Many people in the Rumson area have fond memories of the talent, warm smile and demeanor of one of the borough’s most longtime residents — Adelaide Bennett.
Adelaide, known as Addy to friends and family, passed away at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, surrounded by her loving family, on Feb. 7. She was 95.
Kerry Ann Hon, of Sea Bright, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 14. She was 48.
Born in Stamford, CT, Kerry Ann moved to Sea Bright with her two sons and loved the area and going to the beach. She was a representative with Servepro in Middletown.
Surviving are: her sons, Eric and Nicholas Elfstrom; her parents Jack and Laurel Anderson Hon; and her brothers, Michael Hon and Bruce Benway.
A celebration of Kerry’s life will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. at Ron’s West End Pub, 103 West End Avenue, Long Branch.
To share a favorite memory or messages of condolence, please visit Kerry’s Book of Memories at www.woolleyboglioli.com.
— Obituary, courtesy of Wooley Boglioli Funeral Home,
Friends, family and colleagues recently mourned the sudden death of Dr. Eric Scheffer, who recently moved to Rumson and died suddenly on Jan. 4 at 53.
She’s coming home. Longtime Fair Havenite Evelyn Halliday Murphy will be honored and bid farewell on Friday and Saturday in her hometown community where she lived most of her life, raised a family, volunteered and was a bright, kind comforting everyday presence — a gentle, beaming reminder around every corner of what hometown really means.
Evelyn passed away at 97 on Sept. 3 at the home of her son, David, in Florida, where she had been living. The family is reuniting with the community to say goodbye in the town she loved surrounded by people and places she loved.
Many remember her bright red hair, warm smile and kind no-nonsense words. A volunteer at Knollwood School, the Fair Haven Election Board and Church of the Nativity, where her funeral service is set for Saturday, Evelyn also participated in local theater and worked at Steinbach’s Department Store in Red Bank for 35 years, retiring at 83.
Evelyn eventually came to Fair Haven from Tarrytown, NY, where she was born. She had spent her summers in Rockaway Beach where her parents ran a restaurant on the boardwalk.
Shortly after World War II, Evelyn met her husband, John. In 1950, they moved to Fair Haven, where they raised their seven children. After John’s death in 1980, Evelyn continued to live on Hunting Lane until moving to Jensen Beach, Florida, where she lived with her son David and daughter-in-law, Dorothy and eventually passed away peacefully.
In addition to her husband, Evelyn was predeceased by her brother, Herbert Halliday. She is survived by: her children, Christopher, Kenneth, Timothy (Karen), Thomas, David (Dorothy), Eileen Pedersen (Jeffrey), Jeanne Wnorowski (Mark), ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
For all those in the community who would like to say goodbye and honor Evelyn Murphy’s memory, visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 28 at John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Ave., Red Bank from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m.
A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at the Church of the Nativity, 180 Ridge Rd., Fair Haven at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. The interment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Middletown.
You may visit Evelyn’s memorial website at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.
From John E. Day Funeral Home (edited) …
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) alumnus and former longtime Fair Havenite Douglas Day Sidun, most recently of Little Silver, passed away peacefully on Sunday. He was 59.
Born in Red Bank to his parents, Cyril and the late Eleanor (Day) Sidun, Doug graduated from the University of Denver, CO, with a bachelor’s degree after graduating from RFH.
He continued school at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Services in New York City and began his career working as a funeral director at the John E. Day Funeral Home, which was established by his grandfather, John E. Day in 1932.
Doug was a member and past president of the Red Bank Kiwanis Club, and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Fair Haven Council, the Monmouth and Ocean County Funeral Directors Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and a communicant of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Red Bank.
He also enjoyed snow skiing and water skiing.
Doug strongly believed that each and every family he served in the community reminded him how individual we all are in what we need as we grieve for a loved one. His commitment to each family was to learn more about them and their loved one. He firmly believed the end result should always be a meaningful and memorable final tribute.
He is survived by: his three loving daughters, Victoria, Kristen, and Natalie Sidun; his father, Cy Sidun and his wife Carol; his five siblings and their spouses, David and his wife Linda, Charles and his wife Virginia, Andrew, Jeanne Sidun-Wark and Theodore and his wife Jennifer, and his ten nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m..
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Anthony of Padua RC Church in Red Bank on Friday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m.. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent in Doug’s memory to The Kiwanis Club of Greater Red Bank, P.O. Box 8221, Red Bank, NJ 07701-8221. Please visit Doug’s memorial website available at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.
