West Essex Tribune

Ruth Levin of Livingston died on March 27. She was 88 years old.

She and her late husband, Eugene, owned and operated the Tremont Soda Shop and Scotland Cleaners in Orange. She also worked at the family business, Bagel Bin of Bernardsville.

Mrs. Levin is survived by her three children, Sari (David), Craig (Wendy), and Abby (Wayne); seven grandchildren,

A private funeral will be held with arrangements by Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel.

Katherine Reilly McCabe, 98, of Livingston, died at home on Sunday, March 22.

Mrs. McCabe and her late husband, Jack, were founding members of St. Raphael’s Church in Livingston. She was also a member of the Women’s Club of Livingston and chaired the Social Concerns Committee.

Pre-deceased by her daughter, Kathy McCabe, daughter-in-law Jill McCabe, and her eight siblings, Mrs. McCable is survived by her children: Jean McCabe Bender; John F. and his wife, Kathleen, McCabe; Robert and his wife, Barbara, McCabe; Peter McCabe, and Mark and his wife, Debby McCabe; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Smile Train, P.O. Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Services will be held at a later date.

Raymond Mignone passed away Saturday morning, March 28, 2020. He was 95 years old.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Raymond was a long-time resident of Livingston, New Jersey.

A graduate of Newark State Teachers’ College and Seton Hall School of Business, Raymond received his M.A. and Doctoral Equivalency in Special Education from Seton Hall University.

Raymond was a World War II Navy veteran who served as a Medical and Dental Corpsman. His sea service included deployments on an Attack Transport Ship and Sea Plane Tenders. He also served with the U.S. Naval Construction Force (Seabees) and was attached to the U.S. Marine Corps on the island of Okinawa during the Pacific War. His father and brother also served during the war.

James F. (Jim) Isherwood, 89, a former Livingston councilman and dedicated community servant before retiring to Panther Valley in Allamuchy, passed away Friday, March 27, 2020.

Jim was a longtime Livingston resident who served on the Livingston Township Council in the 1970s. His early life was defined by public service and he dedicated his time to many township organizations, including Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, where he served as a Cub Master with Cub Pack 56 and an Assistant Scoutmaster and Committee Chairman with Scout Troop 12; Kiwanis; the Jaycees; Livingston Youth Service Bureau; the Living-ston Division of the Citizens Task Force on Drug Abuse and the Juvenile Conference Committee.

He was the recipient of the Jaycees’ Outstanding Young Man award as well as the Silver Beaver Award, among Scouting’s highest honors.

An attorney, Mr. Isherwood was employed by the Prudential Insurance Company for more than 40 years, retiring in 1993.

Benjamin H. Hollander succumbed at home on Monday, March 23, after battling a long illness. He was 64.

Born and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, Mr. Hollander eventually moved to Livingston where he raised his family and worked in the surrounding area for the past 25 years. Among his many attributes, he excelled in sales, and thrived in particular as a co-owner and operator of five Oreck Vacuum franchises throughout central and northern New Jersey.

He leaves behind his beloved wife, Karen (Belsik), and two loving children, a daughter, Tate, and a son Zev Hollander. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Wilfred W. and Thelma Hollander. He is also survived by his sister, Celia Hollander; his brother, Paul Hollander; and many other devoted family members.

Due to the coronavirus, a private graveside service was held, but the family intends to hold a memorial service in his honor in the future.

As we battle – as a town, a state, a nation, and a global community – to navigate and end a worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the health and safety of individuals matters above all else. Below that come thousands of other concerns, with varying degrees of seriousness ranging from stabilizing the economy and helping small businesses, to when we will finally get to see a baseball game and reopen movie theaters.

There is surely no “good” time for a pandemic to upend society as we know it, but there are several ways in which the COVID-19 outbreak hitting us right now is providing some unique challenges. One big item on that list is the 2020 U.S. Census.

WINNING SEASON FOR LADY LANCER FENCERS: The Livingston High School girls’ fencing team finished the season with a 7-2 record and placed eighth in a field of 54 in the Santelli Tournament. The sabre squad placed second in District III competition; third at the Santelli Tournament; and seventh in the state. Individual highlights included senior sabre Amanda Manubag amassing 17 wins with no losses; placing second in the District, and ninth in the state; and earning selection to Second Team, All-State. Junior Dorothy Zhou had 14 wins and three losses. Sophomore Sabre Sasha Goltsman had 15 wins against four losses.

FOUR-WIN SEASON: The Livingston High School boys’ fencing team had a four win, six loss season. The epee squad placed third in District III. Individual highlights includes senior foil Fillip Kizhner’s record of 12 wins and four losses, and freshman Epee Ayan Bhatnager’s 12 wins to three losses. Senior sabre Rishab Gosalia placed 15th in the state. Team members include, front, Mark Shteyn, Eric Brekhman, Rishab Gosalia, Brian Janay, Harrison Greenwald, Fillip Kizhner, Owen Kenney, Johnny Yu, and coach Jackson Huemer; second row, Vaughn Paglianite, Alex Berman, Aryan Pradhan, Diego Bolanos, Marco Porcelli, Justin Wang, Jared Haime, Kevin Duffy, and Greg Winner; third row, Max Zhuang, Russell Fan, Aden Vishnevsky, Raymond Moy, Adam Cohen, Leo Baracaldo, and Tyler O’Keefe; and rear, Dan Ricci, Ayan Bhatnagar, Yony Nadelson, Michael Zhu, Franklin Yiu, and Michael Rivera.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all walks of life, and Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) is no exception. According to founder and director Jeff Friedman, operations at LPI “have turned upside down,” and the Livingston charity’s distribution partners are working hard to adapt.
“It’s not business-as-usual for anyone during the current crisis, but life for those living below the poverty line and the organizations/agencies that serve their needs is particularly stressful now,” said Friedman. “Clients cannot come indoors due to the coronavirus, so the dedicated professionals who are valiantly feeding them found new ways to make it happen under the circumstances.”

VACANT HOUSE DAMAGED BY FIRE: A fire broke out in a vacant house at 469 South Livingston Avenue at about 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, March 19. A police officer directing traffic in and out of the ShopRite parking lot noticed flames and smoke coming from the structure and called the Fire Department. Firefighters responded and quickly extinguished the flames, but there was heavy damage to the house, particularly in the bedroom area, where the fire is believed to have started. The house has been vacant for two decades, and its dilapidated condition exacerbated the fire damage, said Fire Chief Chris Mullin. He noted that the house has no electrical power running to it, and has possibly been occupied by vagrants. He deemed the fire to be of suspicious origin; an investigation is ongoing. Rob Munson Photos