Obituaries

Thu
25
Jun
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William (Bill) Morgan

The world is a little less bright without William (Bill) Morgan, of Livingston, who passed on June 21. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anne, with whom he built an extraordinary life. Bill was born in East Orange on November 30, 1929, to William and Elsie (Allten) Morgan, and grew up in the Vailsburg section of Newark. He attended Newark Central High School before receiving a B.S. and M.S. in engineering from the Newark College of Engineering (the predecessor to New Jersey Institute of Engineering).

Anne and Bill moved to Livingston in 1960, where they built their life and raised their family. He is survived by his four children and their spouses, Bill and Terry Morgan, Greg and Lori Morgan, Joyce and Mark Benson, and Maureen Liddy and Will Textores; seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Thu
25
Jun
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Eva Nelson

Eva Nelson

Eva Nelson of Livingston passed away on June 5 at the age of 82.

She was born in Brody, Poland (now Ukraine) to Shlomo Zalman and Bayla (Bertha) Brauner. In 1941, the Nazis took her father on a train; it was the last time she saw him. When her mother heard rumors of the imminent liquidation of the Brody ghetto, she and Eva escaped. They hid in the woods and traveled at night to a farm they knew of. Eva and her mother hid in a hayloft in a barn, above the animals, for 18 months. When they heard that the Nazis were approaching, they hid in the corn fields. They remained there until the Russians liberated them in the spring of 1945.

Thu
18
Jun
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Shirley Ann Ferguson

Shirley Ann Ferguson

Shirley Ann Ferguson, 89, a long-time resident of Livingston, New Jersey, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Shirley was the loving wife of George A. Ferguson, Jr.

Born in Franklin, Shirley grew up in Sparta. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Sparta, and graduated from Newton High School in 1948. In 1951 Shirley graduated as a registered nurse (RN) from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing.

In 1956 Shirley and George settled in Livingston to raise their family. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Livingston and, through the years, made many friends and was active in the various activities supported by the church’s women’s group. She enjoyed road trips with her

She enjoyed road trips with her family to Ortley Beach, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Minnesota. Fun trips with the Livingston AARP and Senior Groups, and regularly exercising with the Healthy Bones were favorites too.

Thu
18
Jun
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Jonathan Bruce Kiselik

Jonathan Bruce Kiselik died on June 9 at age 56. He grew up in Livingston and later lived in Glen Ridge and Lincoln Park. He leaves his parents, Teri and Paul Kiselik of Livingston; a brother, Daniel (Alice) of Baltimore, Maryland; his nephews, James and Andrew; and so many long-standing friends. To quote one, “The enduring nature of true friendships, like that with Jon, is their ability to persist in spite of age and wear, and, after death, that their memories serve as guideposts for life’s passion, perseverance, and unpredictability.” Jon loved people and they responded to his kindness and warmth.

Thu
18
Jun
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Margaret D. Giordano

Margaret D. Giordano of Cedar Grove, formerly of Whiting, New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at age 99.

Born on January 7, 1921, in Orange, New Jersey to C. Elmer and Ella (Arale) Klein, Margaret, along with her sister, Betty, grew up in the Orange Valley. Upon leaving school, she worked at one of the small leather factories in the area. With the outbreak of World War II, Marge changed jobs, making bomb sites for planes. She married Bob Giordano

She married Bob Giordano in 1943, accompanying him to California prior to his deployment to the Pacific Theater of operations. Bob left for the South Pacific, eventually landing on Iwo Jima, and Margaret returned to the Orange Valley and later secured a job with Monroe Industries as a technician.

Thu
11
Jun
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Dr. William Shapiro Succumbs at Age 90

Dr. William Shapiro, formerly of Livingston, died on June 1 at 90 after battling Lewy Body Dementia.

Born in Irvington to Irving Shapiro and Molly Blinder, and raised in Newark, Shapiro graduated from Rutgers University Newark and earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Columbia University.

After serving in the United States Army during the Korean War, Shapiro taught history at Lincoln Junior High, Mountain High and West Orange High Schools.