The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) community is mourning the death of former Athletic Director Walter Reiser.
Reiser died on Saturday at his West Long Branch home surrounded by loved ones, according to his obituary. He was 55.
Services will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today, Tuesday, at Fiore Funeral Home, Long Branch.
“Huge loss for the RFH community,” said Mary Beth Tukis Coleman on the Fair Haven Facebook page.
Walter Reiser became one of the first full-time athletic trainers in the state when he started at RFH and was named the high school’s athletic director in 1987, his obituary added. A member of Monmouth County Director Athletics Association (MCDAA), he was president for two terms and treasurer over the years. In 2000, he was named Athletic Director of the Year by the by MCDAA. He retired in 2014.
He was an active member of the Monmouth County Director of Athletics Association, where he served two terms as president and was treasurer for many years. He was recognized by that association as Athletic Director of the Year in 2000.
Known as a dedicated husband, dad and champion of good will and community causes, Reiser was a graduate of Springfield College where he earned a master’s degree in sports medicine.
He is predeceased by: his parents, Anne and Edward Reiser.
He is survived by: his wife of 28 years, Kathy; his two daughters, Emily and Allie; brothers and sisters-in-law, Ed and Terry, Rob and Kathy, Jim and Bea and their families, of Long Island, NY; his sisters-in-law and their families, Debbie and Jeff Bevino, Donna and Mike Melisi and Lisa Urbanowicz and George Salanto, of Connecticut; many cousins, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews; and many friends.
‘An avid runner all of his life, Walt is lovingly sent home to God by those who love him with the words of St. Paul, ‘having run with endurance he has finished the good race,'” his obituary said.
Following Tuesday’s visitation at Fiore, a funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Fiore Funeral Home with a burial following at Woodbine Cemetery, Oceanport.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his memory be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital , 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) graduates going back several decades are honoring the memory of former RFH math teacher and basketball and baseball coach, Thomas Botti.
Botti passed away in July 6 at what had become his Royal Palm Beach, Florida home in 1999 after retirement, according to his obituary on legacy.com. He was 87 and was laid to rest today at South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, FL.
Botti taught math for more than four decades and was chairman of the Math Department at RFH until the end of his tenure there in addition to coaching freshman baseball and varsity basketball.
“RIP Coach,” said RFH grad Troy Brandon on the Fair Haven Facebook page.
“He was a super teacher and class advisor to the graduationing class of 1963,” said Jacqui Foster Reynoso on the Facebook page.
“I had Mr. Botti for Algebra I in freshman year,” RFH grad Susan Mapes Zimmermann said. “My only A in mathematics, and I never did much good after that. I liked him very much.”
So, the Retro Pic(s) of the day honor the math teacher and coach with the above shots of Mr. Botti in action coaching and being a department head in the RFH yearbooks of the mid-1970s. Anyone remember who that is in the featured photo with the coach?
RIP, Mr. Botti. Coach. You are remembered.
Some things you may or may not know about Mr. Botti from his obituary …
Botti had a master’s degree in Education from New York University. He also served in the United States Marine Corps for a year, from 1950 to 1951.
He worked summers at Monmouth Park in Oceanport while teaching and became a mutual clerk after retirement. He enjoyed golf and ceramic painting.
Mr. Botti is survived by: his wife, Vivian; daughter, Liz Newsome and son-in-law John Newsome, of Wellington, Fl.; and daughter Cindy Morgan, of Hackensack; grandson, Spencer Morgan, of Montclair; and granddaughters Emily and Katherine Newsome, of Wellington, FL.
The Rumson community is mourning the loss of 51-year-old Kenneth Robert Swain, Jr., who died suddenly at his Rumson home on June 12, according to bloomberg.com.
Swain, a U.S. Army veteran and managing director the Red Bank office of BTIG, LLC, a hedge and mutual fund equity trading services company, was known as a “larger than life man with the biggest of hearts, who was often the first to volunteer his time and support to the community,” his obituary from Thompson Memorial Home said. “He was a loving and dedicated husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and an amazing friend …”
Swain, a football and basketball coach, was on the board of the RFH Touchdown Club and AYF. He was a graduate of Radford University, his obituary said.
