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Obituaries
Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In NJ, Campaign Says: 'Our Hearts Are Broken' Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In NJ, Campaign Says: 'Our Hearts Are Broken'
Baby Killed By Falling Tree Was Visiting Family In NJ, Campaign Says: 'Our Hearts Are Broken' The family of a 6-month-old baby is seeking support after his tragic death during a recent trip to New Jersey. Micah Gasin was visiting his grandparents in Verona when he and his grandfather were killed by a falling tree on Monday, April 29, while they were lying in a hammock. The tree in the back of their West Lincoln Street home became uprooted and fell on the two, Verona police said. "Micah was the happiest baby anyone ever met," Ben Canales, who organized a fundraiser for the family, based in San Diego, said. "He had a smile that could light up a room, and strangers would stop in the s…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43 NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43
NJ Loan Officer Was Fighting For Access To Promising Drug Before He Died, 43 Michael Smith, a Frelinghuysen resident, died on Sunday, April 28, with his wife by his side after battling stomach cancer, according to his obituary and various social media posts. He was 43. Born in Dover, Smith spent two decades working with Huntington National Bank, according to his obituary on the Cochran Funeral Home website. His LinkedIn page shows he was a mortgage loan officer. In his free time, Smith enjoyed golfing, cooking, fishing and hiking with his dog Jackson, according to his obituary. Smith penned a Facebook post in August 2023 explaining his prognosis, noting that h…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
Sudden Death Of Passaic Police Officer, Mayor's Nephew Brian Lora Stuns Community Sudden Death Of Passaic Police Officer, Mayor's Nephew Brian Lora Stuns Community
Sudden Death Of Passaic Police Officer, Mayor's Nephew Brian Lora Stuns Community The sudden death of a 29-year-old Passaic police officer has spread shock and sadness through multiple communities. Brian Lora, a Passaic police officer and Belleville resident, died unexpectedly on Monday, April 29, his department said. "Officer Lora's tenure was marked by unwavering loyalty, exemplary work ethic, fearless commitment to duty, and steadfast adherence to the highest principles of law enforcement," the Passaic Police Department said. "The entire community mourns the loss of Officer Brian Lora, a true exemplar of duty and service." Lora served in the School Resource Division …

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
Paul Auster, Acclaimed Author, North Jersey Native, Dead At 77 Paul Auster, Acclaimed Author, North Jersey Native, Dead At 77
Paul Auster, Acclaimed Author, North Jersey Native, Dead At 77 Paul Auster, who won numerous literary awards and published "The New York Trilogy" died on Tuesday, April 30, at the age of 77, his literary representatives announced. Born in Newark, Auster was raised in South Orange before graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood. He initially garnered attention after publishing his memoir "The Invention of Solitude," which discussed his father's death. Auster's most acclaimed work came next: "The New York Trilogy," a series of three novels including "City of Glass," "Ghosts" and "The Locked Room," mixing post modernism with detective fiction. Th…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
NJ Pizzeria Mourns Loss Of Popular Employee: 'He Was The Krispy Man' NJ Pizzeria Mourns Loss Of Popular Employee: 'He Was The Krispy Man'
NJ Pizzeria Mourns Loss Of Popular Employee: 'He Was The Krispy Man' Andy Loncarevic had a special talent: Making strangers feel like they belonged. That's what many customers of Krispy Pizza in Old Bridge are saying following the 42-year-old Sayreville father's death on Thursday, April 25. A cause of death was not made public. Posted by Antonietta DiRosa Vega on Sunday, April 28, 2024 An immigrant from Montenegro, Andy was remembered on a GoFundMe campaign as a dedicated and hardworking family man. Nearly $54,000 had been raised as of press time. "It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of our beloved family member, Andy," …

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by Jon Craig
Obituaries
Kevin McGrath, Ridgefield Park Resident, Dies At 62 Kevin McGrath, Ridgefield Park Resident, Dies At 62
Kevin McGrath, Ridgefield Park Resident, Dies At 62 Kevin McGrath, a Ridgefield Park resident died on Thursday, April 11, surrounded by his family, according to his obituary. Born in The Bronx, McGrath worked for Cardella Trucking in North Bergen, his obituary reads. In his free time, McGrath enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and listening to the Grateful Dead and bluegrass music while making repairs around the house, according to his obituary. The greatest guy," said one mourner on his tribute wall. "Kevin was always eager to help anyone. I remember him working so many hours to provide for his family. He always had a joke t…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall
North Wildwood Restaurant Worker, 21, Dies From Fall Melissa E. O'Malley, a Delaware County native and University of Tampa student, died "following a tragic fall" on Sunday, April 14, loved ones wrote in her obituary. She was 21.  Born in Philadelphia, O'Malley attended Marple Newtown High School and was a junior studying marketing and public relations at UT, her obituary says.  She held a part-time job at Dairy Joy, an ice cream shop in Tampa, and worked at the Surfing Pig in North Wildwood, NJ, according to the restaurant. Friends, coworkers, and loved ones posted tributes on social media.  It is with great sadness and heavy hearts th…

