Obituaries

1st Lt. Seth J. Dvorin

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Dvorin, 24, of East Brunswick, formerly of South Brunswick, died Feb. 3 near Iskandariyah, Iraq, when a remote-control device exploded. He was a 1998 graduate of South Brunswick High School, where he played football and baseball. He earned a bachelor of science degree in administrative justice from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he was a member of Delta Chi fraternity. After graduation from college, he joined the Army and received basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. He graduated from Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and received his commission in January 2003. He also graduated from airborne and air defense artillery schools and was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., as part of the 10th Mountain Division, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment. Surviving are his wife, Kelly Harris Dvorin; his mother, Sue Niederer, and her husband, Greg, of Pennington; his father, Richard Dvorin of East Brunswick, and his companion, Ellen Sutton; a sister, Rebekah Dvorin of East Brunswick, and her fiancé, Walter Gruszka; a stepbrother, Joshua Dvorin of South Amboy; his paternal grandmother, Ruth Dvorin of Bayonne; his maternal grandfather, Jacob Sapir of Florida; and two uncles, Gary Sapir and Howard Dvorin. Services were held at East Brunswick Jewish Center. Interment with full military honors was in Marlboro Memorial Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Seth Dvorin Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Hopewell Valley Community Bank, 4 Route No. 31, Pennington, NJ 08534. The fund has been established to benefit South Brunswick High School and Hopewell High School students. Arrangements were under the direction of Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick.

Joseph W. Banaciski

Mrs. Banaciski, 69, of South River died Jan. 28 at home. Prior to his retirement in 2000, he was employed as a chemical supervisor with CPS Chemical, Old Bridge, where he worked for 25 years. Surviving are his wife, Nancy McGlynn Banaciski; a daughter, Diane Fabiyan of the Brick Town section of Brick; three sons, Joseph of Hillsboro, Robert of Barnegat and James of South River; a brother, Michael Komorowski of Florida; and six grandchildren. A Mass was offered at Corpus Christi Church, South River. Cremation was private.

Clara Baialardo Tolve

Mrs. Tolve, 87, of Spotswood died Feb. 2 in Old Bridge Manor. Surviving are her husband, Joseph Tolve; a daughter, Carol Apen; three grandchildren, Jacqueline Widom, Gregory Apen Jr., and Kenneth Apen; and two great-grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Interment was in Holy Cross Burial Park, South Brunswick.

Rose Franzetta Sollecito

Rose Franzetta Sollecito, 82, of East Brunswick died Jan. 26 in East Brunswick. Her husband, William Sollecito, died in 1991. Surviving are three sons, Thomas Sollecito of East Brunswick, William Sollecito of North Carolina and James Sollecito of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and six grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Interment was in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, N.Y.

Valerie T. Weiss McDonnell

Mrs. McDonnell, 59, of Monroe died Feb. 8 at home. A cafeteria aide for many years with the Spotswood Board of Education, she also worked for the board’s after-school program. Her husband, Frank McDonnell, died in 1993. Surviving are two sons, Peter of South River and Jeffrey of Monroe; two daughters, Stacey Bersani and Elizabeth Gerould, both of East Brunswick; a sister, Carolyn Acton of Clifton; and a granddaughter. A Mass is planned for 9 a.m. on Feb. 12 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Old Bridge. Interment will follow in Van Liew Cemetery, North Brunswick.Rosina "Rose" Fabiano Zarzana

Mrs. Zarzana, 77, of East Brunswick died Jan. 27 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. Prior to her retirement in 1995, she was employed for 40 years as a crossing guard with East Brunswick Township. Surviving are her husband, Joseph; two sons, Joseph of East Brunswick and Steve of Farmingdale; a daughter, Linda Matysik of East Brunswick; two grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and two step-great-grandchildren. Services were held at Holy Cross Burial Park Chapel, South Brunswick.

