Obituaries

James R. Lax of Livingston died on March 16. Born October 3, 1996, Mr. Lax attended Livingston High School and was co-captain of the Lancer varsity wrestling team. During his senior year, he worked as a kindergarten aide at Harrison School. The funeral service will be held today, Thursday, March 23, at 10 a.m., at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home of Livingston, followed by burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.

Former Livingston resident Kim Colombrita 59, died on Sunday, March 19. Visitation will be today, Thursday, March 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Paul Ippolito-Dancy Memorial located at 9 Smull Avenue in Caldwell. A Mass will be offered at St. Philomena’s Church in Livingston on Friday, March 24, at 10 a.m. Born in Orange, Mrs. Colombrita lived in Livingston for many years before moving to Neptune seven years ago. She was the mother of J.P. Guerrieri and Andrea Venturi; daughter of Dolores (nee Nisivoccia-DiBenedetto) Colombrita, and the late Anthony Colombrita; and the sister of Joseph Colombrita and Maria Mangin, She is also survived by her husband, Peter. Donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Longtime Livingston resident Katherine S. “Kay” Whitman died on Wednesday, March 15, in Abington Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania. She recently lived in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Born in Laurel, Iowa, Mrs. Whitman was graduated from Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) and received her master’s degree from Wisconsin State College (now the University of Wisconsin). She taught in military and missionary schools in Japan, where she met her late husband of 48 years, William C. Whitman. Mrs. Whitman was the Livingston senior citizens’ coordinator for many years until she retired in her 80s. She was also a deacon and elder of the Livingston Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Livingston Historical Society. She was the sister of the late Phyllis Cosby, Wilma Sietmann, and Clifford Sietmann, and is survived by her sister, Orrell Veren, of Haverhill, Iowa.

Ivan Kahn of Livingston died Sunday, March 12, at the age of 83. Born in Newark, Mr. Kahn moved to Livingston 52 years ago. He was the proprietor of R-C Plastics in Vernon. He was an Army veteran, and was active in the Parkinson Group at the JCC in West Orange. Mr. Kahn is survived by his wife, Enice; his son, Arlen and his wife, Mindy; his sister, Evelyn Weiss; and one grandchild. Arrangements were by the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel of Livingston, followed by entombment in the Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. The family has suggested that memorial donations be made in Mr. Kahn’s name to the National Parkinson Foundation, 200 SE First Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.

Long-time Livingston resident Norma Daneski passed away in Cape Coral, Florida on March 2 at the age of 89. Born in Newark, New Jersey and a Union High School graduate, Norma Daneski and her former husband Victor, raised three children in Livingston: Ronald Daneski and Carol Hemphill-Daniels (Ernie) of Port Charlotte, Florida and Joann Kinney (Charles) of Alexandria, Virginia. During her 30 years in Livingston, Mrs. Daneski was active in Olivet Congregational Church and served for many years on the Board of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra, in which she was a proud member of the French Horn section. She was employed by Automatic Switch Company in Florham Park. After moving to Tuckerton, New Jersey, Mrs. Daneski was graduated as salutatorian of her class from Richard Stockton University at the age of 69, with a double major in literature and art history.

Ralph Joseph Attanasio, D.D.S., 82, died Thursday, March 9, at CMCPineville. He was born February 8, 1935, and grew up in Newark. He attended Barringer High School in Newark and New York University. He received his D.D.S. degree from Seton Hall University. He was a captain in the Air Force, serving as a dentist in Thule, Greenland and Sacramento, California. After serving in the military, Dr. Attanasio then lived in Livingston and also had a summer home in Ortley Beach. Dr. Attanasio maintained a dental practice with offices in Newark and Nutley. He was a past president of the Essex County Dental Association, the State of New Jersey Dental Association, and the Fauchard Dental Association. He was a faculty member of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and was a member of the American College of Dentists. Dr. Attanasio was also an avid supporter of the Special Olympics.

David G. Uglow of Livingston died Wednesday, March 8, at the age of 71. He had been a carpenter for Merck and Company, Rahway, for more than 20 years before retiring in 2006. Born in Toronto, Canada, Mr. Uglow had lived in Newark moving to Livingston in 1977. He is survived by his children, Carmie and David V. Uglow; his siblings, Gordon, Joyce, Maryann, and Carolynn; his companion, Joji; and one grandchild. A memorial gathering to celebrate Mr. Uglow’s life was held at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home of Livingston. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the American Brain Tumor Association, 8550 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 550, Chicago, IL 60631 (www.abta.org).

Joseph W. Begasse, 78, passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in Livingston, NJ. Born in Maplewood, Joseph lived in Livingston for the last 50 years. He received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and master’s degree in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and later attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and studied meteorology, while serving in the Air Force. He worked for Con Edison as the department head of education for more than 30 years before his retirement. Joseph was an avid golfer, enjoyed travelling the world, and volunteered at numerous places. He was also a member of the Livingston Old Guard and Livingston Book Club, as well as an active member of the Audubon Society. One of Joseph’s favorite things to do was to play with his grandchildren and spend time with his family. Joseph is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years, Kiko.

Emilio “Sonny” Ruberti of Livingston died Sunday, March 12, in Saint Barnabas Medical Center. He was 87 years old. Visitation will be held today, Thursday, March 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the LaMonica Memorial Home of Livingston. Funeral services will be held on Friday, March 17, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Philomena Church in Livingston at 11 a.m. Cremation will be private. Mr. Ruberti was a self-employed business owner for many years, retiring more than 30 years ago. He was also a member of the Essex County Country Club in West Orange since 1977. He is survived by his life companion, Cheryl Murray.

Gloria Rose Maragni (nee Russomanno) of Livingston died Tuesday, February 28. She was 70 years old. Funeral arrangements were by Megaro Memorial Home of Belleville (megaromemorialhome.com). A graduate of Berkeley College, Mrs. Maragni had been an administrative assistant for the Township of Belleville; an administrative assistant for Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Newark; and a real estate agent for Weichert Realtors in Morris Plains, before retiring ten years ago. She is survived by her husband, Richard; her brother, James Russomanno; and her sisters, Christine Gillespie and Diane Russomanno. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested that donations be made to St. Gerard of St. Lucy’s Church, 118 Seventh Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104.