Obituaries

Katharine Zalepka Atkinson

Mrs. Atkinson, 86, of East Brunswick, formerly of Sayreville, died May 11 in Robert Wood Johnson University, New Brunswick. Her husband, Frank Atkinson, died in 1976. Surviving are two daughters, Frances Rupp of Surf City and Sharon Atkinson of Sayreville; a son, Frank Atkinson of Sayreville; a brother, Steve Zalepka of Hillside; 14 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Services were held at Maliszewski Memorial Home, Sayreville. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Sayreville, 172 Main St., Sayreville, NJ 08872.

Joan Reilly Chaney

Mrs. Chaney, 75, of the Toms River section of Dover, formerly of East Brunswick, died May 10 in Community Medical Center, Toms River. Surviving are her husband, Vincent Chaney Sr.; a son, Vincent Chaney Jr. of Old Bridge; a daughter, Peggy Guiliano of Manalapan; a brother, Richard Reilly Sr. of Cape Cod, Mass.; and four grandchildren. A funeral liturgy was offered at St. Joseph’s Church, Perrineville section of Millstone. Entombment was in Holy Cross Burial Park Mausoleum, South Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 101 Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 513, Roseland, NJ 07068.

Joseph E. Gibbons Jr.

Mr. Gibbons, 65, of East Brunswick, died May 11 at home. Prior to his retirement, he was employed at Inland Container Corp., Spotswood. Surviving are his wife, Barbara Ann Cannella Gibbons; two daughters, Maryellen Harduby of East Brunswick and Candice Gibbons of Milltown; two brothers, Richard Gibbons of Monroe and John Gibbons of Edison; two sisters, Mary Gibbons of Jamesburg and Catherine Director of Helmetta; and four grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Entombment was in Woodbridge Memorial Gardens.

Charles F. Ilaria Jr.

Mr. Ilaria, 77, of East Brunswick, formerly of the Madison Park section of Old Bridge, died May 13 at home. Surviving are his wife, Angela Cino Ilaria; two sons, Charles F. Ilaria III of Belleville and Gerard Ilaria of East Brunswick; a daughter, Terriann DiLalo of East Brunswick; a sister, Anne Ilaria of Gilbert, Ariz.; four grandchildren; and many brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Parlin section of Old Bridge. Cremation was private. Memorial contributions may be made to the Interfaith Network of Care Respite Program, 62 S. Main St., Milltown, NJ 08850, or to Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Hospice, 141 Bodman Place, Red Bank, NJ 07701.

Andrea M. Richter

Mrs. Richter, 87, of East Brunswick, formerly of Little Ferry, died May 13 in Spring Hills Nursing Home, Somerset section of Franklin. Her husband, Herbert Bruno Richter, died in 1996. Surviving are a daughter, Rhea Carroll Rebmann of the Parlin section of Sayreville; a sister, Karla Thompson of New Bern, N.C.; two grandchildren, Andreas and Marina Rebmann; and a great grandson. Arrangements were under the direction of Boylan Funeral Home, New Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to Religious Science of Montclair, 42 Riverside Drive, Florham Park, NJ 07932.

John E. Silvester

Mr. Silvester, 86, of East Brunswick, died May 16 at home. Prior to his retirement, he was a warehouseman for Anheuser-Busch, Old Bridge, where he worked for more than 40 years. His wife, Helen Appleby Silvester, died in 2004. Surviving are two sons, E.A. “Ducky” Silvester of the Toms River section of Dover and John B. Silvester of East Brunswick; a daughter, Karen L. Michalowski of East Brunswick; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Services are planned for 9:30 a.m. on May 19 at Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick. Interment will follow in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, East Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to Simpson United Methodist Church, Route 516 and Owens Road, Old Bridge, NJ 08857.

James G. Walsh

Mr. Walsh, 73, of Sayreville, died May 11 in Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division. Surviving are two brothers, Robert Walsh of Newton and John Walsh of Sayreville; three sisters, Florence Marino and Evelyn Kraus, both of South Amboy, and Alice Grevesen of Sayreville; and many nieces and nephews. Arrangements were under the direction of Rezem Funeral Home, East Brunswick. Interment was in Washington Monumental Cemetery, South River.

