community news from Livingston

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY: Livingston resident Nelson Rivera, owner of PuroClean of Morristown and a captain with the Orange Fire Department, recently coordinated a toy drive for pediatric patients at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. His employees and fellow firefighters donated a number of gifts for the drive. “Since opening my company early this year we have found different ways to give back to the communities we serve. We decided that putting a smile on a child’s face, at a time when they need it the most, was one of the things we wanted to close the year out with,” Rivera explains.

Anne Devlin Alexander of Livingston, 100, died Sunday, December 22, at home with her family.

Mrs. Alexander was born in Jersey City and grew up in Union and West Orange. She had lived in Livingston for the past 66 years.

She is survived by her daughters, Annemarie Alexander (Bill Vnenchak), and Patricia Krasnodebski (Wes); her daughters-in-law, Sue Alexander and Joyce Alexander; and three grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Patrick, and her sons, Mark and Neil.

Mrs. Alexander graduated from Our Lady of the Valley High School in Orange, and from Berkeley Secretarial School. She was employed as an executive secretary at several Newark businesses, including Bamberger’s, Ballantine Brewery, and Anheuser-Busch Brewery, where she was the first woman hired at the then-new facility in 1952.

Mrs. Alexander and her husband were founding members of St. Raphael Church in Livingston. She served as president of its Rosary Society.

Filomena J. “Fanny” Bottone, née Matarazzo, died on Saturday, December 28, in Wilmington, Delaware. She was the youngest of 13 children and grew up on the Matarzzo family farm in North Caldwell.

Visitation will take place today, Thursday, January 2, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home. The funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 3, at 10 a.m. at St. Philomena Church. Interment will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.

Mrs. Bottone married a Livingston farmer, Carl “Chic” Bottone, and lived most of her life here. Predeceased by him and 12 brothers and sisters, she is survived by her daughter, Carmela (Jim) Randall; and three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in Mrs. Bottone’s memory be made to St. Philomena Church.

Leslie Martin Davidson of Livingston died on Monday, December 23, at the Daughters of Israel care facility in West Orange.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Davidson graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and briefly served with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He had lived in Livingston since 1964.

Mr. Davidson was a physicist with the Bendix Aviation Corporation, where his projects included the design of the Apollo lunar landing module. He also worked for Cessna and the ITT Corporation.

He gave lectures and taught chess and ESL (English as a Second Language) at the Livingston Library, and expanded the internal Livingston High School TV station to broadcast TV on channel 34. He also volunteered at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and in the Reading to Children program at Collins School.

Nancy C. Natale (née DelMaestro) of Livingston died on Sunday, December 29. She was 82 years old.

She was the wife of the late Edward Natale Sr.; the mother of Patrick Natale, Edward Natale Jr. and his wife, Toby; and the sister of the late Gerald Heinze. She is also survived by seven grandchildren.

Mrs. Natale was born and raised in Newark before moving to Livingston in 1970.

Visitation will take place today, Thursday, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Galante Funeral Home , 2800 Morris Avenue, Union.

On Friday, January 3, there will be a funeral service at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a funeral Mass at 11:15 a.m. at St. Philomena Church. Interment will take place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

www.WestEssexTribune.net

It is with sad hearts that we announce the departure of our dear mother, Helen “Elly” Dorothy Duff, née Mezzanotti. Elly passed peacefully at her home in Marshfield, MA. on December 17, 2019, surrounded by her children. She was 86 years old.

Helen was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on January 10, 1933 to the late Albert and Emmanuelle “Helen” Mezzanotti. The Mezzanottis were part of a large extended family of Italian-Americans and Italian immigrants. She grew up and attended school in the Glendale neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts.

After graduating fromWorcester’s Commerce High School in 1951, Helen attended Regis College and received her B.A. degree in 1955. Elly met her future husband, the late John B. Duff, working side-by-side at the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1951. John and Helen were married in October 1955 at the Holy Rosary Church in Worcester.

This is a difficult time of year for those in need. The holidays, often known as the “Giving Season,” are over. In January, charitable giving slows down significantly, but unfortunately, the need for it does not. Many charitable organizations publicize themselves heavily during November and December, and have members soliciting funds in person during that time, but then seem to drop rather suddenly off the radar after New Year’s Day.

The post-holiday season is a tough one for those in financial difficulty; holiday bills are rolling in on top of regular monthly bills, rent must be paid, food must be purchased. But the support that got those in need through November and December is suddenly no longer there.

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) has finally acquired its long-awaited and much-needed LPI vehicle – a 2019 Ford Cargo Transit van. “Philanthropic donors have done it again,” said Jeff Friedman, founder and director of the Livingston-based charity. “Along with the steady flow of winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves, now they have funded a vehicle for Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI). The van became a reality because of the generosity of family giving funds, Livingston civic organizations, local businesses and individual contributions. It’s almost unbelievable!”
Friedman immediately put the van into service, driving from the dealership to its partner, the West Essex Tribune, to pick up donations.

This week's issue of the Tribune contained an error regarding the location of the Township's annual reorganization meeting. Please read below for the correct information.
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Town Council to Hold
Reorganization Jan. 1

THE OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE recently held its last meeting of 2019. Shown here, members include, seated, Al Anthony, Art Altman, and Sam Patel; and standing, Walter LeVine, Vineeta Khanna, Mike Rieber, and Alan Glazer. Also on the volunteer committee are Chris Bickel and Russ Jones.

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