All Obituaries

John H. Dunado passed away peacefully at his home in Rockaway Twp. on Tuesday January 31, 2023. He was 94 years old.   Born in the Hickory Hill section of Mount Hope, Rockaway Twp., he was a life-long resident.   He was a graduate of Rockaway High School.   Sgt. Dunado enlisted and proudly served in the Marines during both WWII and the Korean War.   He worked for the War Department at Picatinny Arsenal prior to his enlistment into the Marines and afterward...

Randolph: Susan Louise Steitz passed away peacefully on January 25, 2023 at the VNA Hospice, Dover General Hospital, after a long illness. She was 77. She was a wonderful mom and grandmother, and deeply loved by her family. She also had many friends throughout her life and was well-loved at her senior housing community. Sue was born in Orange NJ to the late Wallace A. Steitz and Ethel A. Bell, and raised in South Orange, NJ. She lived her whole life in NJ, including Vernon,...

West Springfield, Massachusetts — Donna Schaefer, a former administrative employee at L.E. Carpenter, a former resident of Lafayette Twp. and a native of Randolph, died Sunday, Jan. 22 after a brief illness. She was 67. Born Donna Lea Gorman on Oct. 8, 1955 in Dover, she was the daughter of Rita Scully Gorman and Robert R. Gorman Sr. Donna was raised as the oldest of five children in a happy home in the Millbrook Section of Randolph. At Randolph High School, from which she graduated...

Mt. Olive Township:  Thelma Ladlee Cowan passed away on Sunday, January 22, 2023 at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center.  She was 84 years of age. Thelma was born in Phillipsburg, NJ and was raised in the Ledgewood section of Roxbury Township, living in the Budd Lake section of Mt. Olive. Mrs. Cowan was a former bus driver for the Hopatcong schools and retired from the Roxbury School System as a bus aide before retirement. She liked to visit flea markets and yard sales. ...

Denville:  James W. Belcher passed away at home on Saturday, January 21, 2023.  He was 91 years of age. James was born, raised and married in Meyersdale, PA moving to the White Meadow Lake section of Rockaway in 1959 and settling in Denville since 1969. Mr. Belcher was a shop teacher at Morris Hills High School.  He helped to plan the building of Morris Knolls High School and was an industrial arts teacher there for 38 years, retiring in 1995. James was a member of Union...

Wharton: Alma Rose Denison passed away suddenly on January 2, 2023 at her home. Alma was born and raised in Greenfield, Mass. She lived with her family on many military bases such as Okinawa, Germany and many bases in the United States. She finally settled in Wharton after her husband, Alan Denison, retired from Picatinny Arsenal. She lived in Wharton for the past 58 years. She was a school crossing guard for over 35 years at the corner of Baker Ave and Stickle Ave near the...

Lake Hopatcong: Thomas G. McCarthy passed away on January 15, 2023 in his home in Lake Hopatcong, NJ after a long illness. Tom was born in Newark, New Jersey on June 25, 1932, the first of 3 brothers, Raymond and Michael. In the early 1930, the family moved to Livingston, New Jersey.  Tom graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in 1950. During this time, Tom was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He was also a member of the Livingston Junior...

Wharton:  Thomas A. McDermott passed away on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at Morristown Medical Center with family at his side.  He was 78 years of age. Thomas was born and raised in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn and has been a lifelong resident of Wharton since 1974. Mr. McDermott was a Banker for Citibank in New York City for 35 years, retiring in 1999. He was a parishioner of St. Mary’s Church, Wharton and the Knights of Columbus of St. Mary’s Church. Thomas...

Roxbury Township: Ronald Joseph Kiesche, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, from Lower Berkshire Valley, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2023 at 82 years old. He was born September 4, 1940, in Jersey City, New Jersey. He graduated from Ridgefield Park High School and Fairleigh Dickinson University. For 30 years Ronald worked for Hershey Foods, in both sales and district management. Proud of the company he worked for, he visited Hershey Park often with his...

Wharton:  Robert E. Wilhelm, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2023.  He was 89 years of age.  Robert was born and raised in Randolph and lived in Wharton and the surrounding area.  He is a Korean War Veteran, serving in the US Army Airborne in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  He worked as a salesman for the American Tobacco Company in Newark for many years.     Robert and his family were avid...