Reita Greenstone, Former Essex County Freeholder

Lived in Livingston, two-time board member who lobbied for women's and senior's rights, mental health issues.

Obituary: Allan "Rich" McAllister

A blogger for Patch and local volunteer passed away on Sunday.

[UPDATED: April 10 at 9:05 a.m. to include viewing, funeral arrangements] Allan "Rich" McAllister, 51, passed away on Sunday, April 8.  Rich wrote an inspirational blog for the Verona/Cedar Grove Patch, in which he described his life and the struggles he has faced. He was a quadriplegic, who lost his legs below his knees, the use of his hands, wrists and lower arms, as well as 60 percent of this throat but persevered. In one post, "Four Years Later, Here I Am", he details "496 straight days in three hospitals, two rehabilitation facilities, 22 operations and approximately $15 million dollars." But being a disabled person was far from all of who he was. McAllister was also a well-known local volunteer, including his work with the Cedar …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Fran Hopkins

4:58 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012

I am shocked and so sad to hear of Rich's death. His blog on the Verona-Cedar Grove Patch lifted my spirits many times when I felt down. In fact, I was ashamed of myself when I'd get discouraged by relatively trivial things (I'm unemployed and write a blog about it on Patch) because of Rich's courage and determination in the face of far greater difficulties. He generously shared these gifts with …   more ›

Whitney Houston Laid to Rest in Westfield

Procession arrived at noon Sunday for burial ceremony at Fairview Cemetery. Nearly 100 fans shouted 'We love you, Whitney' as hearse turned into the cemetery.

The vigil at Fairview Cemetery began at first light Sunday morning. There were no mourners, just reporters and photographers mingling congenially as they staked out a good spot for their reports back to the network morning shows or a position for the perfect photo of the funeral procession bringing Whitney Houston to the cemetery for her burial. Police officers arrived before daylight, at 6 a.m., to secure every possible corner of the Fairview property, from the Cranford border along Union County College to the south and E. Broad Street to the north. At the western end of the cemetery, Gallows Hill Road was closed to prevent any neighborhood street from messing up any potential route in which the procession of hearses and limos that would …

•  25 Comments
• Photos (17)

Reports: Whitney Houston Burial Expected on Sunday

Rumors continue to circulate as to when and where the late pop star will be laid to rest.

As cruisers from the Westfield and Union County police departments came and went through the front gate of the Fairview Cemetery Thursday, Fairview officials were issuing "no comments" to a barrage of calls from reporters seeking comment and details about the burial plans for Whitney Houston — and calming down concerned family members of those already interred in the Westfield cemetery. Houston's funeral service will be held at noon Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. The ceremony is expected to draw 1,500 mourners, including her mother, Cissy Houston, cousin Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Kevin Costner and Clive Davis. While those details appear to be firm, speculation swirls around when Houston's body will…

• Photos (4)

OBIT: Rocco A. Racaniello Jr.

50 year West Orange resident passed away Jan. 13

NY Times: Mary Ellen Avery of West Orange Dies at 84

Medical researcher and visionary found reason for death of premature babies.

Mary Ellen Avery, a medical researcher and visionary who discovered why premature babies were dying at birth, died in West Orange Dec. 4, according to an obituary in Wednesday’s New York Times Wednesday.

• Photos (1)

Colleagues Shocked By DeCroce's Death

Local, state officials react to sudden loss of Assembly minority leader.

This story will be updated throughout the day: Local officials and former colleagues expressed shock Tuesday morning after learning Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) collapsed and died suddenly late Monday night at the Statehouse. "I was totally shocked, that was totally unexpected," Butler Mayor Robert Alviene said. "He did what he could for us while he was in power. I'm sure his heart was in the right place all the time for the county here. Im sure he'll be missed." As a result of DeCroce's death, Gov. Chris Christie will postpone his State of the State address, originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. He is expected to deliver a eulogy to DeCroce instead. Patch will stream Christie's remarks live at 1 p.m…

• Photos (2)

Obit: Joanne L. Grabowski Mulholland

Mulholland, of West Orange, passed away Dec. 10 in New York

Obit: Marouso "Maru" Moukazis Chiovaro

Mother of three, lifelong West Orange resident

Marouso "Maru" Moukazis Chiovaro was suddenly killed on Sept. 20 in a fatal car crash on Northfield Avenue in West Orange. The cause of the accident is not yet known and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office continues investigating the incident. Chiovaro, 36, was born in Orange and was a lifelong resident of West Orange. She worked in Customer Service for Our 365 Portraits in Florham Park for 16 years. Chiovaro was also a member of the West Orange Mt. Pleasant School PTA. She was the beloved wife of Robert Chiovaro. Loving daughter of Nikolaos Moukazis and Flor Yanez. Step-daughter of Guillermo Yanez.  Devoted mother of Yesenia Jasinski, Giovanni Chiovaro and Nikolaos Chiovaro. Loving sister of Gloria Walker, Stella Moukazis-Smith and …

Obituary: Dr. Ralph Siegel

Professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University dies at 52

[Editor's note: This obituary was provided by Rutgers University.] Dr. Ralph Mitchell Siegel, a researcher who studied the neurological underpinnings of vision, died Sept. 2 at his home following a long illness. He had been a professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University, Newark, in the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (CMBN). Dr. Siegel, a resident of West Orange, N.J., is survived by his wife of 23 years, Jasmine; his children, twins Dashiel and Zoe; his sister, Cheryl; and his mother, Elaine. Funeral services were held Sept. 4 at Temple B’nai Shalom in West Orange. As a trained neurophysiologist, Siegel’s work investigated basic mechanisms underlying visual motion and spatial perception, with the ultimate goal of …

• Photos (1)