West Essex Tribune

Madeline A. Zecchino, 104, of Livingston, died on Thursday, February 29.

Mrs. Zecchino was born and raised in Orange and was one of eight siblings. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Air Force veteran Vincent Zecchino; her son, Vincent Jr.; daughter-in-law, Geraldine; and her three grandchildren.

A visitation was held on Sunday, March 3, at Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home in Livingston .Afuneral Mass was celebrated on Monday, March 4, at St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church, and entombment immediately followed at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital.

Malcolm Fleischer, age 88, of Morris Plains, passed away on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Born and raised in Newark, Malcolm graduated from Weequahic High School and earned his Bachelor degree from Upsala College. He lived in Livingston for more than 50 years.

He worked for many years as an executive for Bamberger’s Department Stores and then owned several card and gift shops. He enjoyed his retirement by spending time with family and friends, playing golf, and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events.

Mr. Fleischer was the beloved husband of Paula for 65 years, loving father of Steven Fleischer (Susan), Heidi Fleischer (Ken), and Beth Richmond (Daniel), devoted grandfather of Jason,Austin, Brian, Alexa, Lauren, Joelle, Maxston, and Jenna, cherished uncle to many nieces and nephews.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Paula Chapman Du-Brow, 87, formerly of Livingston, on Sunday March 3, in Bridgewater. She passed peacefully surrounded by her family. Paula is predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Sheldon, and her parents, the late Faye and Jackie Chapman. She leaves behind her children, Abbe DuBrow Branch of Clinton, Beth and Jeffrey Berger of Basking Ridge, Carrie and Richard Solomon of Basking Ridge, and Darin and Ellen DuBrow of Livingston; along with 12 grandchildren and a great grandchild, Jack; her brothers, Arthur Chapman of Manalapan, NJ and Stuart Chapman of Hollywood, Florida.

Funeral services were Wednesday, March 6, at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, 100 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 or Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, 194 NJ-10, East Hanover, NJ 07936.

Former Livingston resident Barbara Jane DuMont died on February 16, at the age of 75.

Born in Newark, Mrs. DuMont called Cary, North Carolina home for the last 30 years.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, William John DuMont, and their children, Brian Whitaker with his wife, Summer; Elizabeth Love with her husband, Matt; and Robert William “Bobby”. She leaves behind eight grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, William “Billy” Trautz and his wife, Gina.

A memorial service to celebrate Mrs. DuMont’s life was held on Tuesday, March 5, at Devoted City Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Transitions LifeCare or The Alzheimer’s Foundation.

The Livingston High School girls’ varsity basketball team ended its 2023-24 season with an excellent performance in the State Tournament.

After recording an historic upset over Paterson Eastside, the Lancers fell in a tough battle against Passaic County Technical School to end their State Tournament run.

“I am extremely proud of the way our girls ended their season with their performance in the State Tournament,” said coach Ashley Addison. “After failing to qualify for the North 1 Group 4 State Tournament last season, we made it this year as the 16th seed. In an historic program win, we defeated the 20-win, number 1-seeded Paterson Eastside Ghosts with a final score of 40-37.”

At the Livingston Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, February 27, the Heritage Middle School cafeteria was filled with concerned parents and residents. Many were there to voice their support or opposition to a planned after-school event held Wednesday, February 28, in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of MetroWestNJ. The event aims to allow survivors of the October 7 terrorist attacks to share their first hand testimonies of what they witnessed.

WATER MAIN CONSTRUCTION: On Thursday, February 22, water main construction began on Congressional Parkway. The street was closed in sections, beginning at Madison Court and concluding at the baseball field. As construction commenced, the Northfield Pool parking lot was accessible only from Madison Court via Bryant Drive. Shown here, construction workers excavated parts of Congressional Parkway to access the water main.

Open for 69 years, the Heavenly Finds Thrift Shop moved in December of 2023. It is now located in the rectory (the house) on the St. Peter’s Church property, 94 East Mt. Pleasant Avenue, next to the Ritz Diner.

Since the shop became a ministry of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Verona in the fall of 2021, it has donated over $140,000 to fund various programs. Focusing on those that address food insecurity, almost 45 percent of the money raised has funded area food pantries, including Livingston Neighbors Helping Neighbors’ CHOW; the Church of the Holy Spirit Food Pantry; and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Food Pantry (Christine’s Kitchen) in West Orange.

Livingston’s Sia Malhotra recently spearheaded the project of creating a children’s lending library in Terminal A of Newark International Airport. The library officially opened last month.

The idea was born when Sia, 11, stopped by a similar lending library in an Alaska airport.

“When we landed inAnchorage, Sia saw a library there and she loves to read so she was very much in awe of it,” said Nishu Malhotra, Sia’s mother.

From there, she developed the concept, began emailing with PortAuthority, and made her dream a reality.

On a trip to the Home Depot in East Hanover, Sia spoke with the manager, explained her idea, and they said they would build the physical library for her.

From its conception to opening to the public, the project took over three years. Getting the proper approvals and dealing with airport security protocols took time, but Sia never got discouraged.

At the end of the Monday, February 26, Township Council meeting, members discussed A-4, a state Assembly bill that recently passed and will affect the town’s fiiture affordable housing plans.

Specifically, A-4 is aplannedoverhaul of the current affordable housing system. It would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and give its regulatory power to staterun agencies. If towns follow the guidance of the state, they would be immune to the builder’s remedy lawsuits that have threatened towns - including Livingston - during previous affordable housing rounds. Governor Phil Murphy has previously stated his approval of the bill, which will now move to the Senate, under bill S50 Sea (1R).