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Walter Reinhold
Walter W. Reinhold, 66, a lifelong resident of Cranford, died Feb. 15 in Colombia Presbyterian Hospital, Manhattan.
Mr. Reinhold was a music history and style analyst professor on the undergraduate and professional levels at New York University since 1968. He also was an adjunct professor of music at Kean University, Union, from 1981 to 1988. During his career, Mr. Reinhold designed 16 courses ranging from medieval to 20th Century music, art and history.
He received degrees from the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, the Union Theological Seminary and New York University in the areas of organ performance, sacred music, theology, music, history, style analysis and historical musicology. Mr. Reinhold was named “Teacher of the Year” at New York University in 1992 and again in 1999.
He founded Cultural Resources Inc. in 1988 and also served as the president. Mr. Reinhold also was the author of an educational software program based on his teachings. He lectured in various venues, including high schools, adult study groups, college faculty groups, the American Guild of Organists and National Public Radio.
Mr. Reinhold was the organist and master of music at the First Presbyterian Church of Kearny, where he also was a lecturer in Bible and Theology, and elder, a trustee and a commissioned lay pastor. As an organist, Mr. Reinhold performed recitals and lecture/recitals at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York and at cathedrals in England.
Manuel Escaleira
Manuel B. Escaleira, 59, of Clark, formerly of Elizabeth, died Feb. 16 in the Father Hudson House, Elizabeth.
Born in Ponta da Barca, Portugal, Mr. Escaleira came to the United States in 1970 and lived in Newark and Elizabeth before moving to Clark five years ago. He was a construction worker with Construction Workers Union Local 472 in Newark for many years before retiring in 2001.
Surviving are his wife, Emilia; two sons, Jose K. and Manuel T.; three sisters, Ana Atunes, Rosa Branco and Maria Costa, and four grandchildren.
Harold Shier
Harold E. Shier, 78, of Jackson Township, formerly of Cranford, died Feb. 16 in Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood.
Born in Jersey City, Mr. Shier lived in Cranford before moving to Jackson Township five years ago. He was a supervisor for G.M. Hyatt Roller-Bearing Co., Clark, where he worked for 40 years before retiring in 1986.
Mr. Shier was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, the American Area Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. Shier was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Cranford and the Friends of Westlake in Jackson Township. He also was an Eagle Scout and assistant Scout master in Cranford.
Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Bernice; four daughters, Carolyn Beard, Deborah Driscoll, Nancy Kozal and Donna Mayer, and six grandchildren.
Frank Oleyar
Frank Oleyar, 82, of Clark died Feb. 16 in Union Hospital.
Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Oleyar lived in Westfield before moving to Clark 45 years ago. He was a self-employed welder, mechanic, music instructor and greenskeeper. Mr. Oleyar was a Marine Corps veteran of World War II and a member of the American Legion Post 328 in Clark.
Surviving are his wife, Anna; a daughter, Patricia; a son, Gary; three brothers, Martin, Bernard and Paul; three sisters, Anne Czurlanis, Cathy Zovak and Rose, and a grandchild.
Margaret Kiernan
Margaret C. Kiernan, 81, of Clark, a Catholic school teacher, died Feb. 16 in Union Hospital.
Born in Orange, Mrs. Kiernan lived in Elizabeth before moving to Clark 55 years ago. She was a teacher at St. John the Apostle School in Clark for 10 years before retiring in 1973. Before that, Mrs. Kiernan taught at Blessed Sacrament School in Elizabeth for four years.
She was a graduate of the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in English. Mrs. Kiernan was a member of the Senior Citizens Club, the Sun & Fun Club and the Rosary Society, all of St. John the Apostle Church, Clark.
Surviving are two daughters, Jane C. Kiernan and Virginia Thompson; a son, Thomas P.; a sister, Regina Ducey, and four grandchildren.
Marty Ferrara
Marty Ferrara, 88, of Clark died Feb. 17 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway.
