‘Tis St. Patrick’s Day.
So, to honor the day with some local connection, our Retro Pic of the Day takes a look at Rumson’s Briody family, fondly referred to as The Briody Bunch.
The crew with longtime Rumson roots always marches, and rides, in the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Here they are!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Tell us about your favorite “bunch,” or family of Irish heritage in the area.
By Elaine Van Develde
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) graduate and lifetime Rumsonite Brittany Hopkins is prepping to take long trek for life in remembrance of two people who made an indelible impact on her life through their fights with and deaths to cancer — former fellow RFH grad, Alyson Raywood, and her grandmother, former Aberdeen resident Mathilde Altinger.
Both died in the fall of 2014 — Raywood on Oct. 11, 2014.
Raywood, 18, a member of the RFH Class of 2014 who is now a freshman at Boston College (BC), will join roughly 1,500 fellow undergraduates in a 12-hour American Cancer Society Relay for Life walk-a-thon, at the college this weekend. And she’ll be doing it in the name of Raywood and Altinger.
At Boston College, where there are 9,000 undergraduates, “it is the largest non-athletic event on campus,” Hopkins said. “On Feb. 22, BC officially hit the $1 million mark of fundraising over the past 8 years. We are the first university in Massachusetts to do this. Boston College is trying to raise $175,000 this year; and so far we have raised $102,000.”
Hopkins was motivated by the love of her grandmother and the perseverance of Raywood, a 2013 RFH grad. Though she said she wasn’t close with Raywood, she saw her grow sick and couldn’t help but admire her for her positive outlook and bright smile in the face of adversity.
Hopkins’ motivation catapulted her into the fundraiser walk. She felt it was the least she could do to help in the fight against the cancer that stole two people with pivotal, unassuming roles in her life and the lives of so many others.
“When Alyson passed away, it seemed like a part of Rumson passed with her,” Hopkins said. “You could see how distraught the community was. This was the same with my grandmother. My grandmother was the most genuine, kind, generous person that anyone could imagine. When I lost her, I lost a part of myself.
“My grandmother and Alyson were incredibly strong and could put a smile on anyone’s face. It was a shame to watch cancer take over them, but I know they’re still with us in a way. It’s sad that a disease can take such special people away. I hope that we can decrease the amount of people diagnosed and that one day we can find a cure.”
Hopkins is Corporate Sponsorship chair on the Relay for Life Committee.
She has set a personal goal to raise $3,000 and is $300 shy of it. She is appealing to the Rumson-Fair Haven community for a boost for the May 20 to 21 walk.
Check out Hopkins’ fundraising page for Relay for Life at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/brittanyhopkins
or contact Hopkins directly at [email protected].
By Elaine Van Develde
As was true-to-form for Chum Chandler, people are scratching their heads … itching to know where time went and why it must inevitably take someone like him away.
Mourned in a celebration of his life on Saturday, Chum Chandler, an iconic, lifelong Fair Havenite and 64-year fireman, was remembered as tall order of head-scratching, suspender-donning, side-splitting tough wrapped in a tender life embrace.
He called people by the wrong names just to mess with them. He loved to sneak in some sweets. His tell-it-like-it-is sayings spared no one. He was lovingly stingy with his show of emotion. He adorned his family and friends with a lot of anecdotal stories and strength. His eyes twinkled with mischief. He had no pretense.
He was, yes, a Fair Haven character — a big chunk of community foundation.
His family and friends told his story on Saturday at the Fair Haven firehouse — a place where Chum spent many years. But everyone knew him already.
They knew that guy. They knew his story. That’s because he was the kind of stuff Fair Haven is made of — a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, husband, father, brother, friend, neighbor, volunteer and just an unassuming, hard-working man trying to do the right thing, enjoy life to the fullest and pay it forward.
And, by all accounts, he did just that.
“It’s not what you take with you when you leave this world, it’s what you leave behind when you go,” his memorial card read. “You left behind more than you could ever imagine …”
The family and friends of Chum still tried to account for it all, but what he left behind was more than they could possibly summon in a day’s worth of remembrance. Still, they made it through with enough Chum snippets and sound bites to celebrate him.
They talked about his ornery humor. It made them laugh between the tears. There was nothing blurred about their vision of Chum, though.
