Livingston news

The Livingston High School girls’ cross country team qualified for the Group 4 State Championship race thanks to its performance at the sectional championship, held at Garret Mountain in Woodland Park on Saturday, November 6.

Seventeen teams were represented in the sectional race, the first step of the three tier State Championship tournament. LHS put seven girls on the starting line. Only the top five teams and top ten individuals would qualify for the next level of competition, the Group 4 State Championship. “The squad was determined to not let the season end quite yet,” said LHS coach Dave Czeizinger. “The favorite was a nationally ranked squad, and the field included some other state ranked teams. The Lancers, though probably overlooked by many, were determined to get a top five spot and keep their season going.”

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY DIWALI: Aerial fireworks capped the Sanskriti of New Jersey celebration of Diwali on Friday night at the Livingston Oval. “Diwali is celebrated by millions of Indians all over the world irrespective of religious affiliation, a celebration of good over evil and a path toward light from darkness,” said Neeta Juvekar who, with Nilesh Mhatre and Punam Bhargava, organized the event. Police Chief Gary Marshuetz estimated that close to 1,200 people witnessed the show. Sweets (mithai) were shared, children waved bright sparklers, and volunteers handled ground-based firecrackers.

Livingston Police officers are investigating the theft of a car from a resident’s garage last week.

At 8:45 p.m. on Friday, November 5, a Lexus was stolen from the garage of a Ross Road home. The theft was discovered when Livingston police officer Jaleesa LaSure was patrolling the neighborhood just after midnight on Saturday morning.

Officer LaSure saw that two garage doors to the home were open and stopped to investigate. Upon speaking with the homeowner, it was determined that one car had been stolen from the garage.

The thief was able to access a garage door remote from an unlocked car in the driveway. The Lexus was then driven out of the garage using the key fob that had been left in the car.

The Lexus was located at about 10 a.m. on Saturday, by the Newark Police Department, parked and unoccupied.

The Livingston Township Council discussed Open Space and housingrelated ordinances at its Monday, November 8, meeting. The meeting was held virtually and may be viewed on the Livingston Township, NJ Facebook page.

At the start of the meeting, the Council was read a letter from resident Ronald Schlein asking members to ban gas powered leaf blowers in town. Mayor Shawn Klein said that it was a great idea to consider. Council member Al Anthony noted that the Livingston Environmental Commission is already in discussions on the matter and plans to provide recommendations on use of electric leaf blowers in the near future.

Carolyn “Connie” M. Scardena (née Doyle), a resident of Livingston since 1958, died on Tuesday, November 2.

Mrs. Scardena had been a long distance operator for Bell Telephone, and a sales representative at Lord and Taylor.

Mrs. Scardena was predeceased by her husband, Joseph L., and six siblings and their spouses. She is survived by her children: Kathleen Leong (Roland), Stephen (Ellen), Joseph (Sally), Mary Ellen Stefanak (Frank), and Leonard; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. Also surviving her are her sister, Irene Barclay, and her brother-in-law, Peter Shannon.

A funeral Mass was offered on Tuesday, November 9, at St. Philomena’s Church, Livingston. Cremation was private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mrs. Scardena’s name may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Joan Brennan (née Dassing), 91, of Livingston, died on November 3. She resided in Livingston since 1959.

Mrs. Brennan was born in Newark and graduated from Irvington High School in 1949. She worked for ten years at the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and, after raising her family, at the Guymar Construction Company for 27 years.

Mrs. Brennan was involved in school and community activities, such as Girl Scouts and PTA. She was a daily communicant at St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church where she taught CCD and was a member of the Rosary Society.

She was predeceased by her husband, Harry, her daughter, Nancy Rynearson, her brother, Louis Dassing, and her sister-in-law, Patricia Conlon. She is survived by her children, Timothy Brennan (Nancy) and Colleen Brennan (Robert Hoke), and her son-in-law, Robert Rynearson; and four grandchildren.

RUNS FIRST MARATHON: Gabrielle Levy, who was raised in Livingston and is a 2012 graduate of Livingston High School, participated in the 50th TCS New York City Marathon as her first full marathon. The 26.2 mile race took place Sunday, November 7 passing through the five boroughs of New York City. Levy crossed the finish line at 3:48:53. She is shown here with her fiancé, Jason Azzoparde of Quebec, Canada, who completed the race in 3:47:30. The couple qualified in 2019 but as last year’s marathon was canceled due to the pandemic, this was their first opportunity to run a full in-person marathon.

CARRY OFF CEREMONY: The Livingston High School football team held its Senior Carry Off Ceremony on Thursday, November 4, on the turf. Each senior selects underclassmen to carry him off the field turf for the last time. Underclassmen form a tunnel for them to exit the field. The Lancers were defeated by the Union Farmers, 41-3, on Friday evening, November 5, in the first round of the NJSIAA North Section 2 Group 5 football playoffs. Shown at left are Danny Cullen, Joey Maiello, John Ferrante, Ryan Park, Hayden Arsht, and Owen Gordon; above are Darren Morgan, Ben Hauser, Andrew Gobbler, Justin Naylor, Mory Ashenberg, Brandon Kenney, Ryan Park, LJ Cocuzza, Quinn Devlin, Ben Keim, Jakob Taub, Jayvier Cayemitte, Daniel Jacobson, Brandon Bechtold, Matteo Chalfin, and Daniel Silva. Don Schwartz Photos

Paula Gloria Davidson, 88 years old, died October 31, 2021.

She was born in Brooklyn, New York to Sadie and Harris Katzman. She married Les Davidson on July 4, 1954, and had four children, Lynn, Honey, Harris, and Ronald; and five grandchildren, Michael, Stefanie, Laura, Steven, and Matthew.

Paula lived in Livingston for 57 years. Prior to that, she had lived in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. New York.

She was active in activities in Livingston, especially the Livingston Public Library. Paula had a love of family, travel, and taking cruises. She enjoyed reading mysteries, and watching tennis, gymnastics, ice skating, and the Olympics.

Paula received a B.A. from Montclair State University (originally at Queens College) in sociology. She spent years as editor and proof reader at several locations before retirement.

Alex Richardson, a retired engineer, passed away peacefully at his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on September 13, 2021, aged 93.

Born in Michigan to Margaret and Avery Richardson, he graduated from Boonton (New Jersey) High School, earned a BEE and MME in electrical engineering from Cornell University, and an MS in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He served as an officer in the Army Signal Corps and was deployed to Korea. After a long career with ITT Avionics, he had a second career as a project engineer for the New Jersey Turnpike, developing the original EZ-Pass system. Alex was a certified Professional Engineer and a Brother of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity.