KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS JOYCE KILMER COUNCIL 2483

  Please keep them and their families in your prayers:

  • Our Veterans protecting us from harm's way; in the veterans homes thoughout the nation; those who continue to fight the battle in their minds and those who have paid the ultimate price.
  • Anthony Arbolino, PGK, passed away on 07/01/2005. 
  • Helen Gerges, who passed away on 02/15/07.  She is the  mother of Brother Tom Gerges and Grandmother to Brothers Chris & Mark.  
  • David Hunt, son of Brother and Mrs Len Hunt.
  • Theodore Warcholik, father of PGK Theodore Warcholik and grandfather of Brother Michael Warcholik.
  • Carmen Lamberto, Past Grand Knight.
  • Marie Poniatowski, Aunt of Brothers Rob Souders and Trevor Sparkes; sister to the late Brother Ziggy Poniatowski and Sister-in-Law to PGK Jay Sparkes.
  • Reverend Monsignor Stephen A. Bielen - Pastor Emeritus of the Church of the Assumption parish.  Former Chaplain of the Joyce Kilmer Council and a Brother Knight.  He passed on 12/08/07 at the age of 89.  The Color Corps of the Augustus Rampone Assembly served as honor guard and members of the Joyce Kilmer Council served as Pall Bearers.  He was laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery in Piscataway.
  • Martin O'Connell Sr - passed away suddenly on January 23, 2008.  He served as a Past Grand Knight of the council and Past Faithful Navigator of the Augustus Rampone Assembly of the 4th Degree.  In addition, he held the position of Color Corps Commander.  He was laid to rest in Pequest Union Cemetery in Great Meadows, preceded by a mass of Christian burial at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The mass was attended by more than 130 people, a testament on how he touched other peoples lives.  He was a model Catholic gentlemen, a model Knight of Columbus and will be missed by us all. 
  • Cecilia Oliveri - passed away recently.  She was the wife of our late Brother Sylvestor "Ollie" Oliveri.  Please keep her and the entire Oliveri family in your prayers.
  • Thomas Kennedy - passed away on 04/25/08. Tom participated in many of the Council events and was a member of the Church of the Assumption parish.  Tom was one of 11 brothers/sisters so please keep all of them in your prayers.
  • Walter Karpinski - Passed away suddenly on 04/25/08.  Walt is a member of St. Theodore's parish.  Please keep his wife Elizabeth and the entire Karpinski family in your prayers.
  • Fred Lee - Passed away on December 2, 2008 and was one of our longest and faithful members. He was an avid supporter of many of the Council endeavors and would always bring his family, friends and neighbors.  We will miss his pleasant conversation and that Irish Grin.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Pat and the entire Lee family.
  • Charles Tomaino - Past Grand Knight.  One of the members of our council who started going to Camp MerryHeart in Independence township, to bring the campers to mass.  Our prayers are with our Worthy PGK and his family.  
  • George "Rocky" Robbins - Suddenly, May 26, 2009.  Rocky would always make sure that our children's Christmas Party and our St Patrick's day dinner had plenty of Hershey's Ice Cream.  Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
  • Thomas Quinn - passed away on August 29, 2009 at Emmons Hospice in Cumming, Ga.  Before becoming ill, Tom was very active in the K of C Church programs, serving as lector and Eucharistic minister.  Please keep Tom and the Quinn family in your prayers.
  • John A. Takacs - Brother Knight and son of PGK John G. Takacs.
  • Joseph T. Mandick - September 10, 2011. A former President once spoke of a thousand points of light, praising the volunteer and their commitment, sacrifice and dedication. Today, our light is a little dimmer, our hearts a little heavier with the passing of Joe Mandick. He was our go to guy, always there to lend a hand. There were few projects or events that didn’t carry his fingerprints. It was never anything on the grand scale it was always the little things he did. For breakfast it was the syrup in the jars, getting the Saturday Afternoon club to set up or making sure all the condiments were on the tables. Or maybe it was Spaghetti dinner, making sure the cheese got in the shakers, setting up the spaghetti water, cutting up the cucumbers or putting the 50/50 tickets on the table. Little tasks indeed, but left undone, you realize how important it was.
