Obituaries

Betty M. Foster, a long-time resident of Livingston, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on December 14, 2020.

Relatives and close friends are invited for a funeral ceremony on Saturday, December 19, 2020 at St. Giles Chapel in Restland Memorial Park, 77 Deforest Avenue, East Hanover, New Jersey, at 11:30 a.m.

Betty was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and lived in Newark, New Jersey, before moving to Livingston in 1960. She moved to Roseland, New Jersey, in 2015 and lived there since then.

Betty, affectionately called Liz by family and friends, was an operator for Bell Telephone before becoming a nurse at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. She later became a Reservation Agent for Eastern Airlines.

Business owner, Livingston firefighter; he was so proud ofhis family and he lived a good life!

Herbert J. Mitschele Jr., 91, of Sunrise of Basking Ridge, NJ, formerly ofFar Hills, NJ, died suddenly and peacefully in his home, next to his wife, on Friday, December 11, 2020.

Herbert grew up in Livingston, NJ. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Joyce (Weber) Mitschele; his brother, Lyle Mitschele; his sisters-in-law, Helene McGovern and Betty Weber; his children, Clinton Mitschele and his partner, Sheryl; Cheryl Eichmann and her husband, Paul; Louis Mitschele and his wife, Carol; Patricia Beaumont and her husband, Paul; and Lisa Campbell and her husband, Edward; and 33 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughters, Virginia Mitschele and Mary Evans, his sons, Herbert J. Mitschele III and Michael Mitschele, and his great-grandchild, Caleb Joseph.

Maureen A. Pizzi (née McKenna), age 89, ofLivingston, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2020.

Maureen was born in Irvington, New Jersey. She had resided in Livingston for 63 years, where she raised her family and was active with St. Philomena’s Parish and School.

She brought joy to everyone she met, welcoming them into her home throughout the years. She enjoyed being surrounded by family and spent many summers at the Jersey Shore, where everyone was invited, no matter how big her family grew.

Maureen was predeceased by the love of her life and husband, “Her-Man” J. Pizzi. She is survived by her devoted children, Joanne (Steven) Jones, Dr. James (Leslie) Pizzi, Janet Duchene, Jacalyn (Alan) Dorflaufer and Jill (David) McLaughlin; and her loving grandchildren, Courtney, Jaclyn (Matthew), Alexandra, Christina (Mark), Scott, Brian, Brady, Kylie, Shane, Brandon, and Zachary.

Elvira F. Del Guercio of Livingston died December 6. She was 98 years old.

Due to COVID-19, funeral services were held privately under the direction of Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, Roseland.

Born in Jersey City, Mrs. Del Guercio was raised in Newark, and settled in Livingston. Prior to her retirement, she was a job setter for Western Electric in Kearny for 42 years.

Predeceased by her husband, Thomas Del Guercio, and her siblings, Michael D’Ambrosio, Phyllis Caputo, LorraineAquino, andNorma Calabro, she is survived by many nieces, nephews, and extended relatives.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stjude. org or the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, cfbnj.org.

Theodore (Ted) Pearlman, 74, of Freehold, formerly of Livingston, died December 2.

Dr. Pearlman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and resided in Newark and Union before moving to Livingston, where he raised his family. He had recently relocated to Freehold.

Dr. Pearlman was educated at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), earning a bachelor’s degree and a doctor ofmedicine degree. He maintained an ophthalmological practice in Denville for over 40 years, and was a founding member of the Ridgedale Surgery Center. He served as the president of the Pocono Park condo association and was a member of the Temple B’nai Abraham Men’s Club.

David Rosa II of Rahway, formerly of Livingston, passed away on Monday, November 23, at his home, as a result of a heart attack.

David, who was born January 11, 1979, was a stand-out athlete while at Livingston High School as a member of the track and field team. He was namedAthlete ofthe Year in his senior year, 1997. He broke many school records, some of which still stand to this day.

Upon graduation, he attended Fordham University on a track and field scholarship. At Fordham, he was a stand-out hurdler and won many awards and accolades. Due to his very successful years at Fordham, he was inducted to the very prestigious Fordham University Hall of Fame in 2019. David received his B.A. in history with two minors, in economics and music. He had just been accepted to the Rutgers University Graduate School Liberal Studies program, where he planned to continue his education to obtain his master’s degree.

Felicia Polito (nee DeLorenzo), 82, died on November 24.

Born and raised in Newark, Mrs. Polito lived most of her life in Livingston before moving to North Caldwell eight years ago.

Prior to her retirement, she was an executive assistant to the dean at Rutgers University in Newark. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Frank Polito; her daughter, Sandra Bellomo (Ralph); her son, Frank A. Polito (Cindy); her brother, Anthony DeLorenzo (Virginia); and four grandchildren.

Due to the pandemic, a private funeral service was held on November 28, under the direction of ShookFarmer Funeral Home, Roseland. Interment was at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested that donations in Mrs. Polito’s memory be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org).

David A. Persing passed away Friday, November 20, in New York City. He passed with his beloved wife, Hope Cone, and their twins, Syd and Zach, by his side.

David grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, where his friends and Bergen Catholic classmates knew him as just “Bear.” He ventured west to proudly attend the University of Notre Dame, which led to a lifelong love affair with Notre Dame football, basketball, and his college buddies. David came home to New Jersey to attend Rutgers Law School where he earned his law degree but, more importantly, met the love of his life, Hope. They were married for more than 33 years. David also earned an MBA from Columbia University.

Judith “Judy” Ann Brown Cussen of Essex Fells, formerly ofLivingston, died on Wednesday, November 25.

A Private Liturgy for the Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at Our Lady ofthe Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Roseland on Saturday, December 5. At noon, visitors are welcomed to a brief outdoor service at Prospect Hill Cemetery, Westville Avenue, Caldwell.

Mrs. Cussen was born to Frank and Grace (Lauterette) Brown in St. Mary’s Hospital, Orange, in 1938, and raised in Livingston. She graduated from Mt. Saint Dominic Academy and St. Elizabeth College and taught grammar school in Wharton before raising her three sons. She was married to the late Jack Cussen.

Surviving are her sons, Donald (Marla), Douglas and Matthew; her sister, Maureen Housel Domino; her brother, Frank Brown; and one grandchild.

Former Livingston resident George G. Hill, Jr., died at home in Saint Augustine Beach, Florida, on November 11. He was 67 years old.

Mr. Hill was born to Marcia Bissell Hill and George G. Hill of East Orange. In 1955 the family moved to Livingston, and Mr. Hill graduated from Livingston High School in 1971. He was in the top ten percent of his class and a three-letter athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree with distinction in geography from Rutgers University in 1975, where he lettered in soccer.

In 2017, he retired from a 40-plus year career in data processing.

He married Margianne (Margie) Wilson in 1979, and they lived in New Hampshire for 36 years, moving to Saint Augustine Beach, Florida, in 2016.