Livingston Tribune

The ninth giving season of Living-ston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) is off to an extremely strong start “thanks to our altruistic Livingston residents,” announced Jeff Friedman, founder and director of the organization.
LPI volunteers provided needed clothing items to the Bessie Green Community at North Reformed Church, and toiletry gift bags to  clients at  John’s Soup Kitchen, both  located in Newark.
The Bessie Green “Clothes Barn” operation received a large, three-vehicle delivery from volunteers Alan Levin, Rick Levin and Stephen Greenberg.
“Still using personal vehicles to make it happen, they are loaded up to the gills with an array of family clothing, shoes, coats, men’s dress attire and more,” said Friedman. “Mostly high-quality garments, as always.”
Levin, a founding LPI volunteer, reported that  “We filled up my SUV, Alan’s station wagon and Stephen’s car. We picked up a bigger than expected load of donations at the Tribune, too.”

Peter Walker Armstrong, 80, of Temple, Maine, died suddenly on August 27, 2019. He was born in 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, to Richard and Elizabeth (Schuh) Armstrong, and grew up in Livingston.

Peter attended Colby College and Boston University Graduate School, from which he earned degrees. He served two years in the Peace Corps in Panama and worked professionally for the YMCA of Reading and Berks County, Pennsylvania.

He met and married Janice Jeffers in New York City, and Peter and Janice moved to Maine to homestead. Peter became a coordinator of Red Nugget Harvesters, a cooperative apple picking and pruning crew. Later, he continued to prune apple trees during the winter and restore gardens during the summer, for the rest of his life. An avid birder, he loved the natural world: skiing, canoeing, camping and hiking. Peter and Janice lived “off the grid” for twenty five years, building their own home and growing organic vegetables.

Next week marks the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the fall of the World Trade Center, the crash of Flight 93, and the attack on the Pentagon.

On that day, Livingston lost seven of its residents: Luke A. Dudek, Jeffrey Brian Gardner, Donald Thomas Jones II, Ming-Hao Liu, Joseph P. McDonald, John M. Pocher, and Kenneth Albert Zelman. They became part of a nationwide tragedy that forever changed the face of America.

Our nation was changed forever that day. Our country’s confidence in the security of its citizens and its institutions was shaken to its core, and nothing has been the same since. In the years that followed, towns across the nation held ceremonies to honor the more than 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks, including our own service in Livingston, organized for 18 years running by Bunnie Ratner, chairperson of the 9/11 garden at the Oval along with the annual Ceremony of Remembrance.

Robert “Bob” Gleason died in his Livingston home on Tuesday, August 27. He was 73 years old.

Born in Jersey City, Mr. Gleason attended St. Aloysius High School in Jersey City, where he excelled in varsity swimming and basketball. He graduated from Montclair State University in 1967, majoring in health and physical education.

He taught physical education in the Montclair School district, and coached both basketball and soccer teams, retiring after more than 35 years in education. For many years, he was actively involved in the Essex County Chapter of the Special Olympics, which he continued throughout his retirement.

Mr. Gleason is survived by his ex-wife, Elaine Pennella Gleason; and his sister, Rita (Gay) Viggiano and her husband, John.

Jerry Buren of Monroe Township, formerly of Livingston, died on August 23 after a long illness.

He graduated from Seton Hall University and was a CPA.

Mr. Buren is survived by his wife of 63 years, Adele Kotler Buren; his two daughters, Lori Elkins (Dale) and Julie Buren (Jeff Kaplan); five grandchildren; and his brother, Paul.

Services took place on August 25 with arrangements by Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation for research on Parkinsonism and PSP, a rare brain disorder.

Joseph A. Caputo, 55, of Living ston died on Monday, September 2. He was the son of Joan P. Caputo and the late Thomas J. Caputo.

Mr. Caputo is survived by his wife, Donna (Amodio) Caputo and his sons, Thomas J. Caputo and Anthony P. Caputo. He is also survived by his sisters, Charlene Caputo Kahse (Jerry), and Dawn (Caputo) Boudmer (Bruno); his sister-in-law, Christine Slinger (Ronnie), and his brother-in-law, Peter Amodio (Angela).

The family will receive relatives and friends at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home of Livingston on Friday, September 6, from 3 to 8 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Philomena Church on Saturday, September 7, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Saint Barnabas Cancer Center, 94 Old Short Hills Rd., Livingston, NJ 07039.

The Lancer boys’ varsity soccer team defeated Glen Rock, 3-1, at home on the turf on Wednesday, August 28. Shown here, Lancer defenders prevent a Panthers corner kick score during second half action. Heading the ball is # 23 senior Jake Goldstein, #23. The player in the air is junior Grant Shevrin. Senior Jordan Wayne mans the post while freshman Charlie Grossman, #25, converges on the play. Don Schwartz Photo

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Members of Livingston’s volunteer Fire Department extinguished a car fire and a dumpster fire, freed passengers trapped in an elevator, and responded to a broken water pipe this past week.

On Thursday, August 29, firefighters were dispatched to exit 6 off Route 280 eastbound (Laurel Avenue) after a vehicle was reported to have gone off the road into the woods and caught fire. Upon their arrival, firefighters found the driver was out of the burning car, which was fully involved. They extinguished the fire with no injuries reported.

A general alarm was sounded on Friday,August 30, after the contents of a dumpster at Heritage Middle School ignited. The fire was extinguished without incident, and no damage was reported.

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Livingston’s annual Ceremony of Remembrance will be held on Wednesday, September 11, at the 9-11 Living Memorial Garden on the Oval in Memorial Park. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held rain or shine.

This annual ceremony honors the lives of the seven Livingston residents who perished in the terrorist attack on theWorldTrade Centers in 2001: Luke A. Dudek, Jeffrey Brian Gardner, Donald Thomas Jones II, Ming-Hao Liu, Joseph P. McDonald, John M. Pocher, and Kenneth Albert Zelman.

Event chairwoman Bunnie Ratner said the ceremony “reminds all of the importance of remembering what happened that day. While the attacks themselves occurred 18 years ago, their consequences are still felt each day.”

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The Livingston Police Department took three people into custody on Thursday, August 29, in relation to several investigations that took place over the past few months.

On June 13, Officer Michael Spano tried to stop a 2019 Dodge Caravan in relation to a theft that occurred in East Hanover. Rather than stop, the driver of the van initiated a vehicle pursuit that started on East Mt. Pleasant Avenue at the Rossmore Terrace intersection, and continued east to Shrewsbury Drive and then onto Route 280, where the police terminated the pursuit.

During the chase, the occupants of the van threw stolen property out of an open sliding door. A follow-up investigation led to the identification of Jamal Johns, 22, of Newark, as the operator of the van. He was charged with eluding police and a warrant was issued.