West Essex Tribune

Gloria Newman Simon, 96, of Livingston, New Jersey passed away on Sunday, January 21, 2024.

Gloria worked for many years for Travel 15 in Livingston.

She was the beloved wife of the late Sidney Simon, and the mother of Robert Simon and Mark Simon.

Last week, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) announced its new “Green Initiative,” with the goal of continuing and growing its fresh produce and fruit distribution to families experiencing extreme poverty and living on the streets.

“LPI has been providing this otherwise unavailable sustenance to those without means to do so for themselves and their families, working with long-time distribution partner Newark Emergency Services For Families (NESF) through their monthly ‘Community Grocery Giveaway’ events,” explains LPI founder and chief executive officer Jeff Friedman. “It’s Livingston’s constant contributions that continue to make it all happen for about 2½ years.”

Former Livingston resident Andrew Cameron Harris, Sr., died at his home on January 22. He was 71 years old.

Mr. Harris was raised in Livingston and earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Marietta College in 1974. It was there he met his future wife, Rosemary Hawkes.

He had a 48 year career in the insurance industry. In 1983, Mr. Harris started his own insurance agency as a founder of Liberty Insurance Associates, Inc.

In addition to his wife, Rosemary, Mr. Harris is survived by his son, Andrew Jr., and his wife Kim; his son, Gregory, and his wife, Melecia, and four grandchildren.

Visitation will take place today, Thursday, February 1, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the Holmdel Funeral Home, Holmdel. The funeral service will be held on Friday, February 2, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home.

The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to IEP Youth Services, Inc., iepyouthservices.org/waystosupportiep.

To paraphrase a quote from It’s a Wonderful Life, “A toast to Paul Finkel. The richest man in town.”

When Harry Bailey toasted his brother, George, at the end of that movie, he could have said the same for Paul.

Paul Finkel, 92, of West Orange, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on January 24th. He lived a full, rich life, built on integrity, love, and grit and hard work. Kindness, patience and a lifelong passion for family were his signature hallmarks.

Dorothy Patricia Pistolas (Pat), age 91, of Livingston, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at home on January 27, 2024.

Pat was born on April 1, 1932, to Francis Aloysius Byrne and Dorothy Elizabeth Byrne in Neptune, New Jersey. She grew up in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, and graduated from Asbury Park High School. She attended college at Trenton State Teachers’ College, where she met her husband, George Pistolas (Gus).

Pat married Gus, of Dover, New Jersey, on August 14, 1954 at the Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Avon-by-the-Sea, and remained married for 65 years until Gus’ death in 2020. They moved to Livingston soon after their marriage to start their family, and had two children, Richard and Jill.

The Livingston Zoning Board, at its January 23 meeting, revisited its October 24 applications forAbhishek Gangwal at 6 Hazelwood Avenue and Jian Hu at 68 Amelia Avenue, ultimately rescheduling the former to February 27 and approving the latter. The Board then heard arguments for six new applications before approving all six requests.

Before the meeting, the Board appointed Edward Bier its new chairman, replacing Lauren Tabak Fass. A vote on the vice chairman position was put on hold, although Laurie Khan was named the new recording secretary. Additionally, Michael Affrunti and Ketan Bhuptani were reappointed as Class 4 Members, while Kalpesh Kenia and Vineeta Khanna returned to the Board as Class 4 Members; Todd Sherman and Hong Yuan were also appointed as Alternate members.

6 Hazelwood Avenue

During its meeting on Thursday, January 18, the Livingston Public Schools Board of Education discussed the results of its recent equity audit of the district. Board members shared their ideas on how to apply the audit’s recommendations into practice.

At the beginning of the meeting, superintendent of schools Matthew Block stated that meetings with administrators, advisors, and equity coaches in regards to the audit, are being conducted.

“We’ve met with the anti-bullying specialists, as well as implementation teams of administrators and supervisors,” he said. Child study teams are also scheduled to meet this month, and parents of the building equity team will have an opportunity to have a conversation with their coaches during their scheduled meetings this month.

The Livingston High School boys ’ indoor track and field started the championship portion of its season at the Essex County Relays on January 20 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. The boys faced some of the toughest competitors in the state from St. Benedict’s Prep, East Orange Campus, and Montclair High School.

“The squadknew the task would be tough but were ready for the meet,” said head coach Nancy Petryna. “Many of the athletes ran personal bests, and two squads broke school records on their way to the first place trophy over St. Benedict’s by just .5 seconds.”

The Livingston chapter of UNICO has announced that Rufino “Rudy” Fernandez, Jr. has been named the organization’s 2024 Citizen of the Year. Fernandez, the 67th recipient of this award, will be honored at a brunch on Sunday, April 21, at Hanover Manor. He follows in the footsteps of Stacey Rubinstein, Brian Boyle, Walter Joyce, Nick Santinelli, Sandy and Len Goodman, Nancy Dinar, Tom Cooney, and many more who have been honored for their service to the community, embodying the UNICO motto of “Service Above Self.”

Fernandez is well known for his commitment to public service. He served on the Township Council for 15 years, and was mayor in 2011, 2013, and 2020. Since 1998, he has taken a leadership role in Kiwanis, a community not-for-profit organization, serving as president, vice president, and, for the last ten years, as treasurer. Femandez has served on the Livingston Planning Board for six years and has recently taken on the role of board chairman.

Over the past week, Livingston Police officers responded to reports of a vehicle burglary, package theft, and shoplifting.

Burglary to Vehicle

At 10:54a.m. onTuesday, January 16, Livingston officers responded to the East Cedar Exxon gas station located at 327 East Northfield Road on a report of a stolen computer tablet from a vehicle.

Officers arrived and were met by the victim, who parks his business vehicles at the location. It was found that one of the vehicles was entered and a smart tablet was stolen from inside the vehicle. The Livingston Detective Bureau is investigating the matter.

Package Theft

At 7:46 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16, officers responded to a Mt. Pleasant Parkway residence on a report of a stolen package from the front porch.