Miscellaneous Morris County, New Jersey Obituaries

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Anthony ‘Kelly’ Esposito, Chatham Twp. developer
A funeral mass was offered Wednesday, Dec. 9, at St.  Vincent Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Madison for Anthony “Kelly” Esposito of Madison, who died Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998, at Overlook Hospital in Summit after a brief battle against lung cancer. He was 65. 
Born in Madison, Mr. Esposito was a lifelong resident. 
He founded the Kelly and Son Construction Co. in Madison in 1960 and was one of the earliest developers in Chatham Township. His professional buildings on the corner of Shunpike and Green Village roads in the township were the first in the area.  He also was instrumental in 1988 in the installation of the only street clock with both music and chimes in Chatham Township.  Mr. Esposito was an active supporter and friend of the Carmelite nuns in Morristown and Warwick, N.Y.  He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Lucille; a son, Patrick “Ricky” of Madison; a daughter, Diane Pagliuca, also of Madison; four brothers, Michael “Mickey,” Patrick and Carmine “Chico,” all of Madison, and James “Bucky” of Roxbury; a sister, Josephine Whitley of Vermont, and six grandchildren. 
Interment was in St. Vincent’s Cemetery in Madison. Arrangements were by the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., Madison. 
  
Edward McFall, 74, native of  Scotland 
A funeral mass was offered Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home in Madison for Edward McFall of Madison, who died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a long illness. He was 74.  Born in Blantyre, Scotland, Mr. McFall lived in Kearny for 10 years before coming to Madison 15 years ago.  He was employed by the N.J. Bell Telephone Co. in Newark for 15 years until illness prompted him to retire in 1983.  Mr. McFall was a member of the Bell Telephone Pioneers of New Jersey. 
He is survived by a sister, Christine Duffy of Scotland, and nieces and nephews. 
Interment was in St. Vincent’s Cemetery in Madison. Arrangements were by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison. 
  
Charlene M. Harvey, 53, foreign language teacher 
A funeral mass was offered Saturday, Nov. 21, at St.  Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church in Summit for Charlene M. Trauth Harvey of the Gillette section of Long Hill Township, who died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998, at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a four-year battle against breast cancer. She was 53. 
Born in Dallas, Texas, Mrs. Harvey lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Chatham before moving to Gillette 18 years ago. 
She was a teacher at Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights for 29 years before her retirement last year.  Earlier, she had taught for one year in Chatham.  Mrs. Harvey was a graduate of the University of Dayton, Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages, and of Seton Hall University in South Orange, where she earned a master’s degree in French and Spanish in 1972. 
She is survived by her husband, Ronald; her mother, Martha Trauth of Cincinnati; a stepdaughter, Rebecca of Pennsylvania; a stepson, Daniel of Frenchtown; and six sisters, Denise Trauth of North Carolina, Suzanne Trauth of Montclair, Eileen Trauth of Massachusetts, Jeannette Trauth of Pennsylvania, Patricia Trauth of California and Kathleen Trauth of New Mexico.  Interment was in Bloomingdale Cemetery. Arrangements were by Paul Ippolito Summit Memorial, 7 Summit Ave., Summit.  Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 669 Littleton Road, Parsippany, N.J. 07054. 

Ersilia C. Gisoldi, worked in Summit silk factory, 89 
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Thursday, Nov. 19, at St. Patrick Church in Chatham for Ersilia Caporaso Gisoldi of Chatham, who died Monday, Nov. 16, 1998, at Overlook Hospital in Summit after a long illness. She was 89.  Born in Cautano, Italy, near Naples, Mrs. Gisoldi came to this country in 1928 upon her marriage. She lived in Summit and then came to Chatham in 1944. 
Mrs. Gisoldi first worked in the Summit Silk Mill, which became the site of McGregor and Co., and then for the Bedrosian Co. in Summit, where she repaired oriental rugs. Following World War II, Mrs. Gisoldi was a seamstress with the Weber Co. in New York City, making fine blouses, and then joined her husband in his rug repairing and cleaning business. 
She was a member of St. Patrick Church and its Rosary Society.  Mrs. Gisoldi was known for her vegetable and flower garden, most particularly for her cultivation of roses.  Her husband, Frank, died earlier. 
She is survived by three daughters, Pauline Mazza of the Convent Station section of Morris Township, Angela M. Pariso of Chatham and Elvira of Chatham; a son, Deacon Frank A. of Summit; a brother, Mario Caporaso of Italy, and a granddaughter. 
Arrangements were by the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chatham Emergency Squad, Passaic Avenue, Chatham, N.J. 07928. 

