Obituaries Nicola B. Popolizio Mr. Popolizio, 38, of South Amboy, died Dec. 23, 2006. A U.S. Army veteran, he was a sergeant first class with the U.S. Army Reserve, serving a tour of duty in Iraq from November 2002 to September 2003. He was predeceased by his mother, Sarah Caroppo Popolizio. Surviving are his wife, Domenica Ateniese-Popolizio; a daughter, Juliana; his father, Nicola; three brothers, Angelo, Pasquale and Tommaso; and three sisters, Maria, Margherita and Rosetta. A Mass was offered at St. Mary's Church, South Amboy. Interment was in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Alexander Zappy Jr. Mr. Zappy, 84, of Old Bridge, died Dec. 23, 2006, in Victoria House, Matawan. He was employed as a court clerk for 25 years with the Middlesex County Court system. He then was a Middlesex County constable for 20 years. Surviving are his wife, Lucille Tancredi Zappy; a son, Mark Zappy of Plainsboro; a daughter, Robin Farner, and her husband, Alan, of Bridgewater; and two grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Old Bridge. Interment was in Holy Cross Burial Park, South Brunswick. Janette Fross Rupp Mrs. Rupp, 92, of Manahawkin, formerly of Sayreville, died Dec. 25, 2006, in Southern Ocean County Hospital, Manahawkin. She was the co-founder, with her late husband, John Rupp, of Rupp's Ace Hardware, Sayreville, in 1946. Surviving are two children, Raymond J. Rupp, and his wife, Andy, of Sayreville and Janet Wyrsch, and her husband, David, of Manahawkin; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A Mass was offered at Our Lady of Victories Church, Sayreville. Interment was private. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Union St., Suite 301, Robbinsville, NJ 08691. Francis "Frank" A. Sankner Mr. Sankner, 81, of the Parlin section of Sayreville, died Dec. 25, 2006, at home. Surviving are his wife, Marie Logan Sankner; two sons, Robert of Jamesburg and Francis "Ozzie" of Evington, Va.; a daughter, Monica Sankner-Giovanni; a sister, Ann Ugi of Piscataway; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Services were held at Carmen F. Spezzi Funeral Home, Parlin. Interment was in New Calvary Cemetery, also Parlin. Florence Albert Engelhardt Mrs. Engelhardt, 86, of Sayreville, died Dec. 27, 2006, in Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division. Her husband, Donald A. Engelhardt, died in 1986. Surviving are two sons and daughters-in-law, Thomas and Lillian of Sayreville and Donald and Kim of Brick; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Private services were under the direction of Maliszewski Memorial Home, Sayreville. Philip N. Richman Mr. Richman, 79, of East Brunswick, died Jan. 7, 2007, at home. Prior to his retirement in 1993, he was an owner and printer at Graphic Color Printing Co., South River, for 44 years. Surviving are his wife, Catherine Leixner Richman; a son, Richard of Manalapan; a daughter, Adrienne Rodgers of Denver; a brother, Reuben of the Bronx, N.Y.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Services are planned for noon at Crabiel Home for Funerals, Milltown. Entombment will follow in Franklin Memorial Park, North Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, P.O. Box 4028, Union, NJ 07083. Anthony L. Howard Mr. Howard, 54, of the Cliffwood Beach section of Old Bridge, formerly of the Morganville section of Marlboro, died Dec. 30, 2006, in Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel. Surviving are his wife, Darlene Burlew Howard; a son, Andre; two daughters, Rhonda and Lonnie; five brothers; four sisters; and nine grandchildren. Private services were under the direction of Day Funeral Home, Keyport. James P. Gill Mr. Gill, 86, of the Parlin section of Old Bridge, died Jan. 1, 2007, in Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel. Surviving are his wife, Rita Sheils Gills; four sons, Jim of Freehold, and Kevin, Brian and Gerard, all of Old Bridge; two daughters, Nancy Lynch of Old Bridge and Kathryn Kitt of Cos Cob, Conn.; three brothers, Thomas of Belmar, Frank of Freehold and Joseph of Nevada; a sister, Joan Carey of Pompano Beach, Fla.; three grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. Services were held at Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, Old Bridge. A Mass was offered at St. Bernadette's Church, Parlin. Hannah M. McFadden Merrihew Mrs. Merrihew, 73, of Brick, died Jan. 3, 2007, at Ocean Medical Center, Brick. Born in Jersey City, she had lived in Bayonne and Freehold Township before moving to Brick in 1978. Prior to retiring in 1993, she was a cashier for Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, for 15 years. Mrs. Merrihew was predeceased by her husband, Roy, in 1983. Surviving are three daughters, Tara Leonard of Brick, Joyce Schultz of Browns Mills and Hannah Hall of Point Pleasant; a brother, Charles McFadden of Plumsted; two sisters, Mary Ellen Barry of Doylestown, Pa., and Sister Charles Annice of Old Bridge; 17 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. A Mass was celebrated at St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church, Old Bridge. Cremation was private, with the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, Old Bridge, in charge of arrangements. Emily Pulda Miller Mrs. Miller, 89, of South River, died Jan. 2, 2007, at home. She was predeceased by her husband, Douglas J. Surviving is a daughter, Doris Miller. A Mass is set for 9 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2007, at St. Stephen Protomartyr Church, South River. Interment will follow in New Calvary Cemetery, Sayreville. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Stephen Protomartyr Church, 20 William St., South River, NJ 08882, or to the South River Historical and Preservation Society, P.O. Box 446, 64-66 Main St., South River, NJ 08882. Lawrence A. Downey Jr. Mr. Downey, 65, of Keyport, died Jan. 5, 2007, at Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel. Born in Newark, he resided in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge before moving to Keyport in 1991. He was supervisor of roads and bridge for Middlesex County for 30 years, retiring in 1996. He served with the U.S. Navy on the USS Waller during the Bay of Pigs. He was a member and past commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Keyport, a member of the Keyport American Legion, and past exalted ruler and New Jersey State sergeant at arms of the Keyport Elks. He was also a 25-year member of the Laurence Harbor First Aid Squad. He is survived by two brothers and sisters-in-law, John and Sharon Downey of Ohio, and Michael and Kathy Downey of Howell; three sisters and brothers-in-law, Maryann and Michael McAndrew of Laurence Harbor, Roberta and Thomas Baxter of the Belford section of Middletown, and Lorraine and Roger Edley of Laurence Harbor; his former wife, Elizabeth "Ann" Downey of Delaware; his companion, Patricia Van Pelt of Keyport; and several nieces and nephews. Burial with military honors was at Shoreland Memorial Gardens, Hazlet. Arrangements were by Day Funeral Home, Keyport.