Obituaries

All obituaries must be submitted by email by 10 a.m., Mondays, to obituaries@ theobserver.com. Payment is due at submission.

Michele Navickas

Michele Navickas, 53, of North Arlington, died Jan. 6, 2022.

Michele leaves behind a loving husband Abdellatif Baghdad, daughter Victoria Goncalves and three grandchildren Lucas Carr, Sienna Lynch and Kali Lynch.

Michele was born and raised in Kearny by her mother Carol Navickas, deceased in 2013. Michele was predeceased by her aunts Gladys Bolger and Maureen Frank.

Michele loved spending time with her grandchildren and her pet dog Fiona.

Michele was employed for several years at Cappelluti’s Deli in Kearny.

Memorial services will be private.

Paul J. Kwiecien

Paul J. Kwiecien died peacefully Saturday morning, Jan. 15, 2022 at his brother’s home surrounded by his family.

He was 64.

Born in Newark, Paul was raised in Harrison and had lived in Fair Lawn for the last 25 years.

Paul earned his associate degree from Bergen Community College. He had worked as a truck parts salesman with P&A Autoparts of Hackensack for the last 11 years. Previously, he had worked in sales with Power Battery Co. of Paterson for 29 years.

Paul had a strong passion for music. He enjoyed playing the guitar with family and friends and was an avid Beatles fan. Paul had an infectious personality. He deejayed at numerous events and parties over the years and was the resident DJ at Mt. Fuji. He was known to many as DJ Paul.

Over the years Paul had emceed many conventions and autograph shows. He was a devoted New York Jets and Yankees fan. He enjoyed the Jersey Shore, golf and fluke fishing with his brother Mike.

As a longtime friend of Bill W, Paul was a mentor and gave of himself to benefit others. He was a participant in the Matt Talbot Retreat Movement. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his grandson, Hudson. He was always very proud to be called Grandpa Paul. His love for his family and friends will always be remembered.

Preceded in death by his parents, Emil and Ann Marie Kwiecien, Paul is survived by his life partner, Mary Ellen Dolan; his step children, Leah Aknay and Todd Aknay; a step-grandson, Hudson; his sister, Donna Murphy and her husband Kevin; his brother, Michael Kwiecien and his wife JoAnn; and his nieces and nephews, Meghan Murphy, Brian Murphy and wife, Emily, Joseph Kwiecien and Nicole Kakuta and husband Hiroaki.

Relatives and friends are invited to call Sunday, Jan. 30, 2 to 6 p.m., at S.J. Priola Parsippany Funeral Service, 60 North Beverwyck Road, Lake Hiawatha (973-335-4700). The funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, Jan. 31, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Peter the Apostle R.C. Church, Parsippany.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for memorial gifts to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www. stjude.org.

Richard T. Barton

Richard T. Barton, 84, died peacefully at his home in Kearny on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

The funeral will be from the Thiele-Reid Family Funeral Home, 585 Belgrove Drive, Kearny, on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Cecilia Church, Kearny, at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with the family at the funeral home on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 4 to 8 p.m.

Born in Newark, Mr. Barton was raised in Harrison before moving to Kearny in 1958.

Richard was a gas serviceman for PSE&G. in Newark for 36 years before retiring in 1997.

He was a past president of the former IBEW Local No. 2060 in Newark. He was a member of the Schuyler Tuna Fishing Club of Kearny and a member of the Ironbound Irish American Association in Newark. Richard was a 64 year member of the Third Degree of the Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Grace Council No. 402 in Harrison and a Fourth Degree member of the Monsignor G.H. Doane Assembly No. 0643 also in Harrison.

In 1995, Richard received an commendation from Pope John Paul II and the United States Secret Service Agency as he was part of the team from PSE&G in Newark assisting with security during the Pope’s visit to New Jersey.

Mr. Barton is survived by four children, Michelle Witiuk (John), Janice Morrison (Dennis), Richard C. Barton (Margaret) and Marybeth Iorio (Charles). He was the grandfather of Patrick (Brittney), Kyle, Casey, Jacqueline, Jessica, Richard W. and Sarah and the great-grandfather of Nolan and Colin. He was the brother of Nancy Tomosieski, Gerard Barton (Carol) And Mary Rice (Peter) and brother-in-law of Yvette Barton.

He was predeceased by his wife, Janice E. Barton (nee McDonald) on Oct. 26, 2021, one daughter, Marianne Barton (six weeks of age), his parents, T. Harold and Annie (nee Graham) Barton, one brother John Barton and one brother-in-law John Tomosieski

In memory of a man who most enjoyed time with his family, in lieu of flowers, please treat yourself and those you love in honor of him.

Leta K. Confessore

Leta K. Confessore (nee Henderson) died Jan. 2, 2022.

She was 86.

Visiting was at the Armitage Wiggins Funeral Home, Kearny. Graveside services were in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.

Leta was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, to Hadley Henderson and Eliza Irving Henderson. As an infant, she lived on Long Island, New York, before settling in Harrison. Years later, while working at the Sun Chemical Corporation, she met her future husband, and love of her life, Ralph Confessore. He came to apply for a position as a chemist, he did not get the job, but the chemistry between them led to a long and happy marriage of 59 years.

Leta’s talents were many. She was a gourmet cook and a skilled baker, whose meatballs, cheesecakes and chocolate chip cookies were second to none. She was only a phone call away for a great recipe. Her gifted flare for writing was unleashed as she took classes at the Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York City, and soon studied with a private writing coach.