Jacqueline Goodwin Lee, 36, assistant manager of store 
Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 16, at the First Baptist Church in Madison for Jacqueline L. Goodwin Lee of Madison, who died Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998. She was 36.  Born in Morristown on March 1, 1962, Mrs. Lee was a lifelong Madison resident and a 1980 graduate of Madison High School. 
She was an assistant manager of the A&P in Madison for the past year. Previously, she was a clerical staff member for seven years at the Exxon Research and Engineering Co. in Florham Park. She was a member of the First Baptist Church. 
A brother, Henry O. Goodwin, predeceased her.  She is survived by two sons, Ka-Leeft M. and Wilson H., both at home; her daughter, Olivia M., also at home; her mother, Nina Ruth G.  Goodwin of Madison; her father, Thomas H. Goodwin Jr. of Hartford, Conn.; two brothers, Thomas A. of Mount Bethel, Pa., and Donald L. of Bangor, Pa.; a sister, Joyce “Linda” Goodwin of Madison, and several nieces and nephews. 
Interment was in Heavenly Rest Cemetery in East 
Hanover. Arrangements were by Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison. 
  
Nils Person, war veteran, awarded Purple Heart, 82
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 31, at the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison, for Nils W. Person of Madison, who died Friday, March 26, 1999, at the Inglemoor Nursing Home in Livingston.  He was 82. 
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Person lived in Florham Park for five years before coming to Madison in 1957. 
He was a purchasing agent for the Schaefer Brewing Co. in Brooklyn from 1951 until his retirement in 1978.  Mr. Person was a graduate of the City College of New York, now the City College of the City University of New York.  He was a founder of the Florham Park Wood Carvers Club and taught archery at the Madison Area YMCA in Madison for 20 years. 
During World War II, Mr. Person was an Army staff sergeant with the 131st Field Artillery and served in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He was awarded a Purple Heart.  His wife, Winifred B., died previously. 
He is survived by three sons, John B. of Stanton, Nils B. of Madison and David K. of Ketchikan, Alaska; three sisters, Constance Headly of Long Island, N.Y., Josephine Tyson of Southbury, Conn., and Edna Hanson of Lakeland, Fla.; a brother, John of Southbury; five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 29 Prospect St., Madison, N.J. 07940.

John Ruckelshaus, inventor, father of Madison’s mayor 
A memorial service was held on Sunday, March 7, at Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Ave., Madison, for John Greer Ruckelshaus of Boonton, formerly of Madison and the father of Madison Mayor Gary Ruckelshaus.  Mr. Ruckelshaus, an electrical engineer and inventor who held more than 44 patents, died Friday, Feb. 26, 1999, after a brief illness. He was 97. 
Born in Newark, Mr. Ruckelshaus lived in Madison and Summit before moving to Leisure Village in Lakehurst in 1972.  He attended Newark College of Engineering and received an honorary doctoral degree from Hamilton State University in 1974. 
The founder and president of the Madison Electrical Products Co. (MEPCO), Mr. Ruckelshaus was a pioneer in the birth of radio broadcasting in the U.S. 
He obtained the first amateur license for a radio telephone transmitter in 1920. His station, with call letters 2-GF, broadcast the first radio advertisement - a sale for L.  Bamberger and Company of Newark - in early 1921. This first radio “commercial” so impressed one listener at the department store, owner Louis Bamberger, that radio station WOR was started about six months later.  Mr. Ruckelshaus conceived of the cathode heater radio tube, which made possible the operation of radio receivers from house current instead of batteries and revolutionized the radio receiving set industry. One of his cathode heater tubes is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.  During World War II he designed and produced MEPCO precision wire wound resistors which were incorporated in the atomic bomb, the proximity fuse and other war projects. He also developed an engine ignition system for the Signal Corps which produced no radio interference.  After the war Mr. Ruckelshaus developed the Vamistor film resistor, which eliminated the need for hundreds of feet of wire in a resistor. The Vamistor has been used in every U.S.  space flight, as well as in computers, telephone equipment and sophisticated electronics equipment.  His other inventions included rotators for television receiving antennas. Among his inventions he did not patent were circuit breakers now used in homes, treadle-controlled traffic signals and thermopane window glass.  Mr. Ruckelshaus was a member of the Christian Science Church in Summit until 1972. He was a member of the Madison Rotary Club from 1944 to 1966; the Kiwanis Club in Leisure Village, and the International Electrician and Electricwire Engineers. 
He was the husband of the late Florence Cowan Ruckelshaus and the late Edith Hart Ruckelshaus. 
He is survived by two sons, John G. Jr. and Gary, and three grandchildren, Gary, Jill and Julie. 
Interment was private. Arrangements were by the Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main St., Madison.  Memorial donations may be made to the Madison Public Library, 39 Keep St., Madison, N.J. 07940. 

