Archives for December 2022

Richard Charles Wierer of Tappan, NY, entered into eternal life on December 8, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife Irma(née Pagayunan), son Christopher, daughter Jennifer with her husband Michael Waisome and new grandchild Xavier. He is also survived by his brother Ronald and sister Diane with her husband Hugh Hunt.

Richard was born on August 29, 1946 in Manhattan, NY to Irene (née Smiarowska) and Charles Wierer. He is lovingly referred to as Richie by his many friends and large global family. Married on December 18, 1976 at St Bartholemew (NYC), Richard and Irma lived in love together for 46 years first in New York then later split their time between Tappan, Los Angeles, and Miami. 

The influence of his 40-year career in education with the NYC Board of Ed will last for generations. Known as intelligent, kind, and extremely generous, after retirement Richard nurtured his lifelong love of continual learning & travel – values he instilled and shared with his family. Never without pen and paper, he was always writing while listening to his other passion, music. An active organizer and philanthropist, he donated his time to various community organizations and served on his local parish council. His sweet smile never wavered and will live on in the hearts and minds of those who have the privilege of loving him.

Visiting hours are Tuesday, December 20, 2022 from 3-6 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday 10AM, December 21, 2022 at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale.

The funeral mass can be viewed through the livestream link below:

https://boxcast.tv/channel/richard-charles-wierer-funeral-mass-snewnpaik0lzexkmtrjs

Joseph Fisher, of Cresskill, NJ, formerly of Ridgefield, NJ, passed away peacefully on December 8, 2022. He was 77 years old.

Joseph served in the US Navy for four years. He retired from Barr Labs in Northvale where he was a maintenance mechanic for many years.

He is survived by his wife Barbara (nee Yannuzzi), his son Joseph (Hayley), daughter Yvonne and her husband Kevin and his five grandchildren, Kevin, Joey, Samantha, Violet and Evelyn.

 Funeral services will be private.

John Veszelovits, 86, of Norwood, NJ, passed on Friday, December 9, 2022.  Beloved husband of Lilly (nee Kurta) for 59 years. Cherished father of Carol Varesi and her partner Douglas Carosella, Kathe Carrero and Anthony Veszelovits. Dear grandfather of Nicholas, Jillian and Grace. Dearest brother of Elizabeth, Theresa and the late Rose, Mary, Stephen, William, Barbara, Louis, Cecilia, Louis and Hedwig.

John was born in Szenpeterfa Hungry on 8/10/36. Son of Rosalia and Frank.  He left Hungry in 1956 to pursue a better life.  He lived in Austria as he awaited sponsorship to the US.  He was so proud to have lived the American dream.  

Predeceased by his parents . Mother in Law Julia Kurta and numerous other family members and close friends .  

Survived by brother in law John Kurta and former son in law James Carrero in addition to numerous nieces , nephews and cousins

He worked for Capital Cabinet in Yonkers  and was a gifted craftsman and mentor to many .

“Poppa John” as he was known to many loved going to the casino, scratch off lottery tickets, soccer, travel, dancing, fishing , sports and gardening.  His family was everything to him (we hope).  He could often be found on the sidelines of his grandchildren’s sporting events.  He will be missed but we will treasure our memories , the strong work ethic in instilled in all of us and our Hungarian heritage of which he was so proud.

Visiting hours are Sunday, December 11, 2022 from 2 – 4 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ.  A Funeral Mass will celebrated Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10 AM at St. Anthony’s RC Church, Northvale with interment to follow at Tappan Cemetery, Tappan, NY.

