Obituaries

John Thomas Jennings, age 59, of Red Bank, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on June 9, 2024. John was born in The Bronx, New York on July 18, 1964, the son of Mary B. Jennings (née O'Connell) and Jackie Jennings. John took great pride in being from NYC and in his Irish heritage. When he was a teenager, the family moved to Red Bank, New Jersey. John graduated from Red Bank Regional High School in 1982. After graduation, he pursued his love of learning at Brookdale Community College and the NY School of Visual Arts.

In 1986, John was involved in a tragic accident that left him paralyzed. Despite this, he continued to embrace life, living independently, traveling, and participating in Breckenridge’s handicap ski program. John was a passionate and devoted fan of the NY Giants, Rangers, and Yankees.

Mrs. Muriel McCann (née Stinson), of Middletown, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at the age of 84.

Muriel was born to parents Lucius and Grace Stinson on July 21, 1936 in Newark, NJ. She grew up as the younger of 2 daughters and graduated from South Side High School, Newark, NJ. In 1953, she married US Army soldier Paul David McCann, and the couple had two children. As an Army family, the McCanns lived in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, and in France, where they toured various European countries.

Evelina C. Menna, age 90 of Little Silver, New Jersey died on  May 23^rd at 5:30pm surrounded by her children. She was the devoted wife of Ennio Menna for 70 years and has rejoined him in heaven. Born on October 2, 1933 in Montefalcone nel Sannio in the Molise region of Italy, she was the daughter of the late Giovanni Cordisco and Maria Mascia Cordisco.

Evelina was a strong and courageous woman.  She and Ennio emigrated in 1961 with their young family, moving first to Montreal, Canada and in 1963 moved to Red Bank, NJ. They purchased their dream home on Fox Hill Drive in Little Silver where they lived happily for 52 years. They returned to Red Bank to reside with her son in 2022.

A gifted educator, devoted public servant, and loving matriarch, Elizabeth DeGiulio of Sea Bright, NJ passed away peacefully at her home last week at the age of 82. Born in New York City to John and Elizabeth Parise, Elizabeth and her identical twin sister Joan grew up in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn with their younger sister, Maryann. Elizabeth’s mother, a no-nonsense nurse, was the only woman in the neighborhood who knew how to drive a car, and her daughter lived her life with that same can-do spirit. 

Following graduation from St. Brendan’s High School, Elizabeth began her studies at Hunter College in New York where she met fellow student Dr. Allan DeGiulio, her beloved partner in life for 61 years until his passing in 2022.  During the nomadic journey necessitated by Allan’s work as a college administrator and later as a community advocate, Elizabeth earned a BA from Hunter College, a Master of Arts in ESL and Linguistics from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Nevada-Reno. She also completed all the course work toward a PhD.

Barbara K. Bayer, age 85, peacefully passed away on March 9, 2024 after a brave battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Barbara was raised and lived in Maplewood, NJ for most of her life and graduated from Columbia High School in 1957. 

Barbara married Joseph Bayer and lived the Navy life in Hawaii where children Tracy and Paul were born. Following a few years in Honolulu, the family settled back into life in Maplewood adding Robert and Rich to the family.

While raising a family, Barbara worked at Maplewood Bank & Trust and Summit Bank among  others.  Barb enjoyed the Maplewood Junior Women's Club, the community pool, and playing softball (pitcher/outfielder) on the Fire Belles, a Maplewood Women’s League championship team.

Robert Parnell, age 87, of Tinton Falls, NJ, passed away on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Born in Brooklyn, NY on November 22, 1936, Robert grew up in the Mapleton section near 18th avenue on 62nd street. He attended St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church and Grammar School. After graduation, Robert attended St. John’s Preparatory School in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens where he distinguished himself as the sports editor for the school newspaper, The Red Owl. His talent for writing and reporting earned him the nickname, “Scoop” by his classmates.

Growing up, Robert was a passionate baseball fan with a strong love for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His favorite Dodger was Jackie Robinson, whose electrifying steals of home embodied the excitement and spirit of the game for Robert. He never forgave Walter O’Malley for moving the team to Los Angeles.

Robert’s love affair with the University of Notre Dame began as a young boy listening to the Fighting Irish football games on the radio and watching them on TV. After graduating from St. John’s Prep, Robert went on to attend Notre Dame, earning a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1958, 1960, and 1963, respectively. He then moved to New Jersey, working as an electrical engineer at Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ for 35 years, where he also played catcher for the Bell Labs Road Runners Men’s Softball Team, proudly wearing his battle scars. After retiring, he taught math in the Long Branch School District and Asbury Park Middle School. Throughout this time, Robert continued to be connected to his beloved Alma Mater, serving as a football scout for nearly three decades. Every fall, Robert would make a trip out to South Bend with family and friends to root on the Fighting Irish and reconnect with old classmates.

Muriel Murphy, of Shrewsbury, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 17, 2024.  She was born on December 5, 1932 in Jersey City, N.J.  Muriel was a life-long resident of Red Bank prior to moving to Shrewsbury.

She was raised in Jersey City where she attended Lincoln High School and met the love of her life, Art Murphy.  They lived in Jersey City and Middletown before settling in Red Bank.  A lifelong resident of Red Bank, Muriel was well known for her commitment to volunteering with many different organizations with a special devotion to the ARC of Monmouth County.  She was a communicant and eucharistic minister of Saint James parish.

Jay W. Demarest, age 92 of Middletown, NJ, passed away on May 4, 2024.

Jay is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Carol; his children Chris Demarest, Caryn Demarest (Jeff Hicks), Colleen (Shaun) Figueroa; his stepchildren Laurie (Bill) Anderson, John (Sharon) Kettyle; his grandchildren Junelle, Jayden, Jaxon, Dante, Christopher, Michael, Matt, Alexandra and Garrett.

Thomas William Doran, Jr. (Tom) was called home to God on May 15, 2024, at 78 years old, after a courageous battle with cancer, fought with positivity and grace. He passed as he wished, at home with family by his side.

Tom was born to Mary A. (nee Skroski) Doran and Thomas W. Doran on November 20, 1945, in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in Newark and Monroe Township, New Jersey, and he attended Jamesburg High School. He is a proud alumnus of Monmouth University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in High Elementary Education in 1967 and his Master of Science in Elementary Education in 1972. He resided in Wanamassa, Ocean Township.