West Essex Tribune

Peter William Berenbak of Livingston died of complications from Parkinson’s Disease on January 22 in Livingston. He was a few months shy of his 80th birthday.

Before retiring from Lexis Nexis Martindale-Hubble in 2015, he spent almost 20 years as a law firm marketing specialist. Prior to working with legal publications, he worked as a teacher as well as having a long career in media. He served in multiple roles for various radio and newspaper companies, most notably the Daily Record in Morristown. He worked as a reporter, sales executive, and contributing writer. It was there that he met his wife, Susan, to whom he was married for nearly 50 years.

Born in Brooklyn in 1944, Mr, Berenbak settled in New Jersey, graduating from Bayley Ellard High School and receiving a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.

Sanford Muni Holover, 88, of Livingston, died on Wednesday, February 14.

Mr. Holover was born in Newark. He was a part of the Military Police for the US Army and then was an auctioneer and appraiser for the Aaltens Gallery in South Orange. He is a past member of Temple Beth Shalom in Livingston.

He was the husband of Nina for over 60 years. He fathered three children, Erick, Ian, and Dr. Spencer Holover, and grandfather of two.

A funeral service was held on Thursday, February 15, at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston. Burial followed at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Iselin.

While we are on the topic of applying to be a first responder in town, let us also give a shout out to the Livingston Fire Department (LFD) and the First Aid Squad (LFAS), both of which are volunteer organizations looking for new members.

Residents can go to livingstonfire.org to learn more about what it takes to join the LFD, which needs additional members in the next few years in order to remain a volunteer organization. A contact page is listed on the website for those with questions about what it takes to join the department.

For the First Aid Squad, any resident is able to join; in fact, LFAS will provide the training in first aid skills such as CPR. A brief questionnaire, available at lfas.org, is the first step in the process of joining the squad.

With several retirements so far this year, and more to come, the Livingston Police Department is currently accepting applications for entry-level police officer positions.

Three long-serving Livingston Police officers, Captain John Drumm, Sergeant Michael Herbert, and Officer Ralph Kolbusz, all retired from the department last month. Three more, including Captain Tom Smith, are expected to leave the department by May, as well.

LANCERS FALL TO HORNETS: The Livingston High School Lancers girls varsity basketball team travelled to Morris County to play the Hanover Park Hornets on President’s Day, Monday, February 19. The Hornets defeated the Lancers, 38-26, in the county border match up. Livingston was led by Lyla Feldman’s 11 points and Jordan Fersko’s 6 rebounds. Shown here, clockwise from top left: Lancer guard Jordan Fersko, #23, beats the Hanover Park defender to score; Lancer forward Aubrey Cohen, #3, scores despite being triple teamed by the Hornets; and Lancer forward Mia Viola, #11, sets to pass to a cutting teammate against the Hornets.

VARSITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL FALLS TO RAIDERS: The Livingston High School Lancers were defeated by the Scotch Plains Raiders, 56-44, on Thursday, February 15, in the Auxiliary Gym. Livingston guard Zach Smith scored 17 points and Lancer center Ryan Sayle pulled down five rebounds. The Lancer record stands at 13-13. Above, Livingston center Ryan Sayle drives the baseline against the Raiders. At left, Lancer guard Zach Smith scores on a sideline jumper against the Raiders.

Marianna Sarkis Bentley died on January 28, at 48 years old.

Mrs. Bentley was bomonFebruary 16,1975, inBrooklyn,New York, to Eshmail and Lucy Sarkis. She grew up in Staten Island with her younger siblings. She attended Columbia University, graduating with a degree in English in 1997. She continued her education at Brooklyn Law School, from which she graduated in 2002.

After graduation, she served as a securities attorney at Hogan and Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) and later at Bloomberg Law, where she was the author of many significant articles on U.S. security regulations.

In February 2006, she married James Bentley. Together, they welcomed their two daughters, Caroline in 2008, and Jacqueline in 2010. She left her career to stay home and raise her daughters.

Valerie Barrs-O’Mara of West Seattle died on January 26 at the age of 66. She passed away peacefully with her family by her side, after a nearly six-year battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

She was born on December 17, 1957, to George and Margaret Barrs, in Rockford, Illinois. She was raised by her mother, along with her two siblings, Kathy and Casey. She graduated from Livingston High School. Her exuberance (in high school plays and on the field with the Lancerettes) and compassion (as a Candy Striper and camp counselor) emerged in those years. She attended Drew University, where she met her husband-to-be Michael.

She was a PA in cardiothoracic surgery for nearly 40 years, with the bulk of her career at Seattle’s

Overlake Medical Center. Her career was a true joy in her life. Valerie was a natural leader. She organized countless events for her children’s schools including Halloween carnivals, field days, auctions, and fundraising.

Leo G. Donohue, age 73, of Livingston died on February 8. Bom in Paterson and raised in Hawthorne, he had resided in Livingston since 1978.

Leo was a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s College (now University), Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1972 and completed his MBA studies at Rutgers University in 1979. He held various positions in the customer operations area of Public Service Electric and Gas Company during a 36 year career. Upon retirement in 2010, he joined Huntington Learning Center as an exam prep teacher until 2023. He proudly served in the United States Marine Corps from 1972 to 1975.

Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Virginia, and their three children, Maureen, Matthew (Lara) and Michael (Lauren), as well as five grandchildren - Leo, Paul, Callie, Luke and Shea. He is also survived by siblings, Mary (George) Forshay, Joseph (Punnie), Anne (Fred) Folco andEllen (Wayne) Cramer, plus several nieces and nephews.

Helen Friedman passed away at home on February 12 at the age of 97. She was the daughter of Golda and Joseph Rosenkrantz and spent most of her life in the Bronx in New York until moving to Livingston, New Jersey about 27 years ago.

She married Oscar Friedman in 1947. After the untimely death of her husband, Helen was widowed at the age of 33 and was a single mother of three children, Stephen, Alan, and Rise. Helen worked as a secretary during the day, while getting a bachelor of arts from Baruch College at night and later a master’s degree from NYU. She taught secretarial studies at Jane Addams High School in the Bronx and Julia Richmond High School in Manhattan, and then computer keyboarding at Bronx Community College. Although her family hoped she would retire, she commuted from Livingston to Bronx Community College using public transportation for many years. She was an active chorus member of Temple Emanu-El in Livingston and Temple Sinai in Summit.