Wednesday, 9 February 2022
www.TheObserver.com
Vol. CXXXIV, No. 40
ON THE INSIDE KPD: Man was upset his ‘overweight’ roommate was eating too much ice cream. SEE PAGE 4
BELLEVILLE n BLOOMFIELD n EAST NEWARK n HARRISON n KEARNY n LYNDHURST n NORTH ARLINGTON n NUTLEY
In Memoriam + Nutley’s Gerard ‘Jerry’ Tolve: 1960-2022
Local singer & DJ loses valiant battle against ALS at 61 By Kevin A. Canessa Jr. kc@theobserver.com
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Observer file photo
Last summer, Nutley’s Jerry Tolve sang the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium, just months after learning he had ALS. Tolve lost his battle to the hideous disease last week, aged 61.
ight months ago, we brought you the story of Nutley’s Gerard “Jerry” Tolve, a well-known singer whose voice could often be heard belting out the tunes in restaurants in North Arlington, Nutley, Bloomfield, Clifton and elsewhere. In 2020, Tolve was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. At the time of our chat, the ALS was quickly taking its grasp on him. And yet, it never took him over. He was preparing for a wheelchair and the ultimate reality that his lung function was decreasing — and
his singing would ultimately stop and he would lose his life. The man, who never lost his faith and who performed as late of Christmastime — just a few months ago — succumbed to the hideous disease on Feb. 3, 2022. He was just 61. Before we get into the tributes scores of friends offered him, we say he was proud of have lived his entire life in Nutley. He graduated Nutley High School in 1978 and then got a bachelor’s degree in, what else, music, in 1982 at William Paterson University. He leaves behind his wife of 31 years, Sherri; children Jay and Natalie; his parents Gerard See TOLVE, Page 19
Former North Bergen police chief is new East Newark BA By Ron Leir
A
For The Observer
former municipal police chief who sits on the N.J. Sports & Exposition Authority has shed his uniform to transition to a civilian job as East Newark’s business administrator. Robert Dowd, a 26-year member of
Catch
the North Bergen Police Department who retired as chief in 2020, will earn $50,000 as the part-time B.A. for Hudson County’s tiniest municipality. He was hired last month after his predecessor Kevin Catrambone shifted to a new job as special projects manager. Dowd brings a list of impressive credentials, both in and out of uni-
form. During his tenure as chief, a 2017 national study of 13,000 cities with populations of at least 30,000 conducted by SafeHome.org listed North Bergen as the safest municipality in Hudson County and sixth safest in New Jersey. In 2016, Dowd was a participant in discussions hosted by the White
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House on President Barack H. Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force. A summa cum laude graduate of New Jersey City University, where he also earned a master’s degree in criminal justice with a 4.0 grade point average, Dowd qualified as a See DOWD, Page 8
