West Essex Tribune

As we enter month five since Livingston recorded its first COVID-19 case, and as we surpass 500 total cases (after repeatedly passing that threshold, then dropping back under it over the past few weeks as cases were recategorized into other towns), it appears that the township’s daily numbers have begun to taper off, at least for the time being. If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent findings that there are roughly ten times as many cases of the virus in the United States as have been confirmed, that could mean as many as 5,000 Livingston residents have, or have had, COVID-19. That would be about one in every six people in town.

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Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI) this week elaborated on where donations to the Livingston-based charity are going.
“As regular Tribune readers know, LPI has been providing cases of bread, bottled water and food items to the homeless and profoundly poor through our Newark distribution associates,” he noted. “The entire effort continues to be funded by altruistic Livingston residents through their kind donations.”
The daily survival needs of Essex County residents living below the poverty line, he continued, “is stunning. Aside from food insecurity, which is primary, the next priority for the poor is caring for their families in other ways. What about the infants and small children living in poverty? What about their needs? What are they to do?”

Jack Devon Nathan of Livingston passed away suddenly on July 3, 2020. Jack was 19 years old. He is survived by his mother, Bradi Harrison of Livingston; his father, David Nathan of Livingston; and his sister, Drew Nathan. He is also survived by his step-mother, Ali Nathan; his step-brother, Connor Kogen; and his grandparents, Harvey and Nancy Harrison of Loveladies, New Jersey, and Lynne and Les Nathan of Westbrook, Connecticut.

Jack was a rising junior at the University of Denver and a 2018 graduate of Livingston High School. He was an avid snowboarder and loving friend. Jack was also the founder of HappyJack (www.happyjacksworld.com) an apparel brand that featured his distinct art and is dedicated to raising awareness to mental health issues. Under Jack’s guidance, HappyJack donated thousands of dollars to the Child Mind Institute.

As of Tuesday afternoon, July 7, the Essex County health department has reported that a total of 502 Livingston residents have tested positive for COVID-19. 68 of those residents have died as a result of the virus.

Compared to the same time last week, that is an eight case increase, with one additional death.

Town Hall and other municipal buildings are expected to open next Monday, July 20. Protective measures, including hand sanitizing stations, Plexiglas windows, and guidelines on where to stand, will be in place. The buildings will be open for the public to conduct business; other activities, like public meetings, will still be held online for the foreseeable future.

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Jamison Scala, a 2001 graduate of Livingston High School, has been hunkering down in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic. He moved there shortly after graduating from Temple University with a degree in communications.

Scala loves the California sunshine and lifestyle, even during the pandemic, yet remains very fond of his home town , which he sometimes describes as “Exit 145.”

Scala’s first professional job in LA was on the pilot season of “Deal or No Deal,” after which he spent two years at E! as a producer for “Live from the Red Carpet” and “The Daily 10.” He then decided to segue from TV production to acting.

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BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: Livingston High School students celebrated their graduation in-person and as a class on Wednesday, July 8. The in-person ceremony had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before a celebration with no family present was permitted. In this week’s issue of the Tribune, we have published a standalone section with photos from the in-person ceremony. These pages are designed to be saved and added to the July 2 keepsake graduation section. Arlene Brown Photo

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Doris Beck, 91, of Boca Raton, Florida, formerly of Livingston, New Jersey, passed peacefully on July 12, 2020.

A private funeral will be held on Thursday, July 16, at the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston.

Doris Beck was Mayor of Livingston in 1975 and 1978, and also served as Councilwoman from 1974 to 1982. She was the first woman to serve as mayor in any Essex County municipality.

Mrs. Beck was a trustee for Saint Barnabas Medical Center from 1977 to 2004 and a trustee of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System from 1996 to 2007. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Orange Savings Bank. She was President of the New Jersey State Library. She was President of the League of Women Voters of Livingston, and Vice President of the New Jersey State League of Women Voters. She was on the Arbitration Board of the New York Stock Exchange.

Susan Flax Hein, 81, of Livingston, died on July 9.

Mrs. Hein was born in Newark to Dr. Ira and Gussie Flax. She graduated from Weequahic High School and the University of Vermont, where she also obtained a master’s of science degree in microbiology.

Mrs. Hein raised her family in Short Hills and was the office manager for Eye Clinic PA in Newark, her husband’s ophthalmology practice.

Active in community affairs, she was a president of the Suburban Chapter of the Deborah Heart and Lung Association and volunteered at St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter and the Pet Therapy Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.

Predeceased by her husband, Dr. Herbert F. Hein, Mrs. Hein is survived by her sister, Sondra Hollander of Dallas, Texas; her daughter, Stacey and her husband, Dr. David Gross, of Elizabeth; her son, Steven and his wife, Kimberly, of Short Hills; and three grandchildren.

A graveside service was held on July 10.

William J. LeFrancis, 87, died on July 10 at his home in Livingston. Mr. LeFrancis was born in Mont

Mr. LeFrancis was born in Montclair to Louis C. LeFrancis Sr. and Bridget (Masterson) LeFrancis.

During the Korean War, he enlisted in the Navy and served from 1952 to 1956 on the USS Intrepid. He then had a 25-year career with the Newark Police Department, retiring as Detective Sergeant in 1986.

Mr. LeFrancis received many awards and was a member of numerous organizations including the Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Honor Legion, the Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Emerald Society.

He was predeceased by two daughters, Michelle LeFrancis Fox and Jeannine LeFrancis, and his siblings, Maureen LeFrancis Madden, Louis C. LeFrancis Jr., Bernadette LeFrancis Peslak and Dorothy LeFrancis Callahan.

David Ira Szerlip, 73, of Livingston, died at his daughter’s home on July 9 after a battle with lung cancer.

Born to Lillian (née Linett) and Herbert Szerlip, Mr. Szerlip was raised in Millburn and graduated from Millburn High School. After graduating from the University of Miami, he joined his father’s insurance agency, Szerlip & Company.

In 1994, he opened David Szerlip & Associates in Berkeley Heights. He later sold the company and returned to the family business.

Mr. Szerlip is survived by his wife, Kathleen Y. (née Gorton) Szerlip; his daughter, Kathleen (Brian) Edelman; his two grandchildren; his brother, Robert; and his sister-in-law, Rayni. A celebration of his life will be held

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, July 18 at 4 p.m. outdoors at his daughter’s home at 46 Wynnewood Drive in Livingston, abiding by social distancing standards.