Born in Jersey City, Mr. Ferrara lived in Clark for 40 years. He was a tool and die maker with General Dynamics for 20 years before retiring in 1986.
Surviving are two daughters, Camille Sandler and Arlene; two sons, Martin and Stephen; a sister, Helen Santini; a brother, James, and six grandchildren.
Rosalie Mahoney
Rosalie Mahoney, 76, of Cranford died Feb. 18 at home.
Born in Bayonne, Mrs. Mahoney moved to Cranford 41 years ago. She was an executive secretary at Valcor Engineering, Springfield, for 10 years and retired in 1994. Mrs. Mahoney was an active member of the Alumni Association of the St. Vincent’s Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps, Bayonne.
Surviving are a daughter, Patricia; a son, David; a sister, Christine Zawislak, and a grandchild.
Egon Gessner
Egon F. Gessner, 85, of Cranford died Feb. 19 at home.
Born in Leipzig, Germany, Mr. Gessner lived in Cranford for many years. He was a mechanical engineer with Heyco Co., Kenilworth, for many years before retiring in 1987. Mr. Gessner was a 1941 graduate of the Newark College of Engineering. He served in the Navy during World War II. Mr. Gessner was a member of the Deutscher Club in Clark and the Senior Citizens Club Thursday Group in Cranford.
Surviving are a daughter, Ingrid K. Cusumano; a son, Kurt E., and three grandchildren.
Helen McNamara
Helen R. McNamara, 86, of Brick, formerly of Clark, retired assistant tax collector in Clark, died Feb. 11 in Ocean Medical Center, Brick.
Born in Elizabeth, Mrs. McNamara lived in Clark before moving to Brick in 1978. She was an assistant tax collector in Clark for 24 years before retiring in 1978.
Surviving are three daughters, Gail Gaunt, Kathleen Strychowski and Maureen Klusewicz; a sister, Mildred Gregus, and six grandchildren.
Florence Telson
Florence Telson, 94, of Cranford died Feb. 19 in Union Hospital.
Born in Newark, Mrs. Telson lived in Bloomfield for most of her life before moving to Cranford four years ago. She was a seamstress for many years with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union before retiring.
Surviving are a son, Richard D.; a daughter, Carole Cleveland; three brothers, four sisters, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Herman Occi
Herman J. Occi, 91, of Cranford died Feb. 21 at home.
Born in Port Jervis, N.Y., Mr. Occi lived in Cranford for 63 years. He was a chemist at American Cyanamid Corp., Linden, where he worked for 39 years before retiring in 1979. Mr. Occi was a 1940 graduate of Fordham University, New York, where he received a degree in chemistry.
He was a founder of the library at St. Michael’s School, Cranford. Mr. Occi was a member of the Holy Name Society at St. Michael’s Church, Cranford. he also belonged to the Thursday Senior Citizens Club of Cranford and gave golf lessons for the Cranford Recreation Department.
Surviving are a daughter, Connie O. Acton; three sons, Peter, Michael and James; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
R. Wilson de Myer Sr.
Robert Wilson de Myer Sr., 68, of Linden, formerly of Cranford, died Feb. 16 in Union Hospital.
Born in Bloomfield, Mr. de Myer lived in Cranford and Naples, Fla., before moving to Linden last year. He worked for M & R Marking Systems, Cranford, and later, Piscataway, before retiring. Previously, Mr. de Myer owned and operated a messenger service in Cranford and a luggage repair business in Westfield and co-owned the Leather Shop in Millburn. He served in the Navy from 1955 to 1958 aboard the USS Rupertus. Mr. de Myer was a member of the Tin Can Sailors.
Surviving are two sons, Robert Jr. and Steven; a daughter, Kathleen Ronk, and two sisters, Barbara Sedorkis and Delores Dempsey.
Joseph Petrick
Joseph Petrick, 54, of Clark died Feb. 19 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway.
