Livingston community

Elvira F. Del Guercio of Livingston died December 6. She was 98 years old.

Due to COVID-19, funeral services were held privately under the direction of Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, Roseland.

Born in Jersey City, Mrs. Del Guercio was raised in Newark, and settled in Livingston. Prior to her retirement, she was a job setter for Western Electric in Kearny for 42 years.

Predeceased by her husband, Thomas Del Guercio, and her siblings, Michael D’Ambrosio, Phyllis Caputo, LorraineAquino, andNorma Calabro, she is survived by many nieces, nephews, and extended relatives.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stjude. org or the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, cfbnj.org.

Theodore (Ted) Pearlman, 74, of Freehold, formerly of Livingston, died December 2.

Dr. Pearlman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and resided in Newark and Union before moving to Livingston, where he raised his family. He had recently relocated to Freehold.

Dr. Pearlman was educated at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), earning a bachelor’s degree and a doctor ofmedicine degree. He maintained an ophthalmological practice in Denville for over 40 years, and was a founding member of the Ridgedale Surgery Center. He served as the president of the Pocono Park condo association and was a member of the Temple B’nai Abraham Men’s Club.

When it comes to affordable housing, there are long stretches of time when we only hear about the negatives associated with it.

For example, the township has been involved in litigation over the appropriate amount of affordable housing in town for several years. It appears that Livingston and the Fair Share Housing Center have finally reached a tentative agreement on the town’s affordable housing obligation, pending a hearing in January. This would save the township from future unwanted development as a result of “builder’s remedy” lawsuits, where a developer cites the ability to create affordable housing as a way to force construction of a much larger project, and the township’s Council, Planning, and Zoning Boards lose control over what is built.

A new single family home at 11 Grand Terrace, created through a partnership between the township and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newark, was dedicated on Thursday, December 3. The event was held outdoors, with masks required and chairs placed at distances from each other. Township and Habitat officials, along with the new homeowner, spoke proudly about the project and the experience of working with each other.

Livingston initially authorized funding for the project in 2017, mayor Rudy Fernandez said. “It’s been important to the community and to us. We are committed to it... We gave it around $300,000 from our affordable housing trust. What do we get out of it? We get great new neighbors moving in!” Ground was broken in July, 2018.

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David Rosa II of Rahway, formerly of Livingston, passed away on Monday, November 23, at his home, as a result of a heart attack.

David, who was born January 11, 1979, was a stand-out athlete while at Livingston High School as a member of the track and field team. He was namedAthlete ofthe Year in his senior year, 1997. He broke many school records, some of which still stand to this day.

Upon graduation, he attended Fordham University on a track and field scholarship. At Fordham, he was a stand-out hurdler and won many awards and accolades. Due to his very successful years at Fordham, he was inducted to the very prestigious Fordham University Hall of Fame in 2019. David received his B.A. in history with two minors, in economics and music. He had just been accepted to the Rutgers University Graduate School Liberal Studies program, where he planned to continue his education to obtain his master’s degree.

The Camuso Holiday Display will open for the season this Saturday, December 5.

Although there had been early doubts that the display would open due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the beloved holiday tradition will continue.

However, there are no special events planned, and the display has been reconfigured to enhance social distancing.

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SANTA’S MAILBOX, a long-time and cherished Livingston tradition, has been set up on the front lawn of the Livingston Fire Department, 62 South Livingston Avenue. Shown here mailing his letter to Santa is eight year old Austin Lewis, with his father Josh Lewis, LFD maintenance technician, and Fire Chief Chris Mullin. Letters — with return addresses — may be dropped in the mailbox until noon on Friday, December 18. Assisting Santa in answering his mail are staff members of the township’s Senior, Youth, and Leisure Services Department. LFD Photo

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A Livingston man and his family were recently featured as the subjects of the popular “Humans of New York” page, a photoblog of portraits and interviews collected around New York City.

Due to the pandemic, the project has begun to expand beyond the city streets, which is how Brad Scher, 53, came to be featured. He was high-lighted by his daughter, Clara, 25, with the help of her siblings Lily, 22, and Sam, 18. She told a story of her father’s love for her mother, Susan, 53; how he would draw personal pictures on their paper lunch bags each morning before school; and how he continues to live his life to the fullest following a recent ALS diagnosis.

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The Livingston Zoning Board of Adjustment, at its meeting on Tuesday evening, November 24, heard five residential applications and approved three. Two applications were adjourned to future meetings.

First Floor Addition

Kawsar Kamal of32 East Harrison Place was granted corner lot setback variances of 5.1 feet and 5.43 feet for a first floor addition and deck. The Board noted that the lot is undersized and the addition is modest and does not encroach on the neighbors. The final square footage of the home will be 1,788 square feet.

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As of Wednesday morning, December 2, the Livingston Health Department has reported that a total of 905 Livingston residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the first case was recorded in mid-March. 75 ofthose residents have died as a result of the virus. Compared to the same time last week, there are 49 new cases, with one additional death.

In the month of November, there were 225 new cases, compared to 93 in October and 21 in September. The Livingston Health Department urges residents to continue to observe COVID-19 protocols.

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