Obituaries

Alice Patricia Grim “Pat” Stenson, 83, of Red Bank died Monday, June 8 at Bayside Manor in Keansburg after a lengthy illness.

A 1957 graduate of the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx, Pat began her working career after college at the Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York, where she met her husband. She also spent many years volunteering, including the Deborah Foundation, as well as lending a hand at her children’s schools when they were younger. She later worked as a sensory evaluator at International Fragrances & Flavors in Union Beach before retiring.

An avid traveler and reader of history, Pat was also an enthusiastic fan of the New York Mets, New York Giants, and the New York City Opera. She is well remembered for her ability to belt out “The Star Bangled Banner” while attending New York Giants football games, which she did for 33 seasons.

Linda A. Borghi passed away peacefully at Riverview Medical Center on the morning of Sunday, May 31, 2020, after a brief battle with throat cancer.  She was born in Manhattan, NY in 1945 to Stanley and Estelle Orkwis and lived most of her life in Red Bank, NJ. 

She is survived by her son Edward Borghi, his wife Pamela, her brother Stanley Orkwis, her sister Julie Marques, her grandson Christopher, two great grandchildren and a niece. 

Retired from GM in Linden, he enjoyed classic cars and golf, Martin F. Kennedy (known to all as "Marty") of Linden, NJ, passed away at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Rahway after complications from COVID-19 on Tuesday, May 5th, 2020. He was 76 years of age. Marty was born in Elizabeth, NJ, the son of Martin T. and Lucille (nee Werner) Kennedy, both of Scranton, PA. Marty attended St. John the Apostle School in Clark and graduated from Linden High School in 1961. He attended Union County Vo-Tech in Scotch Plains where he trained to become a skilled tradesman.
Marty worked as a Machinist for Hyatt Roller Bearing in Clark, NJ, for many years. He resided in Clark for 20 years where he raised his family with his former wife, Joanne (nee Cardillo). After leaving Clark in 1997 he moved back to Linden. The last twenty years of his career he worked for General Motors at their plant in Linden before retiring in 2006. Marty was an avid golfer and enjoyed spending summer vacations in Harvey Cedars, NJ, with his family.

Emile Etienne Grignard Jr, age 89, of Farmingdale, NJ, a longtime resident of Colts Neck, NJ, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 17, surrounded by his family.  Emile was born in Flushing, Queens, NY on October 12, 1930, to the late Emile Etienne Grignard and Katherine Fitzpatrick Higgins. 

Emile graduated from the Dwight School, NYC and from Norwich University where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity.  Upon graduation he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.  After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he was accepted into the Citi Service Cadet Program and thereafter he held a position at Celanese Corporation. He remained a First Lieutenant in the Army Reserves until 1957. Emile was an entrepreneur and formed the Grignard Company, Inc in 1963 and remained with the company until 2014. He was an Associate Member of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Emile’s caring for others, unselfishness, love of dogs, boating, his Thing, and the JETS will always be remembered. Emile was very proud that his godfather, the late Victor Grignard, was a Nobel Prize Recipient in Chemistry.

John R. “Dick” Smith, age 80, of Middletown, NJ, peacefully passed away on May 14, 2020, at Meridian Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility, Tinton Falls, NJ. He was born in Jersey City, NJ, to Dorothy Reed Smith and John W. Smith.

Dick graduated from Henry Snyder High School, Class of 1959, where during his four years he lettered in several sports and was an outstanding artist and all-around good student. After declining admission to The Cooper Union in NYC, Dick decided, as did most men of his generation, to serve his country and join the US Army. After being stationed in Fort Leonard Wood in MO, he returned to Jersey City and married the “the most beautiful girl in town”, the love of his life, Margaret Mary Maughan.

Pearl Keller Bell, 91, passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 17th. 

Pearl was a graduate of Beaver College (Arcadia University) and moved from her native Pennsylvania to New Jersey to teach elementary school.  There she met and married Calvin Bell. Together they settled in Matawan, NJ, later in Holmdel, NJ, and then Little Silver, NJ. She enjoyed traveling to her vacation homes in Bay Head, NJ, and Scottsdale, AZ where she spent time with many wonderful friends. 

