community news from Livingston

Robert George MacKenzie, a long-standing resident of Livingston, New Jersey, died unexpectedly on June 9, 2020.

Robert is survived by his sons, Douglas and his wife, Margaret; and David.

Robert was born on October 3, 1930, in Newark, New Jersey. He initially worked as a tool-and-die maker, served in the Army in Korea, and graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in finance. He then married and moved to Livingston.

Robert worked in the insurance industry, initially for Liberty Mutual, subsequently for American International Group. Robert, his wife, Barbara, and their dog, Dallas, remained in Livingston during their retirement.

Robert was an avid golfer and world-traveler, and was active with the Federated Church.

A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, at the Federated Church of Livingston, at the corner of Route 10 and Livingston Avenue.

Kathryn Finn (nee Cornish), 94, died Wednesday, June 17, at her home [in Livingston].

Mrs. Finn was a member of the Cadet Nursing Corps and attended the school of Orange Memorial Hospital from 1943 to 1946. She later worked at the hospital, achieving the title of head nurse, before becoming a homemaker.

She was predeceased by her husband, Alan J. Finn. She is survived by her children, Karen Finn, Susan Kraft (John), Carol Sinnott (Rev. Paul), Alan Finn, Jr., Janet Germinario (Philip), and Michael Finn; and three grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

A private family viewing was held, and the funeral liturgy took place at St. Philomena’s Church, Livingston, on Tuesday, June 23. Interment followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover. A memorial will be held at a later date after the pandemic.

Donations may be made in Mrs. Finn’s memory to the St. Philomena Sharing Office, 973-992-1382.

Returning to Society

It’s been a wild week.

Last Friday, for the first time since early March, I did my own grocery shopping. Later that day I went inperson to get coffee, and after that, ordered lunch and sat outside the restaurant to eat. On Father’s Day, my dad, brother and I went golfing. And on Monday, mercifully, I got a haircut for the first time in five months. Boy, did I need that haircut; I was not meant to have long hair, especially in the summer.

Diane Margo Goldberg died on June 14, in her Livingston home. She was 83 years old.

The daughter of Philip and Ella Mandelbaum, Mrs. Goldberg, was raised in Maplewood and attended Boston University.

She was predeceased by Robert, her husband of 60 years, and is survived by her children, Howard and his fiancée, Joanne; Michael and his wife, Terri; and Kenneth and his wife, Melissa; her brothers, David (Karen) Mandelbaum and Nathan (Sheree) Mandelbaum; and her five grandchildren.

The family suggests that thoughts of appreciation be directed to the Friendship Circle or the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest.

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.

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.

The Willing Heart Community Care Center (WHCCC) in Newark, a Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) distribution associate since the Livingston-based charity’s inception in 2011, became the fourth organization to receive LPI food shipments during the pandemic.
“With this week’s delivery to Willing Heart’s Tuesday food pantry program, Livingston’s extreme generosity provided 500 pullman loaves of wheat bread to help feed families living below the poverty line,” noted LPI founder and director Jeff Friedman. “Pullman loaves, usually delivered to restaurants, are larger than loaves found in grocery stores, and can be cut in half to provide sustenance for two needy families.”
Lisa Cherokee Raine Booker, a long-time LPI friend, a Willing Heart “Lady of the Boutique,” and LPI’s liaison to the organization, commented, “Thanks so much, Livingston Philanthropies! Your donations are greatly appreciated.”

Two men are facing several charges after allegedly breaking into several local businesses along West Mt. Pleasant Avenue to steal cash, electronics, and liquor.

At 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, Livingston Police received a call from the security monitoring service for Wells Fargo Bank at 313 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue. The burglar alarm at the bank had been activated and two people were being observed by live video inside the bank.

Officer Chris Grieco was responding to the bank when he observed a 2003 Hyundai leaving the area. The car was stopped and officers saw that the two men in the car were wearing the same clothes as the people that had been observed in the bank.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition http://www.etypeservices.com/West%20Essex%20TribuneID480/

Livingston will have an operational community pool by next weekend, according to township officials.

Mervyn V.T. Haines Pool will open on Friday, June 26. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., earlier than the typical opening time of 1 p.m.

Unless registrations take a sharp increase, Northland Pool will not open this season. Haines typically has triple the attendance of Northland. Pool registration is currently at about one-third of the normal numbers, so it does not make financial sense to open both pools, although Northland is ready to open if needed, according to Jennifer Walker, director of Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services. She briefed the Township Council on the status of pools opening at the Monday, June 15, meeting.

This past Sunday, June 14, was Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” as the flag of the United States of America on June 14, 1777.

For this week’s and last week’s edition, the Tribune asked veterans and residents to briefly reflect on what the flag means to them.

Walter Joyce

The American flag, to me, represents the greatest country in the world. It is historical symbolism, with the 13 red and white stripes representing the 13 original states, and the 50 stars representing the 50 individual states that, collectively, are united under God, to provide liberty and justice for all its citizens.

As a Boy Scout, I learned how to properly respect our American flag, and how it represents the sacrifices of many men and women who fought in battles to protect us and maintain our freedom.