Obituaries

John "Jay" Hynson Challenger, 55,  passed away in Oceanport, NJ on August 25th.  Jay was born in Bloomfield, NJ and resided in Monmouth County, NJ, until his death.  He was a graduate of RFH class of '81 and attended Rutgers Univ.  Jay worked at Rumson Country Club and for Traffic Lines, Inc.  He was a talented athlete in his youth and had a lifelong love of sports.  Whether chilling at the beach, attending sports events and rock concerts, or hanging out with friends, Jay enjoyed life to the fullest.  He was, as he often exclaimed, "Awesome" and will be missed by all who knew him.

Henry John Stravic, Jr., of Red Bank, NJ, died peacefully on August 25 of esophageal cancer. Throughout his illness, he was surrounded by loving family—his wife of 62 years, Theresa Damasco Stravic; his daughters Gina Stravic (husband Daniel Swass), Rita Jurakovich (William McKenna), and Karen Lake; and grandsons Thomas Swass, John Swass (Brooke), James Swass, and Marco P. Jurakovich. He was predeceased by his parents, Henry John Stravic, Sr. and Stephanie Stampfel. He grew up in Jamesburg, NJ.

A courageous man, Henry served with distinction in the U.S. Navy, earning two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star during the Korean War Battle of Inchon. As modest as he was brave, he rarely spoke of the injuries he suffered or his experiences during his service to our country. He was a member of American Legion Post 127 in Jamesburg. He was also a former member of the YMCA of Red Bank.

Pauline Trexler Tyler, 99, of Tinton Falls, N.J. formerly of Island Heights, N.J., and Haddonfield, N.J., died peacefully August 19^th, following surgery for a broken leg.  

She was born on January 28^th 1919 in Kempton, Pa., a rural Pennsylvania Dutch farming community.  She was the youngest of nine children that lived on the farm and helped with the work of the farm.  After graduating from high school, she attended Hahnemann Nursing School in Philadelphia, where she met the love of her life, Charles O Tyler, a young medical doctor who had just graduated from medical school.  Pauline continued her nursing career while her husband served in the Navy as a Medical Doctor on a Destroyer in the Pacific in World War II. 

Frank J. Karalewich, 71, of Shrewsbury, peacefully passed away on Friday, August 17.  Frank was born in Elizabeth, N.J. and resided in Shrewsbury for many years. Prior to his retirement Frank worked as a driver for Allied Van Lines.

Frank was predeceased by his parents Frank Karalewich, Sr. and Bertha Milos Simon, and his brother Thomas. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Carol; his son, Tyler, and his daughter, Morgan, all of Shrewsbury. His brother, Joseph of Goodland, FL., his in-laws, Robert and Cathy Schulz, Thomas and Teresa Fraley, Mark and Lisa Garboski and many nieces and nephews. 

Visitation will be held Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m., with a prayer service at 6:30 p.m., at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank, N.J.  Private cremation to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to the St Jude’s Children Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept 142 Memphis, TN 38148-0142 www.stjude.org, are preferred.

Ruth Elizabeth Freeland Rechten, 89, of Middletown, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 3, 2018, at Riverview Medical Hospice Center from complications of Merkel Cell Cancer.

Born to Mary and William Freeland on February 27, 1929 and raised in Jersey City, Ruth graduated from Montclair State Teachers College in December of 1950.  She married Arthur William Rechten and began her teaching career in Jersey City at Lincoln High School in January of 1951. Moving to Middletown with her young family in November of 1956 she took a short period off from teaching to begin raising her family.  She started her 30 year teaching career in the Middletown Public Schools teaching English in Middletown High School. In 1966 she transferred to Bayshore Junior High where she and her best friend and colleague, Barbara Guenther, created and implemented an award-winning team-teaching program in Civics and English which challenged many gifted students throughout the years and which many students have stated contributed so much to their educations.  

Jean Maher Maffeo, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2018, at her home in Long Branch.  She was born in Long Branch, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth (Mae) Quaas and M. Francis Maher.  She was a graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School and worked as an ER nurse at Monmouth Medical Center until her marriage to her deceased, former husband A. Fred Maffeo.  Jean lived in Little Silver, where she brought up her family. 

She is survived by her loving daughters Mary Beth Kelly and her husband Richard of Brielle and Lisa Gilmour and her husband David of Little Silver.  She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren Elise K. Lewis and her husband Jarrett of Alexandria, VA, Andrew Kelly and his fiancé Samantha Freyer of Long Island City, NY, D. Tyler Gilmour and his devoted girlfriend Sara Abramow of Tinton Falls, and Elizabeth M. Gilmour of Little Silver as well as her great-grandson W. Wyatt Lewis, nieces Diane Dangler, Anita Rowe and nephew Stephen Garcia.

Lesley Burke, 31, passed away peacefully in her home in Rumson New Jersey on August 5^th. She was attended by family and loved ones. Her memorial service will be held this Sunday at 4 pm at Rumson Presbyterian Church followed by a reception at her home.

Lesley was born in London England in 1987 to Diane and John Burke. Although severely quadriplegic due to complications at birth, she lived a long and beautiful life and taught countless people the true meaning of strength, courage, and compassion.

Michael F. Raimondi, 70, of Middletown, passed away Friday, August 3rd, 2018. He was a resident of Middletown for the past 36 years. Michael was a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University and worked as a controller for Cruz Contractors of Holmdel before his retirement. 

Michael was a bright light in his community, well-known for his easy generosity and kindness. He had a strong entrepreneurial spirit and an extremely creative mind.

His greatest enjoyment was to spend mornings with his beloved granddaughter, Skylar, relaxing at his home.  He lived his life in the service of others, often opening his home to friends and family in need. He will be sorely missed by everyone who came in contact with this bright light.

David Dudley Smith Sr. peacefully passed away at home in Monmouth Beach, NJ on July 31 at the age of 94.  He was born on September 28, 1923 in Brooklyn, NY.  David attended Lehigh University, during which time he enlisted in the Navy.  He served on a Destroyer Escort during WWII in the North Atlantic.  After the war David returned to Lehigh, earning a degree in Industrial Engineering.  Upon graduating, he worked as a Sales Engineer for Westinghouse.

In 1949, David married Betty Loomis.  They moved to Staten Island and had their three children, David Jr., Kathryn and Gwendolyn.  David worked in the steel industry at the same company for 50 years.  He served on the boards of the YMCA, Salvation Army, Staten Island Zoo, Emmanuel Union Church, and was a member at Richmond County Country Club.

Mark J. Azzolina, 59, a lifelong resident of Middletown, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2018, at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, after suffering from a long illness. Mark was born in 1959 to Joseph and Roselyn Azzolina in Middletown, NJ and was one of seven children. He was a graduate of Middletown South High School and attended Brookdale Community College and Arizona State University.

Mark was a co-owner of Food Circus Super Markets, Inc. (Foodtown) where he served on the Board of Directors as well as a partner is several other family businesses.  Mark started working for his family’s supermarket business at the age of fourteen as a clerk working his way up to the Meat and Grocery Supervisor. He moved to Florida for several years where he worked as a realtor. In 2010 Mark returned to Middletown where he transitioned to his family’s liquor business to his most recent position as a Liquor Supervisor and Regulatory Compliance Director. He oversaw five liquor operations and was responsible for the development of the Circus Wines, Beer and Spirits brand.