The Funeral Mass can be viewed through the livestream link below:

https://boxcast.tv/channel/john-veszelovits-funeral-mass-ggdivuburoerxvel2pdw

Memorial donations may be made in John’s memory to the Norwood Ambulance Corps.

www.pizzifuneralhome.com

Patrick William McSweeney of Northvale, NJ and Chatham, MA, 84, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 4, 2022 surrounded by his loving family.  He left us as he lived, with quiet grace and dignity.  Patrick was born in Kilkee (Co. Clare, Ireland) on January 31, 1938, the second son of Kathleen (nee Marrinan) and William McSweeney. His childhood in Kingsbridge, the Bronx, was a happy one, shared with siblings Elizabeth, John and Kathleen. Many an afternoon was spent with friends playing handball in the local park, stickball on the street with a broom handle cribbed from someone’s unsuspecting mother, and cards on a rainy day. Camping with friends in Mahopac was another great adventure. The crowd of roughly ten neighborhood chums and brother Johnny would set off across 230^th Street to Marble Hill to catch the train up to Mahopac. Picture them if you will: a group of energetic young men carrying bamboo sticks with rags tied on the end containing all the bare necessities slung over their shoulders. Simpler times.

While attending Manhattan Prep, he met the love of his life, the beautiful and spirited Eileen Lyons. Thus began a loving relationship that culminated in 61 years of devoted marriage, three children and eight grandchildren.

One of Patrick’s first jobs involved painting flagpoles on the tops of schools, buildings, and skyscrapers throughout New York City. When the opportunity emerged to join the Port Authority as a young man, his savvy mother encouraged him to take the job for the excellent benefits despite the pay cut. His career at the Port Authority began walking the high steel of the George Washington Bridge, painting the towers, barrels and cables, and building lifelong friendships among the Bridge Gang. His PA career spanned many decades and facilities, overseeing jobs including the new terminal at Newark Airport, the Bayonne Bridge container ship bridge collisions, and the emergency construction response to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Patrick loved his career at the Port Authority and treasured the great camaraderie among the PA crew. The men regularly socialized outside of work and helped renovate one another’s homes, inside and out. Two of their projects that remain dearest to the McSweeney children were the fireplace and in-ground pool. Patrick’s son Kevin followed him into the Port Authority and was regularly regaled by men eager to share how Patrick had helped mentor, guide and help them along their way. After retiring from the Port Authority as a Resident Engineer, Patrick worked an additional 10 years as a consultant for Tishman Inc., commuting daily into Manhattan.

Patrick possessed an uncommon work ethic, drive and generosity of spirit that permeated his life. He worked side jobs weekends and weeknights to support his family, educate his children and eventually build a family vacation home in Cape Cod.  He valued education, encouraging anyone he could to pursue academic excellence. A common exchange: Pop, I got a 95. What happened to the other 5 points? Pop, I got a 100. What, no extra credit? It was a relief, we suppose, that he christened his boat “The A Team,” and not “The A+ Team.” College roommates who hadn’t fared well on a test were known to avoid answering the phone because he asked everyone about their grades and no one wanted to disappoint him. The truth was, though, that he was never really disappointed in anyone; he just loved to see people strive and succeed and sought to encourage anyone he could. He often remarked on people who had helped him along the way, yet never mentioned all the people he helped. He simply embodied his beliefs.

After retiring from his encore career at Tishman, Patrick and Eileen split their time between New Jersey and Massachusetts, regularly joined by their children and their families. Summertime at the Cape was all about the children, from clamming to fishing to boating to the 4^th of July parade, with most evenings ending with a walk on the beach and Schoolhouse Ice Cream. He covered the garage walls with puzzles completed by the grandchildren at various ages that he glued, framed and hung. There was always one in progress on the living room table. A proficient chess player, he taught all the grandchildren to play and games were played daily at the Cape Cod chess table. Invariably, if a grandchild made a good move, one would hear “veeeeery interesting.” He had a strict rule: loser cleaned up. And he certainly did enjoy sitting back to watch the clean up.

Patrick loved celebrating his birthday month, a good chocolate bar, a good ice cream cone, a good game of golf, a nice song on the piano, his Irish music, and all dogs. He could tie any knot and fix any problem with some duct tape or a ladder. A gifted athlete, he once ran the Long Island Marathon and qualified for Boston. He shared his honest opinion when asked, often saying “You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either.”