Pearl was the charter member and volunteer at Bayshore Community Hospital Auxiliary where she volunteered at the information desk for more than 30 years. She also was a Girl Scout Leader. Pearl was also a lifetime member of the Presbyterian Church and was active in both Matawan Presbyterian Church and Tower Hill Presbyterian Church congregations.

Richard “Dick” Doughty passed away peacefully on May 14, 2020 at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, DE from Covid-19. He was 93. He was born on July 9, 1926 and raised in Fair Haven, New Jersey. His family (Doughty and Parker) were among the original settlers of Fair Haven and Little Silver dating back to the 1760’s. He lived in the Applebrook section of Middletown, NJ for most of his life. He graduated from Rumson-Fair Haven High School and from Rider College in 1951. During WWII he served as a gunners Mate 3^rd class on Merchant Ships with convoys to Europe and the Mediterranean. He completed his Navy service in the Philippines. He had a 40-year career in retail management in national chain stores retiring in 1991.

He was a hard-working man who always had time for a smile. He will be remembered as a friendly, kind, loving, and easy-going man. He was a member of Ship Ahoy Beach Club in Sea Bright, NJ for over 60 years. He spent every summer swimming and enjoying the ocean with his wife, family, and many friends. May he find peace after a long and happy life and find the perfect spot on the shores of heaven. He will be greatly missed.

It is with heartfelt sadness the world lost a beloved Father, Son, Brother, Uncle, friend, peer and teammate, David Cura. David passed away Sunday, May 10^th beginning his journey to a more peaceful place. David fought a valiant battle against a rare fungal disease which led to multiple years of complications. He is a true example of strength, perseverance and dedication. David’s courage will forever be an inspiration to those who knew him. “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. “

David was a dedicated family person who treasured his family and friends. David is survived by his Mother, Son, Sister and Brother. David treasured time with his son; they spent countless hours working on a vast number of “DYI projects”, skiing and being outdoors. David’s dedication to his family was best exemplified in his dedication to his charity work supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. After losing his father to Leukemia, he spent endless hours coaching a “Team in Training” raising donations and inspiring his team members to complete gurgling memorial bike rides to help find a cure.

Robert Bruce Halloran of Little Silver, NJ, entered into eternal life peacefully on May 9, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.  Born in Boston, MA on 1/13/35, Bob grew up in Newton and graduated from Boston College in 1956. After college, Bob enlisted in the Army, where he was stationed in Paris; thus began a lifelong love of everything French. He was a true Francophile.

After the Army, Bob spent many summers in Martha’s Vineyard and was active in Summer Stock Theater at the Charles Street Playhouse. He was a talented actor who seemed to be at home on stage. But, although a true Thespian at heart, he left MA to pursue a career in NYC.

He began working at Mass Mutual Life Insurance, where he remained for over 50 years. During the holiday season in NYC, Bob worked as a Greeter at Bloomingdales. While there, he met and fell in love with a fellow employee—a beautiful, young woman named Marie. A year later, they were engaged.

Bob’s success as an Insurance Agent earned him exotic vacations. He and Marie vacationed in the Caribbean Islands and Hawaii. They skied in Chamonix. They even rode a camel in The Canary Islands.

John C. Clark, age 62, of Shrewsbury died at home on May 10, 2020.  Born in Red Bank, John lived most of his life in Shrewsbury.  He graduated from Red Bank Regional High School in 1975 where he played baseball and football.  He was so proud to be part of the 1975 football team that was recently inducted into the RBR Athletic Hall of Fame. 

John retired from his job as Superintendent of Public Works for the Borough of Little Silver and went on to enjoy his second career with “his guys” at Ryser’s Landscape Supply, retiring again in 2019. John loved cars and was an avid NASCAR fan. He loved music, especially the Allman Brothers Band, and frequently held concerts for his neighbors to enjoy.

John was predeceased by his parents, Tom and Betty Clark; his brothers Tommy and Sprat; and daughter, Stefanie, who was his special angel. John is survived by his wife, Mary and their daughter, Jessica. He is also survived by his brother, Frank Clark and his wife Doreen and their sons, Scott and Bob and Bob’s husband, Kris, his sister, Ella Clark and her children, Thomas and Elizabeth Sullivan, and sister-in-law, Ann Clark and her children, Kenny, Tara and Russell.