Daughter Lizzie scratched her head in imitation of her dad and his infernal noggin itch as, inevitably, some nugget of humor, wisdom or “one-of-a-kind” advice would drop out of his mouth like a candy in a Pez dispenser.
Carol, forever teased for talking too much, grappled to find the right words — words that she wished would prompt a familiar “Go pound salt!” from dad above.
He had lived with her for the past four years, she said. Fetching him some tea, feeding him something that his stomach wanted and just looking in on him to see if he was comfortably resting at bedtime was what she had grown accustomed to doing — “caring and worrying about you every day, even though you were independent,” like a parent.
The roles had reversed. And, she said, the nurturing became treasured time.
Grandson Michael (Chandler) West was grateful for having had a grandfather like Chum, with a special brand of gusto that caused him to insist that his girlfriend Dana’s name was Donna, because, when corrected, “Dana, Donna … same thing,” was the only answer he got. Until Dana turned the tables on him.
And, Michael said, Pop-Pop turned out to be one of the funniest people Dana ever met.
“Turn that s**t down!” he imitated, remembering Pop-Pop knocking on his brother Chandler’s wall when the video games started to sound like bad, newfangled rock music to him.
Ever so lively, Michael said he wasn’t used to seeing his grandfather so calm.
Before he died, he was sleeping. It was quiet and dark. Michael just wanted to spend some time with his grandfather, “even if you weren’t awake.
“But what did I see? As I turned around the corner and entered the dark room with the lights turned off, I see something I haven’t seen for a few weeks now. I see this white flash moving back and forth. It’s none other than you scratching that ‘damn itch’ on your damn head that you ‘almost damn near got’ for the past five or six years!”
He got it. His family got it. His friends got it. The community got it. There’s no more head-scratching for Warren “Chum” Chandler.
The 89-year-old father to seven, grandfather to 15 and great-grandpa to three, with one one the way, was laid to rest on Monday at B.G. William Doyle Veterans Cemetery, Arneytown, N.J.
But those he left behind will keep itching to fulfill a legacy like his.
RIP, Warren “Chum” Chandler. We’re scratching.
Fair Haven police reported the following incidents and arrests for the month of February. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
Arrests
• Sheikh Bilal, 50, of Jersey City, was arrested on Feb. 10 following a motor vehicle stop when an active full extradition warrant out of Louisiana was found to be on file.
The Louisiana warrant was based on charges that included two felony counts of worthless checks. Bilal was charged with being a fugitive from justice.
The arrest was made by Special Officer Brooks Robinson. Bail was set at $100,000 with no 10 percent option.
Bilal was transported to Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold to await extradition to Louisiana to face his previous charges (according to the warrant).
• Garry Vandemark II, 32, of Atlantic Highlands was arrested following a motor vehicle stop on Feb. 6 and charged with driving while suspended, unlawful possession of a weapon and obstruction by Special Officer Brooks Robinson.
He was released pending a Fair Haven court appearance.
• Ryan Marchese, of Red Bank, was arrested on Feb. 28 following a traffic stop on an active warrant out of Middletown for his arrest.
He was released after posting bail. Special Officer Brooks Robinson made the arrest.
Incidents
• A Linden Drive resident reported on Feb. 6 that someone had filed a fraudulent 2014 tax return in his name.
Patrolman John Koetzner is investigating.
• A River Road business reported on Feb. 9 that someone had broken a window in the front of her store.
Cpl. John Waltz took the criminal mischief report.
• A Gillespie Avenue resident reported on Feb. 11 that they had video surveillance of an unknown male trespassing on their property.
Detective Stephen Schneider investigated and identified the trespasser as a juvenile.
The case has been forwarded to Juvenile Officer Patrolman William Lagrotteria for review.
• A Highland Avenue resident reported on Feb. 16 that someone attempted to file a fraudulent tax return in her name.
Detective Stephen Schneider took the report and is investigating.
• An Oxford Avenue resident reported on Feb. 24 that there were fraudulent charges on her debit card.
Patrolman Dwayne Reevey took the report and is investigating.
By Elaine Van Develde
You could say that the Saturday’s pet-friendly church service at Rumson’s St. George’s-by-the River Episcopal Church was a howling — perhaps hamster-ease squeaking — success.