Charlotte Nelson, active with club, school, library 
A memorial service was held Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Wm. A.  Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham, for Charlotte Hedin Nelson of Chatham, who died Thursday, Feb.  11, 1999, at Overlook Hospital in Summit following a short illness. She was 61. 
Born in Minneapolis, Minn., she moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1965 and then came to Chatham in 1967. 
She was a 1959 graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, and was an elementary school teacher in Minneapolis before moving to Cleveland. 
Mrs. Nelson was a past president of the Junior Women’s Club of Chatham; a former co-president with her husband, John A. Nelson, of the Chatham High School Parent-Teacher Organization in 1979, and had worked with the Summit YWCA and the Library of the Chathams. 
She had assisted her husband in his packaging business, Custom Way Packaging, and following his death in 1992 she worked for the Nilson Insurance Agency in Morristown. 
She is survived by three sons, John F. “Jay” of Maplewood, Todd E. of Monroe, Conn., and Scott D. of Chatham; a brother, Lynn J. Hedin of South Dakota; a sister, Marcia Tammel of California, and five grandchildren.  Interment was private. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the Library of the Chathams, 214 Main St., Chatham, N.J. 07928. 

Sylvia Swerdlin, retired comptroller
Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 25, at Menorah Chapels at Millburn in Union for Sylvia Swerdlin of Florham Park, who died Tuesday, March 24, 1999, at home. 
Born in New York City, Mrs. Swerdlin lived in 
Hillside, Elizabeth and Millburn Township before coming to Florham Park. 
She was the comptroller for Jahne Barnes in New York City for many years before her retirement. 
She is survived by a daughter, Joyce Beck; a son, Eric; a sister, Ruth Feiger, and three grandchildren. 
Interment was private. Arrangements were by Menorah Chapels at Millburn, 2950 Vaux Hall Road, Union. 

Margaret Simonson, 93, charter member of chapel 
Funeral services were held Friday, Sept. 3, at the Henry Chapel at Chapel Pointe in Carlisle, Pa., for Margaret C. Simonson of Carlisle, formerly of Chatham, who died Tuesday, Aug. 31, 1999, at Carlisle Hospital. She was 93.  Born in Park Ridge, Mrs. Simonson lived in Chatham before moving to Carlisle. 
She was a volunteer at Overlook Hospital in Summit for 35 years. 
Mrs. Simonson was a charter member of Long Hill Chapel in Chatham Township.  She is survived by a son, Robert C. of West Lawn, Pa.; four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. 
Interment was private. Arrangements were by Hoffman-Roth Funeral Home, 219 North Hanover St., Carlisle, Pa. 
Lucille D. Robbins, 83, active with Eastern Star 
A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Masonic Homes in Elizabethtown, Pa., for Lucille D. Robbins of Elizabethtown, formerly of Madison, who died Saturday, Aug. 28, 1999, at the Masonic Homes. She was 83. 
Born in Okabena, Minn., Mrs. Robbins lived in Philadelphia, Pa., Stratford, Conn., Ponte Vedra, Fla., and Madison before moving to Elizabethtown.  She was a registered nurse in hospitals in Philadelphia and nursing homes in Stratford, Conn., before her retirement.  Mrs. Robbins was a past Worthy Matron of the former Oak Lane Eastern Star Chapter No. 325 in Philadelphia; a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra, and a civic volunteer.  While a Madison resident, she attended Grace Episcopal Church in Madison. 
Her husband, Harris N., died previously. 
She is survived by three sons, James D. of Madison, Thomas R. of West Bloomfield, Mich., and Lawrence E. of Middletown, Pa.; five grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.  Interment was private. Arrangements are by the Miller Funeral Home, 130 North Market St., Elizabethtown, Pa. 
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 615 Community Way, Lancaster, Pa. 17603, or to the Hospice of Lancaster County, 685 Good Drive, P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster, Pa. 17604. 

