Raised in Newark, Ed Koch Became Iconic NYC Mayor

Koch died Friday of congestive heart failure. He was 88.

As mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, Ed Koch is credited with saving the nation's largest city from a near-financial collapse, but he got his start as a "hat-check boy" in his uncle's catering hall in Newark.  Koch, who died Friday at age 88 of congestive heart failure, was born in the Bronx, but moved with his family to Spruce Street in Newark at the height of the Great Depression.  While Koch went on to become a symbol of New York 'chutzpah' — smart, but loud and opinionated — he was quite the opposite during his years at Newark's South Side High School, his sister, Pat Thaler of Pompton Plains, told NJ.com.  Thaler said he was studious and quiet and enjoyed his time in Newark, despite his often derogatory comments about the …

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LeRoy F. Smith, Jr., Longtime Emergency Services Worker, Has Died

Longtime Newark resident, Smith was associate director of emergency services for the University of Medicine and Dentistry.

LeRoy F. Smith Jr. wore a lot of hats in his day. In the 1960s, he supervised recreation services for hundreds of youths in Newark, who played baseball, basketball and other sports under his supervision through the Police Athletic League Program. He is best known for being the associate director of emergency medical services for the University of Medicine and Dentistry, a position he held for 38 years. Smith, who retired in 2007 and was honored four years ago with a building named after him at the Essex County Courts complex, has died. A notification went out Monday morning that Smith, of Newark, died peacfully at home, family members said. County officials confirmed his passing later in the day. He was 70. "LeRoy always did everything for…

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Prominent Newark Leader Gustav Heningburg Dies at 82

Gustav Heningburg known as a champion of civil rights, workforce equality in Newark

Gustav "Gus" Heningburg, one of Newark's most influential leaders who changed the face of the city following the infamous 1967 riots, died Monday at age 82. Heningburg, the first president and chief executive officer of the Greater Newark Urban Coalition, was a staunch civil rights advocate who zeroed in on workforce equality. Now disbanded, the coalition was an effort to unite businesses, government and urban communities in the fight against inequality in the late '60s. As a relentless negotiator, he helped ensure construction jobs for black and other minorities in the late '60s and '70s, most notably during Newark Liberty International Airport's $400 million expansion project and the creation of the New Jersey College of Medicine and …

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Juan Antonio "John" Flores, 45, of West Caldwell

A memorial will be held in the Dancy Funeral Home on Wednesday.

Juan Antonio "John" Flores, 45, of West Caldwell, N.J. died on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, surrounded by his loving family. A memorial will be held in the Dancy Funeral Home, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, N.J., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 4 to 9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held in St. Aloysius R.C. Church, 219 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, N.J. on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. Flores was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Prospect Park, N.J., prior to moving to West Caldwell in 1994. He was an officer with the Essex County Department of Corrections and the Essex County Sheriff's Department, where he was loved and respected by his brothers and peers. Flores was an accomplished saltwater fisherman, well known by sportsmen around the world. He was also…

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Newark Teacher Killed In Verona Remembered

Marie Trusits recalled as creative, lively, caring person who loved to make her students and friends laugh.

A woman who died after being hit by a car after she crossed Bloomfield Avenue in Verona Tuesday night has been identified as a Newark school teacher named Marie Trusits. On Thursday, friends and family remembered her as a creative and lively person who loved to make students and friends laugh. Trustis, 54, a teacher at St. Michael's School in Newark until 2008, was walking across Bloomfield Avenue around 8:52 p.m. when she was struck by an Acura sedan traveling westbound on the street, Verona Police Capt. Mitchell Stern said Thursday. Priscilla Calderon, a 2007 St. Michael’s School graduate, said as a teacher, Trusits had a reputation of being disciplined and made sure her students were well behaved. “She was a soft-spoken teacher,” …

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Jersey Newspaper Pioneer Dead At 99

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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 …

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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 ›

Funeral Saturday for Newark Native Killed in Hit-and-Run

Omar Monroig, of Butler, died about one week after being struck in North Bergen

Family and friends of Omar Monroig, the 42-year-old Butler man who died Sunday about a week after being struck in a hit-and-run March 24 in North Bergen, will be mourning the loss of a loved one this weekend. A wake will be held for Monroig at the Biondi Funeral Home in Nutley Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. and a funeral will be at St. Francis Xavier Parish in north Newark on Saturday, followed by burial at an East Hanover cemetery. Barbara Wheeler, 40, of Garfield, said Monroig grew up in Newark and that she shared many good memories with the man. The two had grown apart but over the past five years had reconnected through social media websites. "We really didn't think he was going to go. We really, really were positive that he was going to make…

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Former AFL/ABA Star Lonnie Wright Passes Away at 67

The South Orange resident and Newark native was the only man to play in both the ABA and the AFL in the same season.

How many men could say they intercepted a pass from Joe Namath or scored over Julius Erving?  And then how many can say they helped 2,000 minority youths in New Jersey from underprivileged backgrounds become medical doctors?  Well Lonnie Wright could say he did all of that and more in his illustrious life. Wright passed away in his South Orange home on Friday due to congestive heart failure.  He was 67. Growing up in Newark, Wright was a natural athlete from an early age.  He attended South Side High School, where he earned All-City, All-County, All-State and All-American honors in both football and basketball. He also starred for the track and baseball teams and was inducted into the Newark Hall of Fame in 1988. He then went to Colorado …

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