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Obituaries
William J. “Bill” Kelly, 98, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2023 following a brief illness.
Bill was born on December 24, 1924, in Red Bank, NJ. Truly a member of WWII’s “Greatest Generation,” Bill joined the United States Army shortly after his 18th birthday and served in Gen. Patton’s 3rd Army, 286th Field Artillery Observation, B Battery, Flash Platoon. He was at the Battle of the Bulge and remained in Germany for the Occupation. The members of his unit remained lifelong friends.
Upon his return to Red Bank, always home, he met and married Jean Louise McConnell the love of his life.
Nancy Ann Birkenmeier MacConnell, of Middletown, formerly of Little Silver, passed away at home on January 25, 2023. She was 92 years old. Nancy was predeceased by her parents Robert and Elizabeth Birkenmeier; her sister Betsy Mueller; brother R. Barrett Birkenmeier; her husband Donald W. MacConnell in 1996 and her son Wylie in 1960.
Nancy was a 65-year member of the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church where she was a deacon from 2002 to 2004. She was a volunteer at Riverview Medical Center where she was President of the Ladies Auxiliary from 1950 to 1960. She was a member for 35 years of the Surfrider Beach Club and later at Sands Beach Club in Sea Bright.
It is with sadness in our hearts that we announce the passing of Thomas P Argentieri, 75 years old, of Neptune/Shrewsbury, NJ. Tom passed away peacefully January 24th after a long and valiant battle with multiple myeloma. Tom was raised in Hornell, NY and graduated from Georgetown University in 1969. Upon graduation he attended Boston University Law School, graduating in 1973. After law school, Tom settled in Monmouth County, NJ and began working for the Public Defender’s office in Newark, NJ. He then went on to establish his own private practice in Red Bank, NJ, finishing his career as an in-house council for C.N.A. Insurance Company.
(Lucy) Bonney Varney Reger, age 91, of Tinton Falls, NJ passed away in her sleep on January 21, 2023. The youngest of two children, she was raised in Broken Bow, Nebraska during the Depression. The daughter of the town banker and an Army Captain, she loved to ride horses and read. Being a youngster thirsty for knowledge, she headed off to Emma Willard prep school in Troy, NY for high school. College called her to the opposite coast, Mills College in Oakland, CA. Living on the coast brought all sorts of new adventures but transportation before the war was difficult over long distances so she finished up her BS degree at the University of Nebraska, graduating with highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi (science honorary) and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Bonney double-majored in Chemistry and Biology. Go Big Red!
Bonney’s first job was working as a bacteriologist at Parke-Davis (now Pfizer) in Detroit, MI. While it was unusual at the time for women to pursue advanced degrees, her love of learning drew her to the University of Michigan to earn a Master of Science in Bacteriology. It will not surprise you to hear that she was a rabid U of M football fan from that time onward. It was at this time that she met her husband-to-be, Paul Reger. They married after she graduated, and lived in Grosse Pointe Park and then Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, raising a family of five children over the next 25 years.
Emily M. Jenkins Worden, age 93, peacefully passed in her sleep early Sunday morning on January 15, 2023. She started her career as a telephone operator until she had her first child. After having four children she returned to college and established long career in bookkeeping. She was fortunate to work for private law firms as well as nonprofits and was able to take them from paper and pencil into computers.
Emily was an avid reader and had many hobbies including ceramics, bowling , cross stitch, playing card games, sudoku and word finders.
Her biggest commitment was being a devout Christian. Emily was proud member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Red Bank, NJ. She dedicated her time in many ways to help spread the word of God, such as: being a Sunday school teacher, acolyte mother, alter guild member, choir member and Delegate to the Dioceses of New Jersey. Emily was the first female Lay Reader and Chalice bearer of our church. She also established and was president of the Local chapter of the Daughter of the Kings.
The world became a much brighter place when Henry “Harry” Joseph Kegelman V was born. He left it much too soon January 11, 2023.