Born in Jersey City, Mr. Petrick lived in Woodbridge before moving to Clark three years ago. He was a truck driver/dispatcher with Penske Logistics, Edison, for the last 20 years. Mr. Petrick was a member of the Teamsters Local 867 and the North American Fisherman Club. He served in the Army during peacetime.
Surviving are his wife, Nancy; two sons, Joseph and Christopher; a daughter, Angela DePeri; two stepsons, Michael and Christopher; three sisters, Mary Ann Switzer, Patricia Blaney and Phyllis Menutti; four brothers, John Jr., Michael, William and James, and two grandchildren.
Robert Cumiskey
Robert Cumiskey, 69, of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of Cranford, died Feb. 21 in the Father Hudson House, Elizabeth.
Born in Newark, Mr. Cumiskey lived in Cranford for many years before moving to Sarasota nine years ago. He was a banker for the United Jersey Bank, Red Bank, for many years before retiring. Earlier, Mr. Cumiskey was a banker for the Summit Trust Co. After that, he was a substitute teacher and a sports announcer for the Sarasota Country School System in Florida. Mr. Cumiskey received a bachelor’s degree from Upsala College, East Orange, in 1958. He served in the Marine Reserve from 1960 to 1967.
Surviving are two daughters, Christine Pelillo and Caroline; a son, Brian; a brother, Matthew; a sister, Harriet MacDonald, and three grandchildren.
Gertrude Nazar
Gertrude E. Nazar, 80, of Clark died Feb. 22 in Union Hospital.
Born in Dover, Mrs. Nazar lived in Rahway before moving to Clark 38 years ago. She was vice president of Marna Co. Inc., Rahway, where she worked for 43 years before retiring in 2000. Mrs. Nazar was a member of the YMCA in Westfield. She also was a member of the Clark Community Pool and a former member of the Deutscher Club in Clark.
Surviving are her husband of 50 years, Peter; two daughters, Robin and Nancy, and two grandchildren.
Eleanor Renkiewicz
Eleanor Renkiewicz, 75, of Clark, formerly of Cranford, died Feb. 23 at home.
Born in Jersey City, Mrs. Renkiewicz lived in Cranford for 25 years before moving to Clark 19 years ago. She was a member of the Senior Citizens of St. John the Apostle Church and a volunteer for the Polish Cultural Foundation, both in Clark. Mrs. Renkiewicz also was a Eucharistic minister at the Church of the Assumption, Roselle Park.
Surviving are her husband of 52 years, Walter S.; a son, Martin; two daughters, Rita Ann Prisco and Gloria Wood; a brother, Raymond Leonard, and five grandchildren.
Helga Pfaff
Helga Pfaff, 86, of Cranford died Feb. 24 at home.
Born in Boston, Mass., Mrs. Pfaff lived in Elizabeth before moving to Cranford 48 years ago. She was a clerk at the United States Post Office in Elizabeth before retiring many years ago.
Surviving are five daughters, Judith A. Lehman, Michele L. Drejka, Susan M. Calcara, Renee A. Thomaier and Denise L.Reddington; 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Doris Capraun
Doris G. Capraun, 77, of Cranford died Feb. 23 in Union Hospital.
Born in Elizabeth, Mrs. Capraun lived in Cranford for most of her life.
Surviving are a daughter, Susan; four sons, Wayne, Bill, Kenny and Bobby; 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
George Young Sr.
George J. Young Sr., 86, of Cranford died Feb. 26 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway.
Born in Elizabeth, Mr. Young lived in Cranford since 1951. He was a tool and die maker with Gibson Associates, Cranford, before retiring in 1982. Prior to that, Mr. Young was a partner with TTSS Tool and Mold Co., Kenilworth. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. Mr. Young was a machinist mate stationed aboard the USS Dayton in the Pacific Theater. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal.
Surviving are two sons, George J. Jr. and Thomas; a sister, Hilda Higgins, and two grandchildren.