Gertrude M. Spencer, 90, active with seniors club 
A funeral liturgy will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 9, at St. Patrick Church, 85 Washington Ave., Chatham, for Gertrude M. Colmer Spencer of Chatham, who died Monday, Sept. 6, 1999. She was 90. 
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she came to Madison in 1949, and to Chatham in 1985. 
Mrs. Spencer was involved in numerous organizations in Madison and Chatham, most recently the Chatham Senior Citizens. 
Her husband, Charles J., died previously.  She is survived by three sons, Donald of Bernardsville, Charles Jr. of Chatham and Robert of Summit; a sister, Veronica Colmer of Brooklyn; eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. 
Interment will be at St. Vincent Cemetery, Madison. Arrangements are by the Wm. A. Bradley and Son Funeral Home, 345 Main St., Chatham. 

Joseph F. Musil, veteran, Western Electric engineer 
Funeral services were held Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, 3377 Route 9, Old Bridge Township, for Joseph F. Musil of Old Bridge Township, formerly of Chatham, who died Sunday, Sept. 5, 1999, at home. He was 78.  Born in Newark, Mr. Musil lived in Chatham before moving to Old Bridge 39 years ago. 
He was a mechanical engineer with the Western Electric Co.  in Kearny for 43 years before his retirement in 1983.  During World War II, Mr. Musil served with the Army in the 568th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. He received the American Service Medal, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal and the Victory Medal. 
He was a member of Philo Lodge 243 of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons in South River. 
His wife, Mildred, died previously. 
He is survived by two sons, Joseph of Moscow, Pa., and James of Old Bridge Township; a daughter, Marilyn of Old Bridge Township, and two grandchildren. 
Interment was private. 

John R. Gorman, executive, assisted the disabled, 71 
Funeral services were held Saturday, Sept. 4, at Faith Lutheran Church in the Murray Hill section of New Providence for John R. Gorman of Florham Park, who died Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1999, at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.  He was 71. 
Born in Enfield, Conn., Mr. Gorman lived in Massachusetts before coming to Florham Park eight years ago.  He was the vice president of sales and marketing for National Appraisal Services in Scotch Plains for eight years before his retirement in 1997.  Previously, he was employed by Litton Industries in Fall River, Mass.  Mr. Gorman was president and a member of the Northern Region Porsche Organization of America. 
He also was a member of the East Orange Golf Club, and the Fairmount Country Club in Chatham Township. 
Mr. Gorman volunteered to assist developmentally disabled citizens in Morris Plains. 
He is survived by his wife, Dale; three daughters, Kathleen Fairley, Lynn Gaetani and Maureen Ruffino; a son, John; two sisters, Annamae MacArdle and Joann, and seven grandchildren.  Interment was in Fair Mount Cemetery in Chatham. Arrangements were by the William R. Dangler Funeral Home, 309 Springfield Ave., Summit.  Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 101 Eisenhower Parkway, Roseland, N.J. 07068. 

Rosina Cavezza, resident of Madison, grandmother 
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Tuesday, Sept. 7, at St. Vincent Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Madison for Rosina Altieri Cavezza of Madison, who died Saturday, Sept. 4, 1999, at home. She was 86.  Born in Scranton, Pa., Mrs. Cavezza lived in Cicciao, Italy, before coming to Madison 46 years ago. 
Her husband, Tommaso, died previously. 
She is survived by three sons, Carmine, Mario and Frank; three daughters, Carol Spagnuolo, Mary Belknap and Lucy McGrath; 15 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.  Entombment was in Gate of Cemetery in East Hanover. Arrangements were by the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main St., Madison.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey, 38 Elm St., Morristown, N.J. 07960.


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