Obituaries

Joan Harris, a long-time resident of Livingston, died Wednesday, May 6.

Born on December 11, 1929, she was raised in Verona and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Syracuse University. After receiving a teaching certificate from Montclair State University, she taught English literature at Summit High School.

Mrs. Harris was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, George, in 2013. She is survived by her three children, John, Todd, and Anne Seijas; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services will be held privately with arrangements under the direction of Norman Dean Home for Services, Denville.

The Force Home, located on South Livingston Avenue, was built in 1752 and is now the headquarters of the Livingston Historical Society.

The Rev. James E. Gardner, 88, former rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Livingston, died Thursday, May 7, at his home in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. After a seven year fight, he succumbed to Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinson’s. He was 88 years old.

Rev. Gardner was born July 9, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He married the former Patricia Ruth Treasure, who predeceased him after 65 years of marriage.

He was a Gold Star graduate of Valley Forge Military School; Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering; Philadelphia Divinity School; and General Theological Seminary, where he earned a master’s degree in theology and religion.

Barbara Diane Edinger Dobro died on May 5, nine days after her husband, Murray, to whom she had been married for 67 years. The longtime resident of Livingston had been living at the Crane’s Mill retirement community in West Caldwell.

Mrs. Dobro was born on January 23, 1933, in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Boston Latin School, she received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University. She taught kindergarten and Braille, and was the comptroller of the family food brokerage business, JCS Sales.

She is survived by her three children, Jeff (Candace), Carrie (Mark), and Stuart; and two grandchildren.

A graveside funeral, arranged by Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman, was held for the immediate family on May 8. The family has suggested that donations in Mrs. Dobro’s memory be sent to the National Council for Jewish Women (ncjw.org), or the Papermill Playhouse (papermill.org/ donate/contribute1).

Evelyn T. Toner of Whiting, formerly of Livingston, died on Friday, May 8, at Community Medical Center in Toms River.

Mrs. Toner graduated from St. Joseph High School in Brooklyn, New York. She worked for the legal department of Texaco Corporation and retired from Angostura International in 1995, where she was the administrative assistant to the chief executive officer. She moved to Whiting in 1997.

Mrs. Toner was predeceased by her husband, Glenn, whom she married in 1957; and a son, Peter J. Toner. She is survived by her two sons, Mark A. Toner of Norwalk, Connecticut, and Christopher (Amysusan) Toner of Whiting; her daughter-in-law, Kathryn Toner of Jackson; her brother, George Zoeller of Lakewood; and five grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

A Memorial Mass will be scheduled at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Whiting. For information and condolences, visit manchestermemorial.net.

Frances Wolf Friedman, a.k.a. Frances Wolf Newman, died peacefully on May 9, 2020.

Born June 14, 1940 in Fort Worth, Texas, she was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana.

She is predeceased by her parents, Tobian and Ann (Katz) Wolf, and her brother, Gerald.

A graduate of Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University, Frances received a bachelor of arts degree in political science, and went on to serve as a film production office coordinator for Four Star Studios, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She worked with talent that included Barbra Streisand and Burt Reynolds.

She later became director of volunteers, followed by finance director, for Congressman Bill Green (New York). She also served as the national director of Modrnpac, a progressive Republican political action committee.

Irving (“Irv”) Weiss, 78, died peacefully at his home on April 26 after a hard-fought battle with leukemia.

Irv was born in Orange to the late Morris and Rose Weiss, along with his two siblings, Louis and Gloria. He graduated from Columbia High School in South Orange and received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.

Irv worked for over 30 years as a commercial realtor in the northern New Jersey area.

Irv married his true love, Marion, in 1980 at an intimate ceremony in Long Island. The couple moved to Livingston in 1981, where they raised their two children, Michael and Rachel.

Irv’s wife and children were the light of his life, and his love for his family is everlasting.

In addition to his wife and children, Irv is survived by his son-in-law, Seth; his daughter-in-law, Whitney; and his two beloved granddaughters, Brett and Parker.

Amalia “Mali” Young died April 28, at the age of 95, of COVID-19.

Mrs. Young was born in Irvington and graduated from Irvington High School and was employed as a secretary during World War II. She married Stanley C. Young of Oklahoma City in 1948. After moving to Oklahoma, Mrs. Young worked at Tinker Air Force Base. Soon afterwards, the family moved to New Jersey, living in Irvington and Westfield before settling down in Livingston in 1957.

Surviving Mrs. Young are her three children: Ralph and his wife, Suzanne, of Maryland; Randi of Randolph, and Amy and her husband, William DiBartolo, of East Hanover; six grandchildren; and eight greatgrandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband and her two brothers, Wallace and Robert VanNess.

Amalia spent her last years at Inglemoor Care Center in Livingston, near her home of 50 years.

Murray Saul Dobro, a resident of Livingston for many years before moving to Crane's Mill in West Caldwell, died of COVID-19 on April 26.

He was born on May 6, 1928, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Samuel and Sarah Bornstein Dobro and grew up in Dorchester. Mr. Dobro (Mashe) received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Northeastern University and served in the Korean War as a chemist.

Although he grew up in a kosher home, Mr. Dobro developed the modern method for curing ham. He worked for decades in meat manufacturing before starting JCS Sales, a food brokerage business that he ran for over 40 years.

In 1953 he married Barbara Diane Edinger, and together they raised Jeffrey, Carrie and Stuart Dobro.

Murray was preceded in death by his brother, Danny, and is survived by his wife, Barbara; his three children, Jeff (Candace), Carrie (Mark) and Stuart; and two granddaughters.

Former longtime Livingston resident Elaine Abeles died on Monday, April 27, at Ocean Medical Center in Brick. She was born in Newark and graduated from Weequahic High School in 1942. Mrs. Abeles moved to Florida in

Mrs. Abeles moved to Florida in 1991 and to Brick in 2015.

Predeceased by her husband, Donald, who died in 1979, Mrs. Abeles is survived by her daughter, Randy Abeles; her sons, Gary Abeles (Charna) and Richard Abeles (Anja); four grandchildren; and four greatgrandchildren. A private burial was held.

Beverley Johnson, a 20 year resident of Livingston, passed away at Saint Barnabas Medical Center on May 5, 2020.

Mrs. Johnson taught for 25 years in Kingston, Jamaica, before moving to the United States. Here, she participated in the Americorps Program as a teacher; took courses at Essex County College; and volunteered at the polls during elections.

She was also a long-time member of St. Philomena Church and Lighthouse Pentecostal Church.

She is survived by her husband, James (Jim) Johnson; a daughter, Claudia Crutchley, in Jamaica; a son, Claude, in Switzerland; and a son, Curt, in England. She was grandmother to 13 children.

To send condolences, call 973-994-3723 or email JamBever@ comcast.net.