Stephen C. Bonura

Mr. Bonura, 77, of Monroe, formerly of North Brunswick, died Feb. 4 at home. Prior to his retirement in 1989, he was a let­ter carrier with the North Brunswick post office, where he worked for 20 years. His wife, Helen Varga Bonura, died in 1987, and a daughter-in-law, Maria Smith Bonura, died in 2002. Surviving are four daughters, Mary Ann Schultz of East Brunswick, Patricia Harry of Trenton, Elizabeth "Betty Jean" Bonura of Milltown and Carol Bonura of Avon; four sons, John Bonura, Stephen Bonura and William Bonura, all of North Brunswick, and Brian Bonura of Milltown; a brother, Samuel Bonura of Monroe; and 12 grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church, New Brunswick. Interment was in St. Peter’s Cemetery, New Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Hospice, 1100 Wayside Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07712.

Karlo Dervaric

Mr. Dervaric, 92, of Milltown died Feb. 6 at home. His wife, Vilma Lampert Dervaric, died in 2003. Surviving are a daughter, Maria Wiener of Milltown, and two granddaughters, Diana and Angela Wiener. Services were held at Selover Funeral Home, North Brunswick. Interment was in Van Liew Cemetery, North Brunswick.

Francis Joseph Hoffman

Mr. Hoffman, 69, of Monroe died Feb. 5 in the Elms of Cranbury. He retired from employment with Monroe Township after several years of service. He was past chief of the Applegarth Fire Company, Monroe, where he was a charter life member. Surviving are his wife, Patricia; a daugh­ter, Denise A. Helms of Englishtown; a son, James F. Hoffman of the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence; three grandchildren; and several cousins. A Mass was offered at Nativity of Our Lord Church, Monroe. Interment was in Holy Cross Burial Park, South Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to The Elms of Cranbury, 61 Maplewood Ave., Cranbury, NJ 08512, or to Applegarth Volunteer Engine Company No. 1, 130 Applegarth Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08831.

Gerald John Russomano Jr.

Mr. Russomano, 71, of Oceanport and Deerfield Beach, Fla., died Feb. 5 at his home in Florida. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jeanne Russomano. Surviving are his wife, Nancy Frankel Russomano; two sons, Gerald J. Russomano III of East Brunswick and Mark Russomano Sr. of Long Branch; a daughter, Debie Russomano Saley of Coconut Creek, Fla.; seven grandchildren; two stepchildren; and five step-grandchildren. Interment was in Woodbine Cemetery, Oceanport.

Felicia Milgiorino Melilli

Mrs. Melilli, 83, of East Brunswick, formerly of Lakewood, died Feb. 5 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. Prior to her retirement, she was employed as a seamstress with the South River Dress Co. Her husband, Emanuelle Melilli, died in 1987. Surviving are a son, John Melilli of Mount Laurel; a daughter, Laura Latkovich of Edison; a brother, Domenico Milgiorino of Venice, Italy; and four grandchildren. A Mass was offered at St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church, New Brunswick. Entombment was in St. Mary of the Lake Cemetery, Lakewood. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720.

Marie Sack Ferrara

Mrs. Ferrara, 75, of East Brunswick died Feb. 8 at home. Prior to her retirement in 1994, she was a secretary for Cheeseborough Ponds, East Brunswick, where she worked for 10 years. Surviving are her husband, James Ferrara; a son, James Ferrara of Hamilton; two daughters, Joanne Pizzano of East Brunswick and Arlene Polansky of Fortuna, Calif.; a brother, Frank Sack; four sisters, Florence Merola, Helen Narel, Alice Stephens and Veronica Sack; and five grandchildren. A Mass is planned for 11 a.m. on Feb. 12 at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 100, Dept. 300, Memphis, TN 38148-0552.

Robert P. VanHouten

Mr. VanHouten, 85, of East Brunswick died Jan. 26 at home. He was a member of the East Brunswick Independent Fire Company. His wife, Charlotte McGowan VanHouten, died in 1997, and a daughter, Sharon Cech, died in 1987. Surviving are two daughters, Kathleen VanHouten of Point Pleasant and Colleen Serrada of Rome, Maine; a son, Robert VanHouten of Manchester, N.H.; two brothers, Donald VanHouten of Whiting and William VanHouten of the Toms River section of Dover; a sister, Ruth Heywood of Clark; five grandchildren; and three great-grand­children. A Mass was offered at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick. Entombment was in Holy Cross Burial Park, South Brunswick. Memorial contri­butions may be made to St. Bartholomew’s Church, 460 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.