Harry Joe was welcomed with love by his parents, Harry and Nancy Kegelman, and his older sister Nancy. Younger brother Paul's arrival a few years later would complete the family.
His first home was Little Silver and then Rumson; the place that was always home, even when it wasn't. Deane-Porter. Forrestdale. RFH. School was the means to friends and fun. He excelled at both. In particular, there was this cute red-haired girl on the “H” bus from Rumson Road, who would come to learn how friendly and fun Harry was. More on that later…
William Bishop Duncan passed away peacefully on January 12, 2023, at the age of 93, surrounded by his three daughters.
Bill was raised on Longstreet Farm in Holmdel; he was the last of many generations to live in the ancestorial home that dated back to the 1600s before his family turned it over to The Monmouth County Park System to become Holmdel Park in 1962. He went to local schools as a boy, then attended Blair Academy and the University of Virginia where he competed on the football and swim teams and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1947 to 1953, including two years of active duty in Naval Aviation in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. His business career included N.J. Bell Telephone and the Bell & Howell Company in New York City. He was a former member of the Rumson Country Club and the Seabright Beach Club.
Patricia L. Ruland (nee Ward), age 76, left us peacefully after a short battle with cancer on 12-3-22. She was born in Long Branch, NJ and resided in Oceanport for the last 2 years. Patricia grew up in Rumson and graduated from Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School in 1964. She met her husband, Robert, when she was 15 years old and they married in 1965. They raised 4 children in Monmouth Beach and resided there for many years. Patricia spent her career at Shore Regional High School as an Administrative Assistant retiring in 2007 after 25 years. She joined the Monmouth Beach Ladies Auxiliary in 1975. She was president 10 times and Vice President 3 times. She also spent many hours preparing and serving the annual Monmouth Beach Firemen’s Fair.
Patricia was predeceased by her parents Lucille and William Ward, her brother and sister-in-law William and Karen Ward; her husband Robert in 2011; her brothers-in law, Gary and Thomas Ruland and her beloved dog, Nikki.
Lisa Hess, 62, passed away Jan 6, 2023 after courageously battling breast cancer. As a mother, grandmother, and wife, Lisa was a strong, warm, and gentle woman who loved her family fiercely. Lisa’s selflessness and compassion spilled into her 40 plus year career as a nurse, most recently working in Radiation Oncology at Riverview Medical Center.
EDMUND B. (Ed) RYAN, Jr. transitioned to eternal life at the age of 69 on December 28, 2022, after declining health following a stroke in 2020. Ed was born in Red Bank, NJ and graduated from Red Bank Catholic in 1971, where he excelled in basketball. He began his college studies at NC State and Brookdale CC, and graduated with a degree in Business from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. Ed began farming at a young age and his path led to a career with US Department of Agriculture, with posts throughout the South and eventually to Northern Vermont, where he worked as a USDA Supervisor as an agricultural border inspector. Mid-career Ed returned to his passion of farming and opened a farm stand in Colts Neck where he sold vegetables, flowers, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and his legendary tomatoes, then returning to USDA.
After retirement in 2011 Ed continued farming in Vermont on a smaller scale, growing a variety of summer vegetables. His hobbies included fishing, boating, and spending time with family. When his health declined Ed moved to North Carolina to be in the care of his sisters and brother-in-law.
Ann T. Campanella of Red Bank, NJ, passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, December 25th at the age of 95. She was born on August 25, 1927, in New York City where she resided during her early childhood. In the 1930s she ventured to her mother Catherine Halvey’s hometown and lived in County Limerick, Ireland, where she had fond memories of taking cart and pony rides to her neighbors' homes on the Emerald Isle. When she returned to the States, she settled in New Jersey and attended Red Bank Catholic High School. Ann fell in love with Perry R. Campanella and his extensive Italian family that welcomed her with open arms. She married Perry in 1951 with whom she started a large family of her own. They had six children and raised them in Rumson, NJ.