Kenny is survived by: his wife of 16 years, Kim; his seven children, Meghan, Kenny, Tommy, John, Julia, Paige and Colin; his sister, Diane Swain Korsh, of Encinitas, CA; his brother, Clifford Swain, of Moneta, VA; his parents, Kenneth and Carol Swain, of Moneta, VA; his in-laws; and beloved nieces and nephews.
Visitation is set for Wednesday, June 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank.
A Mass of christian burial will be held on Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Church, 30 Ward Avenue, Rumson. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Middletown. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people consider a memorial donation in Kenny’s name to the Rumson Education Foundation, P.O. Box 395, Rumson, NJ 07760.
By Elaine Van Develde
He was a community pillar. He was the go-to Rumson Department of Public Works (DPW) guy for decades. He was a volunteer fireman, first aid squad member. He helped out many in need through church and many a charitable cause. He was a mentor. He was king of the zeppole-makers. He was a husband, father, grandfather and friend to many. He was a warm hometown embrace with a lot of heart, no pretense. He was Joe Sorrentino and his hometown of Rumson said goodbye to him today as he was laid to rest at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Keyport.
Joe was 81 years old. He passed away on April 2 surrounded by his loving family at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch.
Continue reading Rumson Says Goodbye, Thank You to Joe Sorrentino
It seems that everyone who knew him or even knew of him has an image of Dr. Jack Powers etched in their minds.
That image, from one longtime Fair Havenite’s mind to the next, has very similar traits — all that put a healing smile on their faces when looking back and speaking of him.
He was the Dr. Steven Kiely of Fair Haven. You know, that mod, sharp looking younger doc who practiced with Marcus Welby, MD on TV. He drove a sporty convertible (just as cool or cooler than the Kiely motorcycle), had good looks, a very hip, caring nature, platinum blonde hair and made house calls.
And, yes, he cared. Anyone who knew him felt that. He was the cool doc who knew everyone’s name, ailments and personalities. He made it his business. And it was just that for many years.
So, there was a wave of icon days-gone-by sadness peppered with gratitude that engulfed Fair Haven when residents past and present heard of his passing on Saturday.
Comments flooded the Fair Haven Facebook page, starting with the announcement of Powers’ death and photo collage and memorial tribute by Jeffrey White:
“Fair Haven lost a great man this weekend,” White said. “Dr. John ‘Jack’ Dennis Powers epitomized what a small town family doctor was. An expert diagnostician, he was like a second father and grandfather to so many of us. He and his wife Arny were best friends of my grandparents Molly and Jack. These pictures were taken in happier times. Jack was the last of the old gang, but now they are reunited once again. Let the parties resume! Rest In Peace Dr. Powers.”
The page’s administrator, Doug Newman, a family friend of Powers’, followed with his own tribute: “Now THERE was a pillar of the community. A family friend, a good and humble man.”
Nancy Lee Benedict called the day of Powers’ death a “a sad day for Fair Haven’s ‘Camelot.’ Some of us were very fortunate to know these people growing up. I know as I was one of them. The days when Fair Haven garage sales saw Jack & Jack walking among the neighbors. I also knew the Dr., who was my first crush. I would fake being sick so he would make a HOUSE CALL. Yes, he came to the house. Remember his white or red convertible?”
People remembered it as actually a powder blue mustang convertible with some sort of MD plates. The memories of him driving through town in that convertible are so iconic and strong that some said no matter the season, they don’t seem to ever remember seeing the top up.
Seeing Dr. Powers around town, at the office, making a house call or just plain driving through town was yet another comforting, knowing you’re home piece of growing up in Fair Haven.
“When I think of Fair Haven, I think of your Dad,” longtime former Fair Havenite Robin Drake Fitch said to Powers’ son on the Fair Haven page. “I always have and I always will … and he wasn’t even our doctor! (…although I secretly wished he was!)”
Yes. You are remembered, doc. You were appreciated. Thank you for, knowingly or not, being a part of our Fair Haven childhood. Rest in peace.
The following is Dr. Powers’ obituary, courtesy of Thompson Memorial Home:
Dr. John D. Powers (Jack) passed away on March 19 after a full and wonderful life. He was 92.
Born in Red Bank, he attended Red Bank public schools and later graduated from Colgate University where he studied pre-med. This was interrupted by three years of duty in the U.S. Navy.
After graduating from Midshipman School at Northwestern University in Chicago and sub-chaser school in Miami, he was deployed to the Pacific theater during the latter part of World War II just after the Iwo Jima invasion aboard the USS LSM 141.