It wasn’t “ruff” to see that the estimated 35 or so dogs and one hamster (aptly named Hamstee) enjoyed the first of now monthly bring-your-pet worship time.
There was a lot of tail wagging, happy woofing and kisses for the reverends with blessings. And on the way out, the good church-goers got homemade treats.
To ask Rev. Ophelia Laughlin, rector, and Rev. Jeff Roy, assistant rector, is to hear that they feel blessed themselves to welcome the animals to church on a regular basis.
“We’ve held the blessings of the animals and continue to do so regularly, and when they come to church now they can also be blessed, but we think it is just so nice to have the animals here for services,” Rev. Laughlin said after the service. “We keep it short and it’s very casual. Even if you don’t have an animal to bring and enjoy them, we welcome you. Please join us.”
Reverends Laughlin and Roy hung around a bit afterwards, just like with animal-free services, to bond, administer some blessings and make sure the pets got their “thank you for joining us” treats.
There were lots of smiles and a lot of tail wagging and licks — taken as a four-legged show of approval by animal parents. And, yes, the hamster seemed to stand on its hind legs for a high five on the wheel.
“My little girl sat quietly on the bench and took it all in. I enjoyed the reverend’s sermon,” said Elissa DeRogatis Stroby, who brought her dog Scrabble from Long Branch. “One of her stories really hit home. A quote from her story: ‘We are all just visitors here, even our four legged, two legged, or no leg animal friends.’ Something well said that was meant to ease the pain of loss. Since it was all pets and owners, the sermon was brief, the mass was brief. They took into consideration the restlessness of animals. I think I would like to go to a regular mass there sometime soon.”
The next pet-friendly service is April 11, and every second Saturday of each month thereafter at 5 p.m.. All pets are welcome. Dogs must be leashed and all others must be contained.
Take a look at the above slideshow for a glimpse into the event. Oh, and be sure to click on the icon in the lower right corner to enlarge! Enjoy!
Photos and slideshow/Elaine Van Develde
The following arrests and incident reports were recently reported by the Red Bank police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
Incident
• An alleged Jan. 31 theft at the Red Bank Train Station was reported on March 8. The victim told police that on Jan. 31, while exiting the train, he left his backpack, containing a mini iPad, a MacBook Pro computer, computer charger and adapter and clothing. The victim said that he had initially notified NJ Transit, but nothing was ever recovered.
Lt. Robert Kennedy took the report.
Arrests
• Rahsaan Riddick, 21, of Long Branch, was arrested by Patrolman Benjamin Springer on March 10 in the area of Catherine Street and charged with resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of the law and disorderly conduct.
• Jeffrey Bogart, 40, of Red Bank, was arrested by Patrolman Sean Hauschildt on March 8 in the area of Monmouth Street and charged with: possession of heroin, a controlled dangerous substance (CDS); possession of drug paraphernalia; and resisting arrest.
• Andrew Fitzpatrick, 23, of Shrewsbury, was arrested by Sgt. David Hicks on March 8 in the area of W. Bergen Place and charged with: driving while intoxicated (DWI); possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), under 50 grams of marijuana; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The upcoming weekend in the Rumson-Fair Haven area is all about pets getting religion, a goodbye to a community icon and some classic musical theater entertainment.
Starting on Friday night …
• It’s show time for an old favorite musical Godspell, a production by Monmouth Players at the old Navesink Library, the longtime community theater company’s home base.
Curtain is 8:15 p.m. this evening as well as Saturday and March 20.
There are Sunday matinees this weekend, on March 15, and on March 22 at 2 p.m.
Click here for more information.
On Saturday …
• It’s time for a sad goodbye, yet joyous celebration of the life of lifetime Fair Havenite Chum Chandler.
All are welcome to attend this celebration of the community icon and 65-year member of the Fair Haven Fire Department on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Fair Haven Firehouse on River Road.
Click here for Chum’s obituary.
• And at 5 p.m., St. George’s-by-the-River Episcopal Church at 7 Lincoln Avenue in Rumson is holding its first pet-friendly, hour-long service.
All are invited to bring their pets to church. Dogs must be leashed and all other animals must be contained.
