community news from Livingston

Updated COVID-19 information on the local cases as well as information on long-term care facilities in Livingston have been released by both the Township and Essex County officials.

As of Wednesday morning, May 13, there were 433 total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Livingston, as well as 64 deaths. 51 of the deceased were residents of long-term care facilities.

The total confirmed Livingston cases in long-term care facilities is 278.

The average age of all Livingston COVID-19 patients who have died is 84.94. Breaking this down, the average age of long-term care facilities fatalities is 87.21, and of private residence fatalities, 77.02.

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Mark Stern, principal of Livingston High School, this week outlined plans for graduation ceremonies for the members of the LHS class of 2020. Diplomas will be presented during individual ceremonies at the school June 22, 23, and 24, while a virtual classwide celebration will be held June 25.

Livingston school facilities have been shut down since Friday, March 13, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, governor Phil Murphy, who ordered schools statewide to close Wednesday, March 18, announced New Jersey school buildings would remain closed through the end of the 2019-20 academic year. Livingston’s public schools have been conducting remote learning since being closed.

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At the public hearing on the budget held on Thursday, May 7, the Livingston Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a 2020-21 school year budget of $128,369,023. The meeting was held virtually via Zoom and FaceBook Live.

This budget is $575,000 lower than the tentative budget that the Board adopted on March 18, due to deferral of a proposed parking lot expansion at Hillside School and replacement of strength training equipment at Livingston High School. It is $1.8 million higher than the 2019-20 school year budget, an increase of 1.66 percent. The March 18 budget, which was developed before the coronavirus epidemic, had called for a two percent increase.

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The Livingston Township Council, at its livestreamed meeting on Monday evening, May 11, briefly introduced the 2020 municipal budget, discussed the potential for “pop-up drive-in” movie events, and heard Livingston Health Department updates.

Budget Overview

Township manager Barry Lewis gave a brief overview of the 2020 municipal budget.

This year had been shaping up well, he said, prior to the coronavirus crisis. As a result, the township has a surplus of nearly $7 million.

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Livingston Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services (SYLS) is currently accepting registration for summer programs and pool members, in hopes that restrictions will be lifted by then.

According to a statement issued by SYLS officials, “We continue to monitor COVID-19 updates as they apply to our summer programs and pools. We are monitoring the situation closely and are developing contingency plans for different scenarios. Please understand that participant and staff health and safety are our priority.”

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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.