She nurtured animals, es-

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OBITS

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pecially cats, her entire life. Hadley, named for her father, led her through her transition, never leaving her side. Leta enjoyed being active with the Kearny School Board. She was past president of the Garfield School PTA, Kearny Band Parents and was active with the Champion Marching Unit at Kearny High School.

She joined AA in 1983 and was a proud member of the Matt Talbot Retreat movement. She enjoyed the experience of travel to France, Italy, Greece, Scotland, Ireland, England, Aruba and Hawaii, just to name a few. Each trip enriched her life.

Leta was pre-deceased by her husband, Ralph Confessore. She leaves behind her daughters, Lisa ConfessoreMcGuire, Aleta and her husband Darrell Austin and Ruth Confessore; grandchildren Alexa Fantacone and her husband Jeffrey, Grant McGuire, Melanie McGuire and her fiancé Jay Roberto, Bobby McGuire, Spencer Austin; and her great-granddaughter Emilia Rue Fantacone.

She gave her love and spent many joyous hours getting to know each one. A special note of thanks to the dedicated care-givers, especially Dorothy.

In her memory and because of her love of animals, kindly consider a donation to Kearny’s trap, neuter and return non0profit, the Twisted Cats Inc., P.O. Box 298, Kearny, N.J. 07032.

Barbara N. Hoffman

Barbara N. Hoffman, (nee Zeoli), 73, died Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at her home in Kearny.

Born in Belleville, Barbara was raised in Harrison before moving to Kearny over 60 years ago.

She is survived by one daughter, Dawn Nisbet and her husband, James.

Barbara was predeceased by her husband, Richard A. Hoffman, on April 26, 2021.

A private graveside service took place in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Bloomfield on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

Condolences and memories may be shared at www.thielereid.com.

Millicent DiMichele

Millicent DiMichele died at home Jan. 20, 2022.

She was 102.

Millicent lived in North Arlington and Newark before moving to Kearny 69 years ago. She and her late husband Amedeo owned and ran their family deli, Dave’s Deli, in Kearny.

Graveside funeral service will be 11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 25, in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington.

Wife of the late Amedeo “Dave” DiMichele, she was the mother of Dave J. DiMichele (his wife Michele) and grandmother of Dave DiMichele, jr. (his wife Natalee) and Anthony DiMichele (his wife Joanna). Also surviving are her great-grandchildren Isabella, Julianna and Adrianna.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to St. Lucy Church in Newark.

Fred P. Delli Santi

Fred P. Delli Santi, of Millsboro, Delaware, formerly of East Newark, died Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022.

He was 85.

The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home 331 Cleveland Ave., Harrison, on Thursday, Jan. 27, at 9:45 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Anthony’s Church, East Newark. His entombment will follow in Holy Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington. Friends and relatives may visit on Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 4 to 8 p.m.

If you would like to send a condolence message to his family, or to read his complete obituary, please visit www. mulliganfh.com. For those desiring, a contribution may be made to St. Anthony’s Church, 409 N. Second St., East Newark, N.J. 07029 or in care of the funeral home in loving memory of Fred.

Fight stress by volunteering in your community

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District celebrating Kearny HS 100th anniversary on February 5

The Kearny Board of Education is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the construction and dedication of Kearny High School at its current location.

The building’s original cornerstone notes the school’s construction began in 1921. A visit to the front entrance lobby provides access to the original dedication plaque which notes the building’s dedication in 1922.

The first high school in Kearny, PS No. 4, was built on Kearny Avenue in 1894 and was renamed the Clara Barton School when the new high school opened in its current location. The school’s stadium was completed in 1925, and the bricks from the original high school were used in building the walls surrounding the stadium.

In 1940, an addition costing $400,000 was added and in 1974, another addition was completed at a cost of $5 million. This addition, now referred to as the South Building, provided new music and art classrooms, a new gymnasium, locker rooms, classrooms and garage parking. The school is divided by a plaza that connects the North and South buildings.

In 2017, through funding by the FAA and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the board and contractors completed a $44 million addition and renovation to the high school, bringing the campus into the 21st century.

A new HVAC system, WiFi, upgraded lighting and intercom system, along with the addition of 19 new classrooms that include a state of the art culinary facility, broadcast studio, dance studio and expanded cafeteria were added.

The public is invited to join the district in celebrating 100 years of educating Kearny students on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Student performances and exhibits will highlight Saturday’s celebration. — CANESSA

KPD

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exchanged unpleasantries with its driver.

A short distance away, the two drivers encountered each other again, leading to an argument, in which the Wayne man used his phone to record the Explorer driver threatening to kill him. The two allegedly had a brief physical altercation which ended with both drivers getting back into their vehicles.

However, the Explorer driver allegedly then chased the Wayne man’s vehicle around town at high speeds until the Explorer eventually crashed into the utility poles on Passaic Avenue and its driver fled on foot.

At 2:56 a.m. on the

night of the crash, Officer Janitza Aquino was dispatched to a Kearny Avenue apartment for a report of a vehicle theft. The officer was unable to locate the complainant until 3:13 a.m., when Simon S. Madramootoo, 30, of Kearny, opened the door. Madramootoo reported his father-in-law had asked him to check a low tire on his Ford Explorer and move it into the driveway at which time he was allegedly confronted by the Wayne man and an accomplice who assaulted him and carjacked the Explorer.

Det. Jonathan Dowie took over the investigation. The detective secured several sources of digital and physical evidence which refuted Madramootoo’s version of events. On Jan. 19, 2022, Madramootoo turned himself in at police headquarters. Det. Dowie charged Madramootoo with terroristic threats, insurance fraud, false reports to law enforcement and driving with a suspended license. He was remanded to the Hudson County Jail.

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