Most importantly, he lived his faith. We will miss him so and look forward to the day when we will see him again.

Beloved husband of Eileen (nee Lyons). Cherished father of Kevin McSweeney and wife Sherry, Sue-Ellen Ubl and husband Jeffrey, and Allison Mullaney and husband Matthew. Adored grandfather of Ellen, Ryan, Caitlin and fiancé Paul, Sarah, Madeline, Matthew, Sebastian, Gabriela, and Ashley. Dearest brother of Elizabeth (May) O’Flynn and late husband Denis, the late John McSweeney and wife Gloria, and Kathleen O’Neill and husband William. Treasured uncle of many nieces and nephews. Dearest friend.

Visiting hours are Thursday, December 8, 2022 from 2-8 PM at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 10 AM at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart RC Church, Tappan, NY with interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Valhalla, NY.

The mass can be viewed via livestream through the church website:

https://stjohnnewman.flocknote.com/note/19331901

Those who wish may make a donation in Patrick’s memory to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, www.mskcc.org.

www.pizzifuneralhome.com

William Charles Ward, 80, of Haworth, NJ, passed away on Sunday, November 27, 2022. He was the beloved husband of Rosemary (nee Smyth). Loving father of William Michael Ward and his wife Heather Nottingham and Christine Ward-Diaz and her husband Oscar Diaz. Cherished grandfather of Erica and Alexis. Dearest brother of the late Dorothy Anne Howe, John Ward and Rosemary Sheedy.

Bill was a US Army Veteran of the Vietnam War. He retired from the MTA after over 25 years of service where he was a bus driver in Queens, NY. He was a member of the American Legion Camp Merritt Post 21 in Cresskill, NJ.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, December 9, 2022 at 9 AM at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ. 

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a donation in Bill’s memory to the Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

www.pizzifuneralhome.com

Dolores Gariola (nee Famiglietti), 90, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 in Naples, Florida.  She was born in the Bronx, New York on October 1, 1932 to the late Carmine & Gerardina Famiglietti.  

Dolores was known for her radiant smile, quick wit, and bold red hair. She worked as a paraprofessional at Walton High School in the Bronx for over 20 years.  Upon retirement she volunteered at St. Philip Neri School and read books to kindergarten students and also volunteered in the Scott TowersLibrary.  She loved her ‘veranda” where she had a clear view of the George Washington Bridge and later in Rockland Countywhere she was close to the Tappan Zee Bridge.  She was an avid traveler and enjoyed many trips to Europe, Australia and across the United States with her husband Joe.  First and foremost, she loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, organizing yearly trips into the city for plays, cooking her famous meatballs, going to dinners during restaurant week and of course Happy Hours! 

Dolores was the beloved wife of the late Joseph Gariola and the devoted mother of Laura DiMaio and her husband Nicholas, Jodi McLean and her husband James and Joseph Gariola and his wife Joanne. She was adored by her grandchildren the DiMaio’s; Julianne, Nicholas, Danielle and her husband Christopher Quagliata; the McLean’s; Victoria, John and his fiancé Hannah Pawlek and Caroline; the Gariola’s; Melissa and her husband Anthony Battaglia and Amanda.   “GiGi” was the proud great grandmother of Anna and Ava Quagliata and soon to be Baby Battaglia. Dolores is survived by her brother Peter. She was predeceased by her siblings Carmela, Antoinette, Anthony, Joanand their spouses.  Dolores was a much-loved Aunt to many nieces and nephews and was a dear friend to so many, especially her Webb Avenue crew.

Our family has lost a shining star but she will live on in so many hearts. She was a caring, loving person who touched many lives.  Once you’ve met Dolores you forever remembered her warmth and charisma. 

Visiting hours are 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Monday, December 5, 2022 at Pizzi Funeral Home, 120 Paris Avenue, Northvale, NJ. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart RC Church, Tappan, NY on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 11:00 am

www.pizzifuneralhome.com