The service kicks off a new monthly tradition at the church.
Click here for more information.
Let us know if we’ve left anything out (at [email protected]) and have a happy, healthy weekend, all! See you around the towns!
The following recent arrests on contempt of court charges were reported by Red Bank police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
• James Stevens, 51, of Red Bank, was arrested in the area of Central Avenue by Patrolman Sean Hauschildt on March 11 and charged with contempt of court.
• Keith Maxie, 31, of Tinton Falls, was arrested in the area of Shrewsbury Avenue on March 11 and charged with contempt of court by Sgt. Beau Broadley .
• Anthony Aponte, 21, of Red Bank, was arrested on March 10 in the area of Leighton Avenue and charged with contempt of court by Patrolman Ashon Lovick.
Continue reading Police: Several Arrested on Contempt of Court Charges
By Elaine Van Develde
Before long, Fair Haven’s Church Street will no longer be true to its namesake.
The borough’s Planning Board unanimously approved a three-home subdivision — of one 3,000- and two 2,000-square-feet, roof-porched homes with garages and decks — on the .54-acre parcel of land at the corner of River Road and Church Street, which long into the borough’s history has housed the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion.
The subdivision takes up “890-square-feet less than what (currently) exists,” said Elizabeth Waterbury, the planner who testified for the applicant, Rumson-based Kolarsick Builders Inc., at Wednesday night’s Planning Board meeting. “We’re staying within FAR (floor-area ratio) we’re staying within maximum habitable (space) … looking to create a conforming subdivision.”
Continue reading Subdivision Deemed Good Fit for Longtime Fair Haven Church Property
By Elaine Van Develde
It’s official. Fair Haven is down to one gas station in town.
As locals have long speculated what will replace the nearly three-year shuttered former Fair Haven Sunoco at the corner of River Road and Cedar Avenue, equipment has been digging into the tarred lot, fenced-in lot and officials have only confirmed that it will not be re-purposed as another gas station.
In fact, they said at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting, all the excavation by EV Banta Co., of East Orange, is about the “decommission of the (gas) tanks” on the site. That’s all.
No plans for anything to be built at the site have yet been submitted to the Planning Board.
Yet, because of the permits acquired for the decommissioning, it is clear to officials that “there is no intention to keep it as a gas station,” Fair Haven Administrator Theresa Casagrande said.
Zoned for business use, no one offered any more information about what may be unofficially planned by a lessee or new owner. For a couple of years a “For Lease” sign was hung on one of the building’s bays.
The site long housed a gas station under management at different intervals. In its last life, it was Rich’s Ultra Sunoco. Rich’s could no longer afford the lease, Mayor Ben Lucarelli had said. Before that, it was Duckworth’s Sunoco. And that list of gas stations on the plat of land goes back a long time.
The only remaining gas station in the 1.4-square-mile borough will now be the Valero a few blocks away on River Road, formerly Ray Miller’s Exxon and Esso at one point.
Years back, there were yet another three, besides Valero and Sunoco, gas stations in town: another on the opposite corner from Sunoco, at Cedar and Hance roads; one sat on the corner of Gillespie Avenue and River Road, where a veterinarian’s office now sits; another was on the corner of Fair Haven and River roads, where Balderose Fine Foods now sits; and yet another was where the Foreign Cars of Monmouth is anchored.
Between Rumson and Fair Haven, dating back a couple of decades, there were 12 gas stations — six in Rumson and six in Fair Haven.
The following recent arrests on contempt of court warrants were reported by Middletown police.
• Damon Dowd, 38, of South Everest Avenue in Brick, was arrested on Feb. 24 by Patrolman Jason Caruso on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
He was held on $1,057 bail.
• Caitlyn Hewitt, 26, of Kanes Lane in Middletown, was arrested on Feb. 24 by Detective Daniel Sullivan on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
She was released on her own recognizance.
• Frankie Terracciano, 43, of Moran Place in Keansburg, was arrested on Feb. 25 by Patrolman Brian McGrogan on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $2,000 bail.
• Anthony Tassello, 55, of Four Winds Drive in Middletown — the man who went missing on Feb. 16 and was found safe in Florida on Feb. 19 — was arrested on Feb. 25 by Detective Keith Hirschbein on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Highland Park Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $500 bail.
