Archives for April 2017

 

Donald Gonzalez, 55 years old, of Hackensack, formerly of Maywood, passed away on April 10, 2017. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday at 6 PM at Our Lady Queen of Peace RC Church, Maywood.

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Mitchell A. Duncan

It is with much sadness that the family of Mitchell Ayres Duncan announce his passing after a long and courageous fight with cancer on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the age of 77.

A native of Arcadia, CA. Mitch began his career in the automobile business in 1956 at Ed Barbari Studebaker in East Los Angeles where he drove his first Volvo, a PV444. This launched a 40 plus year passion for and career with Volvo Cars of North America. In 1962 he became a Volvo Parts Representative, calling on dealers in California, Arizona and Nevada. By 1966 Mitch was running Volvo’s West Coast parts operation. He moved to Volvo’s headquarters in Rockleigh, New Jersey in 1972 as parts distribution manager. He became Vice President of Volvo’s US parts operation in 1977 and by 1986 was responsible for all of North America’s parts operations including cars, trucks, marine and construction equipment parts and recreational products. When the parts operation became a separate division of Volvo North America, Mitch was named President.

In 1993 during a major reorganization of the Volvo organization, Mitch was named Vice President of the Western Region, responsible for the marketing and sale of new Volvo products in 13 western states. He remained in that position until his retirement from Volvo in 1998.

He had a passion racing and ran in the Silver State, a 90 mile race in Nevada, where he averaged 150 mph with a top speed of 168 driving a Volvo station wagon. He also set a record in class of 149 mpg at the Muroc Reunion held at Edwards Airforce Base which still stands today. After retirement he began participating in historic racing with his 1961 Volvo P1800.

 

When he wasn’t racing he was enjoying retirement at his home on Moosehead Lake in Maine where he spent many hours in his beloved garage enjoying woodworking, metalworking and restoring his 1959 Volvo PV544.

Mitch will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Diane and his children, Marcus and Katie Duncan of Tacoma, WA., Loren Duncan of Thousand Oaks, CA., and daughter-in-law Kathleen Duncan of Moorpark, CA. He will be fondly remembered by his grandson, Timothy and Caitlin Duncan of Simi Valley, CA, two great-grandchildren Levi and Lily, his brother Robert and Marie Duncan of Auburn, CA. and sister Diane Duncan and husband Joseph Cisek of Larkspur, CA. Mitch will be affectionately remembered by his nieces, nephews and extended family and dear friends. He is pre-deceased his father, Robert Duncan, mother Charlotte Mitchell Duncan and son Gene Duncan.

A celebration of Mitchell’s life will be held at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 from 4 to 8PM. A funeral service will be held at Pizzi Funeral Home on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 10 am with interment to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Mitchell may be made to the Pine Tree Society (pinetreesociety.org).

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Katherine Whittaker (nee Paliotto), 92, of Johnston, RI, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. Beloved wife of the late John Whittaker. Dedicated and cherished mother of Margaret Eliasof and husband Louis of Valley Cottage and Joan Whittaker of Northvale. Adored grandmother of Laura Jimenez and husband Pedro, Jonathan Eliasof and Katherine Senatore. Proud great-grandmother of Maya Rose. Dearest sister of Louise DelBonis and Alex Paliotto.

Katherine worked for Allendale Insurance Company in Johnston, RI for many years. She devoted her life to her family and was a committed and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend. She was also proud to be a “Red Hat Lady”.

The family will receive friends on Saturday from 10 – 11 AM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050). A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM with interment to follow at Gethsemane Cemetery, Clarkstown.

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Gloria P. (nee Speciale) Wright

 

Gloria Wright, 93 of Hillsdale, formerly of Palisades Park died Friday, April 14, at home. 

Gloria was born in Union City, the daughter of Michael Speciale and Josephine Bono Speciale.  She was a graduate of Emerson High School, class of 1941.  During World War II she worked at General Electric. In 1946 she married Thomas H. Wright who survives her.  She is also survived by her sons, Mark T. and Keith D. and his wife, Anne, and two grandsons, Christian and his wife, Jennifer, and Matthew as well as three great-grandchildren: Tyler Jameson, Riley Elizabeth, and John Thomas.  She is also survived by her dear sister, Theresa Poller and many devoted nieces and nephews.  Gloria loved music and frequently sang solos in various vocal groups to which she belonged particularly the choir of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Union City. 