    If we had a dinner or party, he always greeted the Ladies at the door with “Darlin” and the Knights and Black Knights with …err well, you know. He spoke from the heart or better said, told it like it was. When you were “stood at attention” you knew it. He would give it and he could take it. It is part of what we knew and loved about our dear friend. But behind that sometimes rough exterior was a gentle man who loved his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed the company of his friends at the club, the auxiliary club on Ferris Place or at Nettie’s for a Meatloaf Wedge or Pastrami on Rye. Many grandchildren were proudly displayed at the auxiliary club along with Sophia, Nicholas and McKenzie. Although his illness took him from us, he never let it get the best of him. He continued to hold court at the auxiliary club until the end; telling everyone about his surprise birthday party and how much he enjoyed and appreciated it.
    Tomorrow, the phone won’t ring telling me about what I left out, all in good fun of course and I cannot tell you how much that will be missed. We all have many years of memories and stories to tell, so Joe will be with us for quite some time. We will miss him and all he has done and in time will come to grips with his loss. As Joe would always say “…and the beat goes on”. Thanks Joe!!
  • Joseph Stropnicky, PGK ..  Ten months from the time he lost his life long love Lill, he joined her in God's care.  Joe was a model Knight and always willing to get his hands dirty to make sure things got done.  Although we haven't seen him at our Golf outings in a while, we will miss his smile & sense of humor. 
  • Bruno Chiesa - Member of the Joyce Kilmer Council for 52 years.  US Army WWII Veteran and Lecturer at Church of the Assumption parish.  He was 91 years young.
  • William "Bill" Radzewski - Jan 24, 2013 - Although Bill was paralyzed in a car accident years ago and confined to his bed, he was proud to be a long time member of our Council and became known to many of us through emails and visits to his bedside.
  • Angelo Vasquez - Former Knight of the Year.  April 01, 2013
  • Eileen Williams - Wife of Brother Lou Williams.  April 30, 2013
  • Roy Burdge - Life Member of the Council - September 26, 2013
  • John Rattie - Faithful Brother Knight.  He passed on May 26, 2014.
  • George Murphy - Joined our council late in life and was not able to be as active as he would have liked.  He was a kindly and generous Brother Knight.  He passed on June 28, 2014.
  • Alan Scott Tomlinson - Known to most as Coach "T". He was not a member of the KofC but always there to lend a hand.  He helped with setup and clean up at many events and participated as well.  He collected for our Drive for the Intellectually challenged.   He left us suddenly on July 18, 2014 at the age of 60.  Keep his wife, Terry and family in your thoughts and prayers.
  • Kenneth Schultz - lost his fight with cancer on August 22, 2014.  Ken was one of the members of our Squire Circle in his teens and became a member of the council when he reached 18.  An accident  kept him in a wheelchair but never took away his drive.  Ken belonged to the Council fishing club, coached Baseball and ran a fantasy baseball club for many years.  A former Knight of the Year, he was always there to lend a hand with the drive for the Intellectually challenged and various other events at our council.  Ken was 56 year young when he left us.  We continue to keep Ken and his mother Patricia Schultz in our thoughts and prayers.
  • Thomas J. Gerges - Suddenly on November 30, 2014. Once again we have lost one of the cornerstones of the Joyce Kilmer Council. Much of what we have today is due, in part, to Tom's many years of service to the Council. Tom joined in 1981 and served as Grand Knight in the 1991 - 1992 Columbian Year. He also served as Treasurer of the Columbus Club. For a countless number of years, he ran our Monthly Breakfast which provides resources to keep our building maintained. He also cooked for the monthly Spaghetti Dinner, which provides assistance for our Brother Knights and families in distress. In 1985 he was awarded Knight of the Year for all his efforts. We thank him for his many years of service and wish him eternal peace. Tom and his family will always be in our thoughts and prayers.