• Zully Rosario, 27, of Washington Avenue in the Leonardo section of Middletown, was arrested on Feb. 27 by Patrolman Savvas Roumeliotis on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Keansburg Municipal Court.
She was released after posting $250 bail.
• Gregory Tognan, 23, of Wedgewood Circle in the Belford section of Middletown, was arrested on March 1 by Lt. Ernest Volkland on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $250 bail.
• Joseph Dacruz, 48, of Austin Avenue in Point Pleasant, was arrested on March 2 by Patrolman William Rodewald on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
He was held on $407 bail.
• Tiffanilee Czaplicki, 32, of Krueger Place in Middletown, was arrested on March 2 by Patrolman Raymond Sofield on contempt of court warrants issued by Middletown and Keansburg municipal courts.
She was released after posting $1,294 bail.
• Connor Murphy, 23, of Campbell Avenue in the Belford section of Middletown, was arrested on March 4 by Patrolman Thomas Hughes on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Atlantic City Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $500 bail.
• Michel Serieye, 82, of New York Avenue in Union City, was arrested on March 4 by Patrolman Michael Heaton on contempt of court warrants issued by the Union City Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $1,500 bail.
• Nicole Fowler, 22, of Hillview Drive in Neptune, was arrested on March 3 by Patrolman Joshua Midose on contempt of court warrants issued by the Neptune and Millstone municipal courts.
She was released after posting $791 bail.
• Matthew Tiso, 27, of Avenue C in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown, was arrested on March 3 by Patrolman Carl Roth on a contempt of court warrant issued by the Middletown Municipal Court.
He was released after posting $1,000 bail.
By Elaine Van Develde
If all goes according to plan, in about a year, the Fair Haven Fire Department will have a new $500,000 piece of equipment to be the first of trucks to respond to the scene of a blaze — a Pierce pumper.
The pumper will replace a 1981 pumper that “is still running hard,” Mayor Ben Lucarelli said, but is not completely OSHA compliant, or up-to-date.
State safety statue requires that, since 1991, all firemen ride inside the cab of the truck and have a safe, enclosed place of refuge in which to retreat on the scene to escape, for example, toxic chemicals emitted from a fire. Fair Haven complies, but there’s just not as much room in the 1981 truck or efficiency.
The new Pierce pumper can seat eight in its cab. The days of hanging off the back or side of the truck while rolling onto the scene are long gone, Lucarelli said.
No decision has been made on which of the remaining three working apparatus, if at all, will be retired, donated, sold or kept.
And, the decision is not one that needs to be made any time soon, if at all, Fair Haven Council President Jonathan Peters said at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting when introducing the bond ordinance authorizing the funding of the new truck. “The cost to keep them is actually minimal,” Peters said. “And we certainly don’t want to buy another truck sooner than later.”
While some may criticize Fair Haven for “spending another half a million dollars, they need to realize that the last (quad) truck bought replaced the 1954 American LaFrance (quad) truck, and this (pumper) is replacing one bought in the 1980s,” Lucarelli said. “It’s cyclical; and it just makes sense.”
The last truck that was purchased, to replace the now retired 1954 American LaFrance quad, was a 2008 quad — a truck that brings four essentials, ladders, hoses, pumps and water tanks to the scene of a fire for firefighters.
Then there is a 1975 Mack quad that was refurbished in 1990; and the 1981 Pierce pumper that will be replaced or augmented by the new pumper truck.
While the pumper is the first on the scene of a fire, the quad ladder trucks, as opposed to aerial trucks used in some fire companies, get the hook and ladder equipment up and working, Lucarelli explained.
“It’s just a matter of different firefighting culture,” he said. “While some towns have the big aerials that go over the top of a fire, cut a hole (in the roof) water is blasted in, Fair Haven goes in the front door (and on the roof when they need to), inside and fight the fire.”
Administrator Theresa Casagrande commended former Fair Haven Fire Department Chief Derek DeBree for his help in keeping officials well-informed on the particulars of the purchase.
The ordinance to release the funds is scheduled for public hearing and adoption at the next council meeting. The first step, upon approval, will be to release a $24,000 deposit.
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