Sunday was a great day for romp by the river and a little hunt for Easter eggs in Rumson.
Hundreds got set and went on the run for eggs at Victory Park where spring had clearly sprung in a celebratory way.
With the sound of the fire horn, kids in two different age groups hippy hopped to gather their goodies while gobbling up all the sun and fun they could.
Take a look … (And don’t forget to click on the photos to enlarge!)
— Elaine Van Develde
Some bunny special was on Sea Bright Public Beach on Sunday and kids came out in droves to hunt eggs and that one rabbit — The Easter Bunny (or some facsimile thereof).
Continue reading Focus: Sand, Surf, Eggs & Easter Bunny in Sea Bright
Continue reading Fair Haven Students’ Visit with a Famous Author
It’s spring and baseball season is in full swing at RFH.
In fact, games are scheduled for today and Saturday.
So, in honor of the sport, that spiffy old RFH uniform and good times on the playing field, the Retro Pic(s) of the (George) Day offer a glimpse back to some days on the field and in the dugout back in the 1970s.
Recognize any of these guys? And, ball players, who was your favorite coach? One, for many, was the ever-popular Hal Lorme who passed away a couple of years ago.
Just thinking about the game, are ya? Take a look back and remember. Now, about those uniforms …
Thanks, once again, to the fabulous George Day for these glimpses back into RFH history!
After a week peppered with foul weather, forecasters are seeing the light — sunlight — peering through and making way for some weekend activity in the Rumson-Fair Haven area.
Continue reading The R-FH Area Weekend: Egg Hunting & Street Fair
The following March arrests were reported by Rumson police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
Continue reading Rumson Police Report: Marijuana Possession & Dealing, Contempt
Stars were rising and shining on Monday night when talent from Monmouth County schools and a few Broadway stars got together Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) and sang and danced for a place to call home for homeless teens.
Teens, pre-teens and even some pint-sized tykes put on a Night of Future Broadway Stars show for the sake of Covenant House in Asbury Park.
Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect caught up with the stars and budding stars backstage at RFH before show time. Bravo, cast!
Take a look and see if you recognize anyone … (Oh, and don’t forget to click to enlarge the slideshow and photos below!)
— Elaine Van Develde
The sun had just set. Darkness fell on Sea Bright beach Sunday night as hundreds of friends, family, loved ones of 19-year-old Maddy Massabni made their way to a spot on the beach where they quietly brought light … candlelight and memories of the light that was known to embody the recent Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) graduate’s spirit.
Maddy passed away on March 30 “following an unexpected and rare bout with septic shock,” her obituary prepared by family said, adding that Maddy was “given her angel wings.”
The soft sound of the surf seemed to cradle those who loved the Rumson girl with the gift of an infectious dimpled grin as they huddled somberly in her memory. They spoke of her with sniffles and smiles. They bowed their heads. They reminisced.
They remembered a gentle, sweet soul … a girl they knew as someone whose “beautiful smile melted the hearts of those who knew and loved her” … whose “sense of humor could always make people laugh,” her obituary said.
They remembered a twinkly-eyed teenager who “lived life to the fullest,” loved basking in the sun at that beach with her buddies, cheerleading, and managing the track team.
“The sunshine of her parent’s eyes,” as her loved ones called her in her obituary, “Madalyn’s life would seem too short to many, but those who were touched by her understood that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives.
“With Madalyn’s passing we remind others that her life is one to be celebrated,” it added. “Although we will miss her dearly every day she will forever remain in our hearts. Throughout her life we were able to create wonderful memories and it has been an honor and a privilege to be the parents and brother of this beautiful, loving, amazing and caring young woman.”
Notes of sympathy flooded Facebook in the days following Maddy’s death.
Val’s, where she worked, posted this: “We are heartbroken at Vals. One of the kids that worked for us passed away today at 19. Suddenly tragically unbelievable. She was just starting her life. We will miss her beautiful smile and generous spirit. ‘My tears don’t flow like rivers just a mist that comes and goes and I feel a coldness start to grow deep within my soul’ … Hug your kids a little tighter tonight.”
The Fair Haven Fire Department sent out a note of condolence.
Classmates of Maddy’s mother, Dawn Tilton Massabni, an RFH graduate, hold her in their hearts, hundreds of notes expressed.
Her Uncle Harvey (Tilton), also a Rumson resident, started a gofundme page.
Maddy will be sorely missed, no doubt. Not forgotten.
