzifuneralhome.com

John H. Rice, Jr., 77, of Harrington Park, passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2020. Beloved husband of 52 years to Donna (nee Siebert). Loving father of John H. Rice, III and his wife Patricia of Suffern, NY and Dione Olson and her husband Robert of Hillsdale. Proud grandfather of Zachary, Daniel, Jesse and Gracie Jo. Dearest brother of Diane Zimmerman, Christine Hickey and Margo Sprague and loving uncle to many nieces and nephews.

John was a USMC veteran.  Before retirement, he was an electrician with Local 3. An avid outdoorsman, John belonged to Trout Unlimited, Rochelle Park, Healing Waters, Hackensack and the Eagle Mountain Hunting Club. He was also an avid gardener.

Unfortunately, due to the current world health crisis funeral services will be postponed.

A memorial celebration of John’s life will take place at a future date and will be announced.

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

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