The family will greet friends and family and celebrate her life in a memorial at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave., Northvale on Saturday, April 22 from 2PM- 5PM. Donations in her memory will be gratefully accepted by “Swim-in for the Handicapped” c/o Barbara A. Lightbody, 31 Margie Avenue, Cresskill, N.J.  07627.

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John Verdigi III, 58, of Palisades NY, passed away peacefully on Monday morning, April 17, 2017, surrounded with love by his wife, daughters and son-in-law. Loving husband to his wife, Cathy Butterworth Verdigi.  Loving father to his daughters Jaime, Jessica and Taylor. True friend and father-in-law to John Hyla Jr. Proud Papa to Averie, Johnny, and Aiden.  Beloved son of Fran and John Verdigi Jr.  Caring brother to Joanne Verdigi Campora, Jill Verdigi Rovito and the late Joseph Verdigi. Son-in-law to Joan and the late Walter Butterworth. Brother-in-law to Dan, Charles, and James Butterworth. Proud uncle, cousin, and friend to all that have known him.

John was an electrical contractor for Ken-Jil in Northvale for over 35 years.

He loved life and enjoyed boating, hunting and most of all, time spent with family, especially Cathy, his daughters and his cherished grandchildren.

Visitation will be Thursday, April 20th, 2017 from 2-4pm and 7-9pm at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale. Funeral Mass will be Friday, April 21st at 10 AM at Immaculate Conception Church Norwood with interment to follow at Rockland Cemetery, Sparkill, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.

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John S. Gonzalez, 91, of Northvale, passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2017. Beloved husband of the late Carmen. Cherished father of Mercedes Pedrick of Old Tappan and the late John M. Gonzalez. Dearest uncle of many loving nieces and nephews. Also survived by his beloved dog Danny.

John was a US Navy Veteran of WWII. He worked his entire life in the restaurant business and was a waiter at Confetti’s in Norwood and Old Tappan, Danny’s Steak House in Closter, and in NYC at Basin Street East, The Edison Hotel and Fafies.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale with interment to follow at Tappan Cemetery, Tappan, NY. Visiting hours are Monday 5-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050).

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Visiting hours will be held at St. Zita’s Villa, 50 Saddle River Road, Monsey, NY on Sunday from 2-6 PM in the chapel.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday at 10 AM.

 

Lawrence Clayton Bibb, (Larry), formerly of Alexandria, VA and Verona, NJ died on April 4, 2017, in Paramus, NJ from complications of Lewy Body Disease. Beloved husband of the late Doris (nee Spohr) Bibb, (45 years), loving father to Susan Markisz (Robert Markisz) of the Bronx, NY; Daniel Bibb (Gabriele Higgins Bibb) of Harrington Park, NJ and Barbara Carns of Annandale, VA; cherished grandfather of Christopher and Kathryn Markisz, Danielle, Devon and Diana Bibb, and Emily, Jessica and Joseph Carns. Devoted son of the late Margaret (nee Iden) Bibb and Ernest Bibb; brother of the late Linwood Bibb, and sister of the late Evelyn V. (nee Bibb) Pollard.

 

Larry was a WWII Navy Veteran. Although blind in his left eye from a childhood accident, he passed the Navy physical by memorizing the eye chart and served as a Pharmacist’s mate in the Pacific. After leaving the Navy, he worked as an Accountant in the Corporation Audits Division of the General Accounting Office in Washington, DC.

 

Larry attended Northwestern University and George Washington University where he received a B.A. degree in accounting. On May 12, 1951, he married Doris Elisabeth Spohr (who served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve during World War II) of St. Louis, Missouri, at St. Mary’s Church in Alexandria, VA.

 

He worked for Montgomery Ward and Spurgeon Mercantile, the latter, a chain of department stores based in Chicago before relocating with his family to the east coast, where he had a successful 25-year career in real estate for the J.C. Penney Company, and after his retirement, as a commercial real estate broker. The Bibb family moved to Verona, NJ in 1962 where they were active in the community and in Our Lady of the Lake Church and School. In 2012, Larry moved to Bergen County, NJ.