In addition to her many friends, Maddy is survived by: her loving mom and dad, Dawn and George Massabni III; brother, George Massabni IV; paternal grandparent, Nan Massabni; and maternal grandparents Geraldine and Harvey Tilton; and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.
Her service will take place on Tuesday, April 4, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St. Red Bank, NJ. There will be a funeral service on Wednesday, April 5 at 10 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 94 Tindall Rd. Middletown, NJ followed by burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 100 Chapel Hill Rd., Red Bank.
For the complete obituary, click here.
To Maddy’s loved ones: Mom, Dawn, who we know, dad, George, and all …
We, at Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect, offer our heartfelt condolences. We cannot express adequately how deeply sorry we are for your loss. Thank you for bringing her into this world to brighten so many lives in such a short time. We see and hear what a gift Maddy was to so many.
Rest in peace, Maddy. You are remembered.
May the candles keep burning … May her light shine on …
— Elaine Van Develde
Well, after more soggy, rainy days, the sun made an appearance in the Rumson-Fair Haven area and beckoned people back to the Navesink riverfront.
At the Fair Haven Dock, the scene was one of solitary sun worshipping and a little riverfront romping. Contentment. Comfort on the homefront.
As the forecast tells, the sun will just do a bit of peering on Monday. Then we’ll be hit with hazardous rainy conditions by Tuesday. So, enjoy and get your river romping in.
According to the National Weather Service, there will be rain after 11 p.m. on Monday and showers with a possible thunderstorm and a flood watch on Tuesday. Though, the temperature will hit the mid-60s. The sun comes back on Wednesday.
Happy Monday!
— Elaine Van Develde
Friends, family and neighbors will gather on Saturday morning to say goodbye and pay tribute to longtime Fair Havenite Mrs. Lucille Suggs.
It wasn’t all that long ago when Mrs. Suggs hit her 100th birthday.
So, the Retro Pic of the Day, offers a glimpse back to that milestone day in August of 2016.
Godspeed, Mrs. Suggs! Your memory keeps many a Fair Havenite smiling!
It wasn’t all that long ago when Lucille Suggs was still living in the Fair Haven neighborhood that she loved.
Tucked away contentedly in her modest home, neighbors, friends, family were known to stop by for a visit. Then there were the police officers who had grown up knowing her as a loving, welcoming presence in the borough who would pop in to make sure that she was safe and cared for during a storm, bout of bad weather, or “just because.”
Mrs. Suggs not too long ago, after more than half a century there, left the Fair Haven home and community she loved in her 90s to be closer to her son and cared for in a nursing home where he lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She hit 100 in August of 2016 with a big smile on her face, surrounded by loved ones and missed dearly by Fair Havenites who had grown so accustomed to her warm grin, embracing, graceful manner and soulful sense of humor.
Lucille Brooks Suggs passed away on March 23. And she is coming home to Fair Haven tomorrow, Saturday, to be bid farewell at her church, Fisk Chapel AME Church, 38 Fisk St., with a viewing beginning at 9a.m. and funeral services to follow at 11. Interment will be at the Shoreland Memorial Gardens, Hazlet.
Her son, Dennis, posted the following tribute to his mother the day after her death …
“Last night at 11:30, the inimitable Lucille Brooks Suggs decided enough was enough and peacefully took her one woman show ‘to loftier climes.’
“After 100 years and 6 months of being a constant protector, inspiration, non-stop joke machine (I could never figure out where she learned all those, let alone remembered them) as well as an endless source of real POSITIVITY (You should have seen the aides guard her like she was the Queen of England as she declined this week at twin towers), I believe it’s safe to say she felt her time here was well spent, but alas, it was time to go.
“She will be well-remembered and sorely missed. I know if you asked her what to think she wouldn’t want mourning or solemnity, she’d want you to laugh(alot), love people, do kind things and live to the fullest.
“We will be bringing her home next weekend so that she can rest in final peace next to her partner of nearly 50 years, so they can get back to playing pinochle, something I’m guessing is already taking place. Enjoy the day, your friends and loved ones. Cheers!!!”
Click here for Mrs. Suggs’ obituary.
RIP, Mrs. Suggs. You, a forever Fair Haven friend and neighbor to many, will always be remembered as an embodiment of what this small town is all about.
When it comes to show biz, sometimes in the RFH area, just sometimes, it’s a family affair. Sometimes it just is.
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