After discharge from the Navy and completing college, he went to Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, followed by an internship in Lansing, Michigan. He returned to Fair Haven with his wife, Eleanor (Clayton) “Arny” Powers, whom he had married during junior year of medical school.
Dr. Powers was a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and for fifty years conducted his practice with an ever present sense of joy and compassion. He was dedicated to his patients both during office visits and regular house calls.
Upon retirement in 1993, he became medical director of the Riverview Medical Center Outpatient Clinic, where he served for four years.
Dr. Powers was devoted to his wife and family of five children and their many activities including camping, sailboat cruising and extended family reunions. He was an active competitor in squash, tennis, sailboat racing and golf (the last being the most humbling). He also enjoyed sailboat cruising with friends and family.
He logged many memorable sailing voyages including regular family vacations to Block Island aboard his several sloops named ‘Spray’ and most notable, a trip with several friends on a 65-foot sloop to Florida where they narrowly escaped disaster sailing through a rogue hurricane off the Carolinas.
Jack was a member of the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years, which had a profound and positive influence on him and a long-time member of Monmouth Boat Club.
Left behind are: his four sons, Jack (and Jan), Tom (and Sally), Jim (and Megan), Stephen and daughter Bonnie Banahan (Jim), his Laotian son, Thowpaou ‘Bruce’ Bliatout; 13 grandchildren (Brittany, Andrew, Kelly, Robert, Buddy, Johnny, Kitty, Joseph, Stephen, Michael, Nikki, Sean and Jane) and many loving nieces and nephews.
Jack was predeceased by: his wife Eleanor Powers; parents Ellwood and Christine Powers; his sisters Marjorie and Jane; his daughter-in-law Terry; and three grandchildren, Joshua, Grace and Kathleen.
A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday, March 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Rd, Red Bank. Charitable donations can be made to Hospice-VNA or the Parker Family Health Clinic.
The marquee on the Fair Haven firehouse is once again a sign of sad news. Another Fair Haven community pillar has passed — former Police Chief and 65-year fire company member, George Chandler.
His death comes just about a year after that of his brother Chum.
Continue reading Former Fair Haven Police Chief, 65-Year Fireman George Chandler Dies
A memorial service has been set for Saturday, Nov. 28, to honor the memory of forever Fair Havenite Benjamin “Ben” Barry Hamilton, who passed away this past Saturday at his home in the borough.
While “words of remembrance,” according to the obituary, will be shared at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Thompson Memorial Home in Red Bank, the service will span from 1 to 4 p.m.
Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect is in the process of putting together a memorial tribute and slideshow to honor Ben.
In the meantime, here is his edited obituary from Thompson …
Benjamin Barry Hamilton,”Ben” 56, of Fair Haven, died at home on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015.
Born in Jersey City to George and Joan (nee, Shook) Hamilton, he was a longtime Fair Haven resident. Ben was a retired investment professional. His professional career spanned three decades trading securities in the United States and Asia.
Ben will be remembered for his love of the Jersey Shore, his passion for surfing and his forever search for the perfect wave. He always began each day in New Jersey or Nantucket reading the local surf report or driving to check out the waves.
A Rumon-Fair Haven Regional High School Class of 1977 alumni, Ben went on to graduate from Hobart William Smith College in 1981, where he was a proud member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity and participated in Hobart Lacrosse. He then received his master’s degree in International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
He was a past family member of the Sea Bright Beach Club and an active member of the Clean Ocean Action.
Ben was also a founding partner of the Navesink River Paddle Excursions.
Ben was predeceased by his parents George and Joan Hamilton. He is survived by: his brother, George L. Hamilton Jr., of Ocean Grove, ; his sisters, Jeanmarie Drucker of NY, NY, and Kate Hamilton Pardee, of Nantucket, MA; his nephews and niece, Richard Drucker Jr. and Hamilton Drucker, George L. Hamilton III, and Katelynn Hamilton; his aunt, Jean Prial; close friend, Wendy Ostrov Delehanty; and many loving friends.
There will be a memorial gathering to celebrate Ben’s life on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, at the Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank, from 1 to 4 p.m. with “words of remembrance” at 3:30 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Benjamin B. Hamilton Memorial Scholarship, P.O. Box 8097, Red Bank, NJ 07701 or to the Fair Haven Fire & First Aid, River Road, Fair Haven, NJ 07704.
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