He lived in Livingston for about 20 years. In the 1980s, he helped lead an effort to keep Harrison School open. In 1997, he ran a grassroots campaign for the New Jersey State Assembly. Upon retirement, Shapiro moved

Upon retirement, Shapiro moved to Jackson and then to Parkland, Florida.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Gail; his son, Michael Shapiro; his daughter, Jan Johannsen; his daughter-in-law, Lauryn Shapiro; his son-in-law, Randy Johannsen, and four grandchildren.

Thu
11
Jun
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Lucia Ilaria

Lucia Ilaria

Lucia Ilaria, 87, of Livingston, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

A resident of Livingston for over 60 years, Lucia is survived by her children Mike, Paul, and Deborah; her brother, Joseph Roselli; her grandchildren, Michael, Jr., Derek and his wife, Vanessa, Anthony, Francesca, Nicole, and Elizabeth; her nieces, Helen and Donna; her nephews, Patrick, Richard, and Robert Roselli; and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son, Peter; her husband, Gabriel; her mother, Ida; her father, Patsy; and her brothers, Richard, Ralph and Patsy Jr. Born in Newark on November 8,

Born in Newark on November 8, 1932, Lucia was a great athlete and a well-educated young woman. She was hitting home runs long before her brother Joe, who went on to play baseball professionally for the Giants Farm Club. The family’s athletic genes clearly passed down to her youngest grandson, Michael. Lucia was a talented hairdresser, who

Thu
11
Jun
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Thomas J. Schafer

Thomas J. Schafer, born April 4, 1960, a lifelong and third generation resident of Livingston, New Jersey, passed away on June 3, 2020, at the age of 60, suddenly, after a short illness.

Tom built a successful career over many years at Somerset Tire Service, where he managed various branches throughout the state of New Jersey.

Tom’s true passion was both growing and selling fresh vegetables, especially pumpkins, at his roadside farm on Passaic Avenue and Parsonage Hill Road in Livingston, New Jersey. The farm had originally been founded by his grandfather in 1920 as a dairy farm.

A loving son and brother, Tom was preceded in death by his parents, John and Gertrude Schafer, and is survived by his three brothers, John W. Schafer, Clifford Schafer, and Douglas Schafer, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Thu
11
Jun
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Jean Fine Klein

Jean Fine Klein

On Saturday, May 16, 2020, Jean Klein, beloved wife of Melvin Lewis Klein, passed away at the age of 90 with her husband by her side. Jean and Mel Klein were residents of Livingston, New Jersey, for 60 years, where Mel served as superintendent of schools. Jean was the loving mother of Kathryn Klein Anderson (John. H.) of College Grove, Tennessee; Linda Klein of Livingston, New Jersey; and Leslie Klein Chatzinoff (Howard) of New York, New York. She was the grandmother of Amanda Anderson Myers (Kevin) of Maryville, Tennessee; Gregory Chatzinoff of New York, New York; Russell Nitzberg of New York, New York; Joelle Nitzberg Grant (Michael) of Middletown, Connecticut; Jill Chatzinoff of Washington, D.C.; and Matthew Chatzinoff of New York, New York; and the great-grandmother of Anderson David Myers of Maryville, Tennessee. She was the daughter of the late Joseph Fine and Rose Fine of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the sister of Ruth Sharon and the late Ethel Handelsman and Sylvia Seletz.

Thu
11
Jun
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Jordan Bruce Baris Succumbs at Age 93

Jordan Bruce Baris was born in Brooklyn, New York to Joseph and Ida (Gleischenhaus) Baris. He lived in Newark and West Orange, and later in Maplewood and Livingston. He died on June 1.

After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School, Mr. Baris enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific, primarily in the Philippines, during and following the end of World War II. Returning home, he graduated from City College, where he developed an interest in real estate.

He moved to New Jersey in 1952 and founded a company now known as Jordan Baris Real Living.

Mr. Baris also served as president of chambers of commerce, real estate boards and other organizations, and received the Realtors Community Service Award two times. In the 1970s, he formed the New Jersey Coalition for Safe Communities.

He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Marjorie, in 2014. They had three children, Russell, Joan Terry and Kenneth, and five grandchildren.

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