Former longtime Rumsonite, Mathilda “Tilda” Donahue O’Connor, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2026, in Arlington, VA, surrounded by the family she spent her lifetime nurturing. She was 88.
Continue reading In Memoriam: Former Longtime Rumsonite, Tilda O’Connor, 88Category Archives: News
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Retro RFH Pre-Prom Fun
Photo/Kathy Richardson Golden
A reprise originally posted in June of 2019 just because … it’s prom season!
It’s half past RFH Senior Prom time. And we know that some prom traditions have been upheld through generations while others have not — and sometimes that’s a good thing, depending on the trend.
One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s the prom fact that all good prom-goers gather before they set out for their quality prom time.
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Retro Rumson Eighth Graders’ Memorial Day
Photo/George Day
It’s set to be a Memorial Day of the traditional kind in the Rumson-Fair Haven area — rain be damned. The day will be kicked off by parades in Rumson and Fair Haven and solemn services at Victory and Memorial parks, bringing people in the communities together to remember. Groups, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, honoring those who sacrificed their lives in service to the country, is the usual visual.
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Retro Good Fair Haven Summertime Grilling
Photo/Mary Croft
Well, there’s nothing like a good Memorial Day grilling.
And there’s also nothing like getting your kid to flip those burgers and tend to the grill like a serious party master — like this barbecue scene back from 1974 in Fair Haven.
Retro Fair Haven Folk Singers’ Americana Parading
Sing it! Row that boat ashore, Michael, Mary, Karen, Lynn, and whoever else has an oar. And, whatever you do, don’t rain on their parade! You couldn’t if you tried.
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Retro Happy Road Trippin’ RFH Campers
Photo/George Day
Road trip, happy campers! Yes, when the spring air hits, a fever spikes to pack it in and get away by going back in time with old buddies.
Scene Around: A Fair Haven Sanctuary Rededication for the Birds
It’s for the birds — and area nature lovers.
Continue reading Scene Around: A Fair Haven Sanctuary Rededication for the Birds
Retro River Cruise into Sunny Daze
Call it a boatload of waterborne sunshine.
On the cusp of the unofficial start of summer in less than two weeks, thoughts turn to sunny cruising on the Navesink River.
Retro Rumson Police Line-Up
We know it’s National Police Week. It was kicked off with the annual Police Unity Tour culminating in Washington D.C.. Rumson Police Sgt. Bryan Dougherty has always been a regular on the ride.
Retro Fair Haven Police Line-Up
In recognition of National Police Week, we are reposting this Retro Pic of the Day of Fair Haven police …
It’s National Police Week, so it’s only fitting that we take a look back at the Fair Haven Police Department. This look goes back to 2001. It features some officers who have since retired, some who have moved on and some who have passed.
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Sailing into River Rats Season: The FYI on Classes & Open House
Rats! It’s something that might be said if taking the plunge into a longtime classic summer ritual of learning to sail and belonging to The Fair Haven River Rats — that 70-year-old non-profit educational sailing organization on the Navesink River — is missed.
Continue reading Sailing into River Rats Season: The FYI on Classes & Open House
Remembering R-FH Area Mamas’ Legacies
It’s Mother’s Day weekend.
And, we at Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect are thinking, the day should not just be one in which kids dutifully pay attention to the woman who pretty much, well, twisted her heart up and spit it out to ride a Big Wheel at 100 miles per hour with no helmet. OK, so that was a tad dramatic.
But, it’s not really just for all that jazz — though, it is important jazz. It should be about moms celebrating one another, especially to learn a little bit about one another’s roots in a tight-knit community such as the Rumson-Fair Haven area.
There are so many women in this area who served as unbreakable bricks in the foundation that is this community now. It goes back may generations. We are thankful for those women of all different motherly types — yes, different. Each unique and special in her own way. Each contributing in her own way. Each leaving her indelible fingerprint on many here, through generations.
You see, the strong community foundation that brought us all here is not about a number and a few borrowed phony promotional words — real estate value, flipping and the lingo concocted to make the sale.
The sale was made long ago and the value was tucked away in the hearts of some of these moms who were here when it all started, caring for one another through their community.
It’s about lifeblood — the lifeblood of, in this case, matriarchs who have bequested a legacy of true love.
They put the coffee on. Who’s bringing the crumb cake? Yes, crumb cake. When it comes to community, you can indulge in the simple a little to keep it very sweet.
Take a look at our slideshow and photos of some area moms from the past and present. Some are still with us. Some are not. But, they are remembered for their own contributions to one another and laying bricks in the foundation that is the Rumson-Fair Haven area. If you have a photo you’d like to add, of a mom from the past, email it to us at evd@rfhretro and we will include it in a gallery.
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