Verna Louise Zemann

Mrs. Zemann, 76, of East Brunswick, formerly of North Brunswick, died May 14 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. She was founder and owner, with her former husband, Daniel Reggi, of Mom’s Italian Restaurant, Edison. Her husband, Alfred Cappy Zemann, died in 1999. Surviving are two daughters, Donna Burzynski of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick and Lucy Lloyd of Blakeslee, Pa.; four sisters, Elizabeth Keller of New Brunswick, Grace Gorbe and Anne, both of Edison, and Dora of Jackson; a foster daughter, Joni Wyckoff of the Parlin section of Sayreville; and a granddaughter. A memorial service was held at Rezem Funeral Home, East Brunswick.

Philip P. Caccavale

Mr. Caccavale, 66, of East Brunswick, died May 3 in St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick. Prior to his retirement in 2002, he was an administrator with the East Brunswick school district for 28 years. He was a member of the Principals and Supervisors Association, where he held various positions, including vice president and grievance chairman. Surviving are his wife, Judith Lansdowne Caccavale; a daughter, Amy Bronwyn Caccavale, at home; his parents, Charles and Ann Lynch Caccavale of North Bergen; and a sister, Karen Faro of North Bergen. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Cremation was private. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 100, Dept 300, Memphis, TN 38148; the National Conference of Christians and Jews; or the East Brunswick Public Library, Jean Walling Civic Center, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.

Thomas A. Creamer

Mr. Creamer, 87, of Sayreville, died May 11 at home. Prior to his retirement in 1978, he was employed as a security guard at E.I. DuPont Photo Products, Parlin section of Sayreville, where he worked for 40 years. Surviving are a sister, Rita Vona of Sayreville; a sister-in-law, Ruth Creamer of South Carolina; a nephew, Stephen Vona of Sayreville; two nieces, Jacqueline McCrone of Middlesex and Judy Antonini of South Carolina; and several great-nephews, great-nieces, great-great-nephews and great-great-nieces. A Mass was offered at Our Lady of Victories Church, Sayreville. Interment was in New Calvary Cemetery, Parlin.

Mary F. Schechtman

Mrs. Schechtman, 82, of Old Bridge, died May 14 at home. A son, Martin, died in 1986. Surviving are her husband, Seymour; a son, Leonard of New Hope, Pa.; a daughter, Arlene Gerwin of Boulder, Colo.; and four grandchildren. Arrangements were under the direction of Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, Old Bridge. A graveside service was held at Beth Israel Cemetery, Parlin section of Sayreville.

Joseph Scordato

Mr. Scordato, 69, of Old Bridge, died May 16 in Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division. Prior to his retirement in 2003, he was a computer consultant and owner of Management Services Group Inc., Old Bridge, for 45 years. Surviving are his wife, Linda; a son, Joseph of South Orange; two daughters, Theresa Redding of Biloxi, Miss., and Mary Elizabeth Scordato of Atlanta; his mother, Mary of Old Bridge; four granddaughters; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. A funeral liturgy is planned for 10 a.m. on May 20 at St. Ambrose Church, Old Bridge. Interment will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Bloomfield. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 801 Broad St., Shrewsbury, NJ 07702, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1905.

James L. Skaggs Jr.

Mr. Skaggs, 78, of Matawan, died May 13 at home. He was predeceased by his wife, Helen Duzmati Skaggs. Surviving are a son, David Skaggs of Los Angeles; a daughter, Sue Anfuso of Matawan; and seven grandchildren. Interment was in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Stratford, Conn. Bedle Funeral Home, Matawan, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to Boy Scout Troop 129, c/o St. Ambrose Church, Throckmorton Lane, Old Bridge, NJ 08857.

Michael Mroz

Mr. Mroz, 63, of South River, died May 17 in Veterans Affairs Medical Center, East Orange. He owned an arcade in South River. He was predeceased by his parents, Genevieve and Joseph Mroz. Surviving are a sister, Florence Kremann, and her husband, Andrew, of Cranbury. A graveside service is planned for 10:30 a.m. on May 20 at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Arnytown section of North Hanover. Arrangements were under the direction of Rezem Funeral Home, South River.