Livingston community

Jeffrey Alan Goldberg, who lived in Livingston as a boy, died on April 15. He was born in Orange on February 12, 1958, and went to grade school at Mt. Pleasant Elementary in Livingston.

He graduated from Plantation High School in South Florida, and worked as a morning show radio personality for 20 years in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, after which he opened the Route 58 Deli in Virginia Beach.

Mr. Goldberg was preceded in death by his son, Benjamin Goldberg, and his parents, Janice Goldberg and Stanley Goldberg. He is survived by his wife, Karen Dzupinka Goldberg; his sister, Debbie Heller; his daughter, Lauren Goldberg; and his stepchildren, Bryn Dzupinka and Nolan Dzupinka.

The funeral service was held on Tuesday, April 19, at Altmeyer Funeral Home in Virginia Beach.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital in New York City.

Joe “Bean” Cunningham of Belmar, a former long-time resident of Livingston, died April 20. He was 67 years old.

A viewing was held at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home of Livingston on Sunday, April 24. A funeral Mass was offered on Monday, April 25, at St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church, Livingston.

Mr. Cunningham was born in Newark on August 22, 1954, and lived there until moving to Livingston at the age of seven. He lived in Livingston for 60 years before recently moving to Belmar.

He graduated from Seton Hall Prep School in 1972 and took courses at Seton Hall University. He became a member of the Pipefitter Union Local 475, where he worked for many years. Until recently, he worked for Air Group performing cost analysis.

Mr. Cunningham is survived by his mother, Margaret Cunningham; his brothers, Greg and John Cunningham; his sister Donna Valentine; ten nieces and nephews; and his significant other, Carolyn Oertzen.

VARSITY SOFTBALL TEAM WINS 3 IN A ROW: The Lancers defeated Columbia, 6-1, on Monday, April 18; Nutley, 8-1, on Wednesday, April 20; and Cedar Grove, 7-0, on Thursday, April 21. The Lancers were defeated by Mount Saint Dominic, 2-1, on Friday, April 22 and Roxbury, 1-0, on Saturday, April 23 in the Black and Gold Tournament. Above, Lancer Kelly Lyons slides safely into third base for a triple. At right, Lancer winning pitcher Kaitlin Mullen brings it to the plate against Columbia. She allowed only one hit and recorded 14 strikeouts. Don Schwartz Photos

All are invited to join in a flagraising ceremony in celebration of Israeli Independence Day at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4. The ceremony will take place near the flag pole in front of Livingston Town Hall, which is located at 357 South Livingston Avenue.

The event program will be as follows:

• Sheri Goldberg will explain the Yom HaZikaron, which honors fallen victims of war and terrorism, followed by the Yom Ha’atzmaut program, which is the celebration of Israeli Independence Day;

• Rabbi Proops will sing El Rachamin, a plea that the soul of the departed be granted proper rest;

• Cantor Fine will sing a Hebrew prayer for the Israel Defense Force

• Mayor Ed Meinhardt will welcome guests and participants;

• Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion co-chairwomen Alyse Heilpern and Saba Khan will welcome guests and participants;

• Pastor Martian will say a prayer for Ukraine;

Margaret Louise Baggott, 66, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2022, at Kansas City Hospice House, surrounded by her loving family.

Margaret was born on January 19, 1956, in East Orange, New Jersey, to Kingston and Margaret Fairclough. Margaret grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, with five siblings. In 1977, following a whirlwind romance, Margaret married Patrick Baggott from Limerick, Ireland.

During the next 25 years, Margaret and Patrick raised their son, Brian, in New Jersey while balancing various jobs, until she and Patrick realized a dream and relocated to Borrisokane, Ireland, in 2006. In 2012, Margaret and Patrick moved to Kansas City to be near their only three grandchildren, Liam, Grace and Dylan, who knew her as Nanny. She spent the next ten years nurturing and spending time with her family, who love and miss her dearly.

With the advent of warmer weather, we are seeing more people – especially children – out around town. That means it’s time to think about vehicle and roadway safety. This past month, the state conducted its “UDrive. UText. UPay” campaign, cracking down on distracted driving. But it’s not just about avoiding traffic tickets; it is about personal responsibility and weighing the value of human life.

According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, talking and texting on cell phones is the number one cause of distracted driving among drivers of all ages. Nine people in the United States are killed each and every day in crashes that involve a distracted driver, the CDC’s Transportation Safety division reports.

While distracted driving used to be characterized by using one’s rear view mirror to apply make-up or eating a full meal in the car, it is now defined in a whole new manner, thanks to cell phones.

Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) founder Jeff Friedman appeared on the state-wide telecast, “Your New Jersey,” which aired Saturday and Sunday morning on MeTV, WJLP-TV. The show is hosted by Lisa Marie Falbo. Friedman shared LPI’s mission of “providing for the homeless, profoundly poor and disenfranchised” and how the non-profit reinvented during the pandemic. “It was a quick and complete paradigm shift,” he said.  
MeTV’s one-hour, weekly New Jersey programming block showcases “Your New Jersey,” followed by “New Jersey Politics with Laura Jones.” Both weekly series are executive produced by Falbo and her partner, Gerald D’Ambra through their Media First Group.
Friedman, a retired broadcaster, directed a well-known television series when Falbo was a producer there. Laura Jones is a longtime friend, too. “I applaud and endorse the work of both talented women as they effectively bring New Jersey to their audiences,” he added.

Boy Scout Troop 16 of Livingston recently held a Court of Honor to elevate five members to the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank available in Boy Scouting. The new Eagle Scouts include Henry Dagistino, Matt Ferraro, Mason Levitt, Gene Lu, and Manav Patel.

The Tribune will be featuring one of these Eagle Scouts each week.

Matt Ferraro

Matt Ferraro first got involved with scouting with Pack 16 when he was in fourth grade, recruited by his friend, Gavin Dias. His most memorable trips were Camp Taconic and Washington, D.C., and the Pinewood Derby was his favorite Cub Scouting activity. As a Cub Scout, he attended Camp Winnebago for three nights over a summer. While there, he participated in BB gun shooting, archery, and ziplining.

Later on in his Cub Scout career, he had also earned the religious Parvuli Dei Award. It was presented by Bishop Dominic Anthony Marconi at a ceremony at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark.

Livingston township clerk Glenn Turtletaub this week announced his intention to retire later this year. Turtletaub’s retirement will come after more than 30 years of service to the Township of Livingston, including his service as the township clerk since 2001. Prior to serving as township clerk, he served as the township’s municipal prosecutor. In addition to working for the township, Turtletaub and his wife, Debbie, are long-time Livingston residents who raised their family in the community.

Below is the submitted photo and statement of Edward Meinhardt, a candidate for Livingston Township Council.

Six candidates are running for three open seats in the November election. Running on the Democratic ticket are incumbents Ed Meinhardt (who is currently serving as mayor) and Shawn Klein, along with Rosy Bagolie. Running on the Republican ticket are Sejal Lakhani-Bhatt, Rus Milov, and Michael Livi.

The introductory statements for the other five candidates were published in last week’s edition. Meinhardt was out of town and could not submit his statement before our print deadline. As a result, we are sharing his comments this week.

In September, the Tribune will invite the candidates to respond to a weekly question, leading up to the week of the election in November, in order to to help readers learn more about the candidates and their stances on various issues.