Obituaries

Patricia Kurdyla, 86, a longtime resident of Shrewsbury, Oceanport, and most recently of Middletown, NJ, passed away September 1, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Plainfield, NJ on August 31, 1940, to the late Janice and Phillip Keiper.

Patti, as she was known to everyone, is survived by her husband of 59 years, Ted; her daughter Amy and son-in-law Jonathan Uroskie of Beverly, MA; her son Phillip and daughter-in-law Mary Alice Kurdyla of Shrewsbury, NJ; her sister Joyce Clark; her brother Doug Keiper and his wife Ida Keiper; and her brother-in-law Gary Kurdyla and his wife Linda. Patti was the proud and loving grandmother of seven grandchildren, Amanda, Kathryn, Thomas, Margot, Teddy, Phillip, and Michael, and cherished her nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews as well.

James “Jim” Clayton, 79, a proud lifelong resident of Red Bank, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026 surrounded by his loving family.

Jim shared 53 years of marriage with his wife, Ellen. They built a life together with their daughters, Jennifer Belcuore and Kristine Clayton-Kuhlthau, and their husbands, Chris Belcuore and Warren Kuhlthau. Jim is also survived by his three brothers, George, Billy, and Robert.  He treasured his special relationship with his niece and nephew, Susan Frankino and Brud Pomphrey. He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Florence Clayton (Sagurton), and his siblings, Harry, Georgiana, Marie, and Nancy. The family would also like to thank Jim’s caregiver, Tina, for the care, kindness, and compassion she showed him each day.

Janice “Jan” Y. Thomas-Knecht, age 89, of Eatontown, NJ passed away peacefully on August 20, 2026. Jan grew up in Somerville, NJ, graduated from Somerville High School in June,1954.  She was immediately employed at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation in Raritan, NJ (A Johnson & Johnson Subsidiary) from 1954-1961.  Jan was the daughter of Kenneth and Janet Yeager.

She was married to Rev. Will Thomas in 1961.  They met at a youth conference at Blair Academy, a place which would be of special interest all their lives.  They served at Summerfield United Methodist Church on Staten Island NY, Epworth UMC in Elizabeth NJ, Bishop Janes UMC in Basking Ridge NJ for 20 years, and lastly Blairstown UMC for 3 years, after which they retired to their home at Culver Lake in Branchville NJ.  Her husband Will passed away in June,1998.

Mary (Stanley) Santry of Little Silver passed away at age 95 on September 3, 2026.  She was born at home in Rumson the eighth child of Ellen (Hyland) and John Stanley. 

Mary attended the Lafayette Street School in Rumson and graduated from Rumson High School as a member of the National Honor Society.  Always active in sports, Mary’s favorite was field hockey.  Later, tennis, golf, boating and travel were enjoyed by she and her husband. 

Paul Ignatius Byrne, Jr., of Jupiter, FL, beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away on September 7, 2026 at the age of 83. He previously resided in Old Tappan, NJ and Manasquan, NJ.

Raised in Maplewood, NJ, he attended St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark where he performed in many musical productions and was named to the NJ All-State Chorus. He remained a loyal supporter of The Prep where he served as a Class Ambassador for some 50 years.  Active in scouting, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.   Paul went on to attend Seton Hall University, receiving his B.A. in History and his MBA from the Stillman School of Business.  He was a member of Phi Kappa Theta.  While an undergraduate, he enrolled in the university’s ROTC program and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army assigned to Military Intelligence and spent 3 years at the Army Security Agency headquarters in Arlington, VA. He retired at the rank of Captain. 

Joseph “Joe” Hrunka, of Manchester, NJ, formerly of Middletown and Jersey City, NJ, peacefully passed away on the morning of Saturday, September 5, 2026, after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Born on October 18, 1954, in Jersey City, NJ, he lived a full and unforgettable life.

Joe met the love of his life, Evelyn “Evy” Garrison, when they were very young in Jersey City. They married in 1974 and spent the next 52 years together, building a life in Middletown, NJ where they raised their five children.

At just 18 years old, Joe joined the United States Army and then continued his career in the Army Reserves retiring as a Sergeant at 60 years old. After his first battle with lung cancer, the Army eventually discovered what Joe had apparently neglected to mention, that he had been doing much of it with only one lung. In civilian life, Joe worked 31 years for the United States Postal Service as mail handler. 

Barry Henry Rizzo, Sr., 94, of Little Silver, New Jersey, joined the Lord on August 30, 2026, surrounded by his loving wife and children during his peaceful passing.

Barry is survived by his wife Linda Lott Rizzo; daughter Donna and son-in-law Erik Whalen of Brick, NJ; son Dr. Barry Rizzo, Jr. and daughter-in-law Meredith of Toms River; grandchildren Ryan and Charles Whalen and Alexandra, Katelyn and Gabrielle Rizzo; sister-in-law Aimee Rizzo of Stuart, FL;  sister- and brother-in law Joanne and Bill Bowman, brother- and sister-in-law Lew and Sherry Lott; nieces Dana Mayer, Andrea Mayer Emrich, Rachel Jane Lott, nephews Eric Mayer, Geoffrey Bowman, Peter Bowman, and  many great-grandnieces and nephews.

Barbara P. Salimbene, 86, (Smith) of Barnegat, NJ passed away on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

Barbara was born in Newark, New Jersey,and  later relocated to North Brunswick NJ. She worked as a Housekeeping Manager at the Holiday Inn where she was recognized for her superior performance and hard work. Upon retiring she then moved to the Barnegat Area with her husband Roger.  Thereafter, she soon came out of Retirement to work with Starbound National Talent with family and friends.

Henry Dickson Mercer, Jr., 95, passed away peacefully at home in Rumson, New Jersey, on August 24, 2026. The devoted son of Henry D. and Catherine S. Mercer, Henry was born on June 28, 1931, in Passaic, New Jersey; nicknamed, Dick, by his parents. Dick attended Passaic Collegiate School, Montclair Academy, and The Lawrenceville School. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine prior to enlisting in the Navy during the Korean War, where he served from 1951 to 1955. After honorable discharge, Dick obtained his Third Mate license in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He then joined States Marine Corporation, founded in 1930 by his father. States Marine ultimately became one of the United States’ largest privately owned maritime shipping companies. Dick held the position of Executive Vice President and Director. In addition, he was an active private investor until his final days. A further testament to lifelong learning, Dick was an avid reader of multiple daily newspapers and all genres of literature.

Richard “Rick” Flanagan, age 69, of Freehold Township, New Jersey, passed away on August 22, 2026, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey surrounded by his wife and daughters.

Rick was born on July 18, 1957, in Dayton, Ohio, to William and Lucille Flanagan. He pursued a lifelong interest in technology and business, earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Arizona State University and an MBA in finance from Monmouth University.

Rick built a successful career at Nokia Technologies where he served as a Senior Manager of Intellectual Property and Business Development. His work reflected both his technical expertise and his ability to bring together innovation, strategy and business.