 

Larry and his wife of 45 years, Doris were superb dancers. They met at the Lotus Restaurant, a supper club in Washington, D.C. in the late 40’s. Larry was also a long-time member of the Old Dominion Boat Club of Alexandria, VA, where he was a member of the basketball and bowling teams, and was a member of an award-winning eight-oared shell crew, racing in the Middle States Regatta and other races from 1947-1950.

 

Visitation will be held on Saturday, April 8 from 4 to 7pm at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ 07647 (Tel. 201-767-3050). https://pizzifuneralhome.com

 

Visitation will be held in Virginia on Tuesday, April 11 at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 (Tel. 703-425-9702). http://www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com

 

A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, April 12 at 10:30am at the Church of the Nativity at 6400 Nativity Lane, Burke, VA 22015 (Tel. 703-455-2400) with interment immediately following, at Fairfax Memorial Park, 9900 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 (Tel. 703-323-5202). Fairfax Memorial Park

 

 

The world has lost a true, good, kind and loveable man. John Vincent Barnes, Jr., 80 years old, died peacefully after a short, valiant fight against the scourge that is cancer. John was born July 26, 1936 in Philadelphia, PA. A large part of his early childhood was spent shuttling between Brooklyn, New Jersey and various parts of Queens. At age 15 he settled in Whitestone, Queens. John has spent the last 40 years in his beloved Norwood, NJ where he served, for 20 years, on the Board of Adjustment. Before he retired, John was a sales engineer in the elevator industry. He spent close to half a century working in that field, first with O. Thompson, Otis Elevator Company, and GAL Manufacturing Company. He spent 28 years at GAL doing a job that he loved for a company that he loved, so we have to say he never worked a day in his life because of that love. He also was a founding member of the Optimist Club and a proud member of the Norwood American Legion. He always said the 4 years he spent in the United States Air Force helped him so much in his life. He coached his 3 children’s sport teams and was an integral part of their lives and the life of the community.

John met his wife of 53 years in Long Beach, Long Island, where they still have a summer home. He loved Long Beach and the people on California Street. No one was a better father and grandfather to his three children, Jackie (John Douglas), Jennifer (John Reeves) and John Vincent Barnes III. He was everything to his 5 grandchildren, Lauren, Jack, and Jessie Reeves, as well as Meghan and Sean Douglas, and they were everything to him. During the course of a happy and fulfilling marriage Linda and John made treasured friends, traveled the world, and spent many happy times supporting NYC theater. John was an avid reader and the Norwood Library has lost a very loyal customer. John touched and inspired so many and leaves behind a beautiful legacy.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday 10 AM at Our Lady of Victories RC Church, Harrington Park with interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus. Visiting hours are Thursday 3-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave., Northvale (201-767-3050).

In lieu of flowers the family would like donations to be made to the American Legion College Scholarship Fund, 480 Broadway, Norwood, NJ 07648.

Rest in peace, sweet, sweet man.

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Kyle John Boyce, 39, of Nyack, formerly of Tappan, died on April 2, 2017. Kyle was the loving son of Kimberly Allen of Tappan, NY and James P. Boyce of Navarre, Florida. Kyle’s Grandmother and Best Buddy, June Groll, of Cortwood Village passed away in February 2017.  He leaves behind; Grandmother Mary Anyel of Florida, Uncle Richard Allen of Sparkill, Aunt and his God Mother Dana Gabrielson of Sparkill, Aunt Donna Brown of Sparkill, Uncle Tommy Hogan of Tappan, Uncles Dennis Boyce and Richard Boyce of Florida, Cousins Liam and Michael Boyce of Massachusetts, Aunt Joan Lorenzen of Toms River NJ and Uncle Rob Brennan, wife Cheryl and children Sophia, Elizabeth and James. Kyle worked for the Town of Clarkstown Congers Recreation Center for 15 years alongside his boss and best friend Mike McDonald.

He was everything to everybody and not only was he our Kyle he was everybody’s Kyle…He was our gift in this lifetime and we will always be grateful for his love and lifeforce…Visiting hours are Friday 2-4 and 7-9 at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Ave, Northvale (201-767-3050). Funeral Mass at St. Catherine’s Church, Blauvelt at 10 am with burial to follow at Tappan Cemetery.

Donations may be made in Kyle’s memory to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

www.pizzifuneralhome.com