Obituaries

1st Lt. Seth J. Dvorin

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Dvorin, 24, of East Brunswick, formerly of South Brunswick, died Feb. 3 near Iskandariyah, Iraq, when a remote-control device exploded. He was a 1998 graduate of South Brunswick High School, where he played football and baseball. He earned a bachelor of science degree in administrative justice from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he was a member of Delta Chi fraternity. After graduation from college, he joined the Army and received basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. He graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and received his commission in January 2003. He also graduated from airborne and air defense artillery schools and was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., as part of the 10th Mountain Division, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment. Surviving are his wife, Kelly Harris Dvorin; his mother, Sue Niederer, and her husband, Greg, of Pennington; his father, Richard Dvorin of East Brunswick, and his companion, Ellen Sutton; a sister, Rebekah Dvorin of East Brunswick, and her fiancé, Walter Gruszka; a stepbrother, Joshua Dvorin of South Amboy; his paternal grandmother, Ruth Dvorin of Bayonne; his maternal grandfather, Jacob Sapir of Florida; and two uncles, Gary Sapir and Howard Dvorin. Services were held at East Brunswick Jewish Center. Interment with full military honors was in Marlboro Memorial Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Seth Dvorin Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Hopewell Valley Community Bank, 4 Route No. 31, Pennington, NJ 08534. The fund has been established to benefit South Brunswick High School and Hopewell High School students. Arrangements were under the direction of Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick.

Thomas Melee

Mr. Melee, 71, of the Parlin section of Sayreville died Feb. 8 at home. Surviving are his wife, Rose Marie McAndrew Melee; three sons, Thomas of Sayreville, Edward of Maplewood and Robert of Asbury Park; his mother, Alma Melee of Parlin; and a grandson. A Mass was offered at St. Bernadette’s Church, Parlin section of Old Bridge. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Alfred J. Pawlowski

Mr. Pawlowski, 56, of Sayreville died Feb. 8 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. He was a lab technician for 20 years with Englehard Industries, Iselin section of Woodbridge. Surviving are his wife, Linda Bossert Pawlowski; two sons, Josh and Daniel; and a sister, Linda Wasileski of Germany. Services were held at Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick. Interment was in Beth Abraham Cemetery, East Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to the Deborah Heart and Lung Association, P.O. Box 820, Browns Mills, NJ 08015, or to Trees for Israel, 42 E. 69th St., New York, NY 10021.

Thomas P. Smykaj

Mr. Smykaj, 62, of Englewood, Colo., formerly of South River, died Feb. 8 at home. He was a former physical education teacher at Jonas Salk Middle School, Old Bridge. Surviving are a daughter, Jill Lynn Ciancio of Lake Park, Fla.; a son, Paul David Smykay of North Palm Beach, Fla.; a brother, Stanley Smykaj of South River; a sister, Phyllis Senker of Edison; two grandchildren; an uncle; and several nieces and nephews. A Mass is planned for 9 a.m. on Feb. 14 at St. Mary of Ostrabrama Church, South River. Interment will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, East Brunswick.

Harriet Marie Fastige Sobin

Mrs. Sobin, 75, of East Brunswick died Feb. 7 at home. Her husband, John Sobin, died in 1984. Surviving are a son, John Sobin of Old Bridge; a daughter, Mary Jewell of the Franklin Park section of Franklin; a brother, Carmen Fastige of Maryland; two sisters, Mary Scheerle of Milltown and Elizabeth Sharpless of Maryland; and three grandchildren. Services were held at Rezem Funeral Home, East Brunswick. Interment was in Rosedale Cemetery, Montclair.

Florence E. Benville

Mrs. Benville, 93, of Lady Lake, Fla., for­merly of Middletown and the Toms River sec­tion of Dover, died Feb. 2 in Lady Lake. She was predeceased by her husband, Harry J. Benville, and by two sons-in-law. Surviving are two daughters, Dorothy L. Mayer of the Parlin section of Sayreville and Harriet F. Donnelly of Lady Lake; a sister, Alice Peterson of Stephenson, Mich.; nine grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. A Mass was offered at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, Union Beach. Interment was in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Toms River. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Vincent dePaul Society of St. Timothy Catholic Community, 1351 Paige Place, Lady Lake, FL 32159.

Marie Sack Ferrara

Mrs. Ferrara, 75, of East Brunswick died Feb. 8 at home. Prior to her retirement in 1994, she was a secretary for Cheeseborough Ponds, East Brunswick, where she worked for 10 years. Surviving are her husband, James Ferrara; a son, James Ferrara of Hamilton; two daughters, Joanne Pizzano of East Brunswick and Arlene Polansky of Fortuna, Calif.; a brother, Frank Sack; four sisters, Florence Merola, Helen Narel, Alice Stephens and Veronica Sack; and five grandchildren. A Mass is planned for 11 a.m. on Feb. 12 at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 100, Dept. 300, Memphis, TN 38148-0552.

Dr. Monica M. Gleason

Dr. Gleason, 58, of Matawan, formerly of Old Bridge, died Feb. 4 in the Pavilions at Forrestal Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Princeton. She was a teacher at Old Bridge High School for the past 25 years. Surviving are two sons, Christopher D. Cronin and Michael P. Cronin, both of Old Bridge; her parents, Edward and Veronica Gleason of Bayonne; two brothers, James Gleason of Hillsborough and Gregory Gleason of Old Bridge; and several nieces and nephews. A Mass was offered at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Old Bridge. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Daniel Gordaychik Sr.

Mr. Gordaychik, 85, of the River Plaza sec­tion of Middletown, died Jan. 27 in the Hospice Center of Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank. He was a master craftsman. Surviving are his wife, Helen A. Gordaychik; two sons, Daniel Gordaychik Jr., and Paul Gordaychik, both of Freehold; a daughter, Ann Georgas of the Parlin section of Sayreville; a sister, Mary Hepburn of Keyport; and two grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Red Bank. Interment was in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Middletown.

Valerie T. Weiss McDonnell

Mrs. McDonnell, 59, of Monroe died Feb. 8 at home. A cafeteria aide for many years with the Spotswood Board of Education, she also worked for the board’s after-school program. Her husband, Frank McDonnell, died in 1993. Surviving are two sons, Peter of South River and Jeffrey of Monroe; two daughters, Stacey Bersani and Elizabeth Gerould, both of East Brunswick; a sister, Carolyn Acton of Clifton; and a granddaughter. A Mass is planned for 9 a.m. on Feb. 12 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Old Bridge. Interment will follow in Van Liew Cemetery, North Brunswick.