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by Mac Bullock
Obituaries
Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50 Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50
Lauren Brecher, Oakland Native, Longtime Teacher, Dies At 50 Lauren Brecher died on Friday, April 12 at Morristown Medical Center at the age of 50 after battling cancer, according to her obituary. Born in Massachusetts, she grew up in Oakland in Bergen County before moving to Lake Hiawatha in 1996, her obituary reads. Brecher was a longtime teacher at Suburban Hills School in Chester and later taught OLPH Early Childhood Center in Oakland, her obituary reads. I met Lauren in 10th grade gym class; she was a junior. We had exercise aerobics and we hid in the back both lazy and I... Posted by Deborah Butturini on Monday, April 15, 2024 "Those w…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
Deer Crashes Through Windshield Killing Mom, 43, From NJ In PA: State Police Deer Crashes Through Windshield Killing Mom, 43, From NJ In PA: State Police
Deer Crashes Through Windshield Killing Mom, 43, From NJ In PA: State Police Molly Dowd, 43-year-old New Jersey mother, died Monday, April 1, the day after a deer jumped through the windshield of the car she was riding in on a Pennsylvania highway, according to her PA State Police and her obituary on the Dangler Funeral Home website. Dowd was a passenger in the vehicle operated by Michael Bird on I-276 east when a deer crossed the westbound lanes, jumped over the center concrete barrier and onto the hood of the vehicle at 6:25 p.m. March 31 in Lower Southampton, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release. The deer came crashing through the windshield, seriousl…

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by Sam Barron & Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Investment Banking Frat VP From NJ Found Dead On College Campus Was 'Team Player' Investment Banking Frat VP From NJ Found Dead On College Campus Was 'Team Player'
Investment Banking Frat VP From NJ Found Dead On College Campus Was 'Team Player' Services have been finalized for Christian Samay, a New Jersey native, who died while attending Bucknell University on Saturday, March 30 at 22 years old, as previously reported by Daily Voice. Samay, a political science major, was active in the Phi Gama Delta fraternity where he was elected vice president and treasurer his junior year, according to his obituary on the Norma Dean Funeral Home website. In the summers, he worked as an investment banker, his obit says.  Growing up in Mountain Lakes, Christian played lacrosse and soccer: "He was the consummate team player, a loya…

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by Sam Barron
Obituaries
NJ Native Who Died After Crash Was '5-Foot Woman With Giant Personality,' Daughter Says NJ Native Who Died After Crash Was '5-Foot Woman With Giant Personality,' Daughter Says
NJ Native Who Died After Crash Was '5-Foot Woman With Giant Personality,' Daughter Says Iris Crystal Mercado, an Allentown mother, and New Jersey native, died from injuries sustained in a car crash on Sunday, March 31, authorities said. She was 37.  Mercado, called Crystal by friends and loved ones, was hospitalized after a wreck on Route 22 in South Whitehall on Feb. 3, state police have said.  Her daughter Ciara Rodriguez said Mercado was "a 5-foot woman with the personality of a giant." "My mother loved being around friends and family and just enjoying being outside," Rodriguez told Daily Voice.  "She was great at whatever she learned and put her mind …

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by Mac Bullock
Obituaries
George Iino, Fort Lee Baseball Coach, Dies At 55: 'Beacon Of Love' George Iino, Fort Lee Baseball Coach, Dies At 55: 'Beacon Of Love'
George Iino, Fort Lee Baseball Coach, Dies At 55: 'Beacon Of Love' George Iino, a Fort Lee resident who coached baseball in the community, died on Wednesday, March 27, according to a fundraiser set up to support his family.  A native of Illinois, Iino moved to New Jersey as a teenager, graduating from Mount Olive High School, his obituary reads. A graduate of Rutgers University, he had numerous passions including skiing, martial arts, DJing, tennis and was a competitive bodybuilder, according to his obituary. Iino pursued a career in international business and trade, which saw him circle the globe, traveling to places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris,…

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by Sam Barron