  • Frank Yacobowsky - We lost Frank Yacobowsky on February 28, 2015.  He was a Navy Veteran serving aboard the Battleship Indiana during World War II.  There were no bells and whistles with Frank.  He spoke his mind plain and simple.  Not uncommon for those of the Greatest Generation who grew up during the hard times of the Depression and served their country when they were needed most.  For as long as one could remember, Frank stood watch in the  Columbus Club kitchen, guarding it against intruders.  He was the Lecturer for some time and not too many meetings passed where he didn't serve up his kielbasa and kraut.  An avid fisherman, he ran the KofC fishing club.  Everyone paid $2.00 per week and received 4 chartered trips out of the Atlantic Highlands.  Most memorable about those trips might have been Frank's lunch.  You guessed it, Kielbasa and Kraut.  Many a man, down wind of this sandwich, headed for the railing, which just made Frank's day.  If you went to any event at the club, you would find Frank.  Didn't matter what it was, he was there spinning a few stories of his days at sea.  Many of us will savor our memories of the Old Salt.  To paraphrase an old Navy saying:Fair Winds and Following Seas Shipmate... the watch stands relieved.
    Relieved by those You have trained ,Guided, and Lead.  Shipmate you stand relieved.. we have the watch.
  • Frank Shimanski - A Brother Knight for 66 years. He was an usher at the Church of the Assumption for many years and a frequent customer at our monthly breakfasts. Each year, he would give us a check for the Food for the Hungry program. He has sick for many years and resided at the Andover Nursing home.
  • Cornelius (Neil) Johanson - long time member of the Council (43 years) passed away on Dec 1, 2015 after a short illness. 
  • Roseleen "Rose" O'Connell - Wife of our late Brother Martin O'Connell, mother of our Brothers Martin Jr and Michael; grandmother to Brother Patrick O'Connell on December 29, 2015. 
  • Patricia Schultz - wife of Deceased brother Ed Schultz, mother of our Deceased brother Ken. 
  • Michael Shields - son of Brother Tom and Barbara Shields. A New York City Fire Fighter. Members of New York's Bravest came to pay their final respects to him and the family.
  • James Lord - Long time member of the Joyce Kilmer Council. Passed away on 07/07/17 at the age of 82.
  • Paul Aldighieri - attended many of our functions and meetings over the years prior to moving from the Hackettstown area.  Paul passed away on 07/11/17 at the age of 84.
  • Henry Scala - long time member of the Joyce Kilmer Council. 
    He retired in April 2016 to Long Beach Island, where he and his wife, Patricia, owned a home for more than 30 years. He was the past president and treasurer of the Tri-County Funeral Directors Association, a fourth-degree Knights of Columbus and a lifetime member of the Joyce Kilmer Council. He was also one of the founding members of the Joyce Kilmer handicap program. In his early years, he served on the Juvenile Conference Committee and was the leader of a teenage suicide prevention program for high school students. For many years, he also offered a program about death and dying for middle school students. He was a member of one of the Hackettstown Medical Center boards and served as an usher at Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was the recipient of the Humanitarian Service Award for his volunteer work to the Hackettstown community and was also awarded the Senior Hall of Fame by the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Soranno); daughters Maria Scala, Gina G. Scala, and Alyssa Halstead, his son-in-law Michael, and cherished granddaughter, Sophia Halstead.
  • Carl Folz - a Brother Knight since 2002, he was 80 when he passed on October 24, 2018.  Please keep Carl and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
  • Frank Yacobowski - our Brother and son of the late Brother Frank Yacobowski.  Passed suddenly on or about 09/14/2019.  May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in Peace.
  • Barbara Shields - wife of Brother Tom Shields, suddenly.  Please keep Tom and the Shields family in your thoughts and prayers.