Mercy Sister Laetitia Dugan, 92
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Sept. 24 in St. Catherine of Sienna Chapel, Watchung, for Mercy Sister Laetitia Dugan. Sister Laetitia served as resource center director at Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung. Prior to that, she had been a Catholic elementary school teacher and principal in several dioceses for more than 40 years, including in St. Mary School, South Amboy. She died Sept. 20 at age 92.
Sister Laetitia entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1930. She received her bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Georgian Court College, Lakewood.
In 1983, she retired to McAuley Hall Health Care Center, Watchung.
Sister Laetitia is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Interment was in Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, Mount St. Mary, 1645 Highway 22, Watchung, N.J. 07069.
Vivian A. Gadomovitz Nagle, 86
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in St. Lawrence Church, Laurence Harbor, Sept. 25 for Vivien A. Gadomovitz Nagle, who is the mother of Lawrence Nagle, director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection for the Diocese of Metuchen.
Mrs. Nagle died Sept. 22 at home.
Born in Perth Amboy, she was a lifelong resident of New Jersey who also enjoyed winters in New Port Richey, Florida during her retirement with William, her husband of 57 years.
A lifelong federal government employee, she served at the Raritan Arsenal as secretary to Colonels Elser, Gorton and Woodbury in her youth, and later, at the same site for the Environmental Protection Agency. She was well versed and articulate in matters concerning environmental preservation. Her witty conversation and ability to serve as a resource for her loving family and friends will be sorely missed.
Mrs. Nagle was communicant of St. Mary Parish, South Amboy and St. Lawrence Parish, Laurence Harbor.
In addition to her husband, she is suvived by her sons, Thomas and Marsha of Morgan; Lawrence and JoAnne of South Amboy; a daughter, Karen of South Amboy; her sister Evelyn Check of Palm Harbor, Fla.; four grandsons, Jeffrey and Heidi of Tiverton, R.I.; Michael and Jean Marie of Lambertville, Daniel and Rudolph of South Amboy; and two great grandchildren, Kayley and Connor.
Interment was in Christ Church Cemetery, South Amboy.
St. Peter School sixth grader Charisse Duncan mourned
A sixth grader in St. Peter the Apostle Elementary School, New Brunswick, taught courage and determination to her classmates before she died of an illness Sept. 20.
Charisse D’Maya Duncan, 10, attended classes until Sept. 16, even though she was confined to a wheelchair, said Mary R. Erath, principal.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held for Charisse in St. Peter the Apostle Church, New Brunswick, Sept. 24.
“She was a child who, if you asked any of the children, always made them smile. She always had a smile on her face,” Erath said.
“She was an interested student and participated well in class. She attended class as long as she was physically able. She was a real example of strength and courage. She didn’t complain.”
Students in St. Peter Elementary School “are obviously saddened by her loss and they’re finding ways to express it and work their way through the year,” Erath said.
To help them deal with Charisse’s death, classmates made either written or artistic expressions, which were hung in St. Peter the Apostle Church during her wake, Erath said.
“St. Peter has his own special angel now,” Erath said.
Charisse’s homeroom, math and social studies teacher, Regina Benfield, said the child had a great sense of humor.
That's one of the things the children remember about her,” Benfield said.“ Last year she would get them out of their funky mood by keeping their spirits up.”
Charisse was a good student who completed her homework assignments, even through her last day of school, Benfield said.
Charisse, of Franklin Township, was a cheerleader for both Pop Warner Football and St. Peter the Apostle Elementary School.
She is the daughter of Monica Mitchell-Duncan and Reginald Duncan, sister of Sophia Morgan, Garrison Tyler and Kyle Avery Duncan, granddaughter of Robert “Poppy” Mitchell, Dorothy “Granny” Duncan, the late Sandy “Nana” Mitchell and the late Garrison Duncan. She is also survived by a host of aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives.
Interment was in Hollywood Memorial Park, Union.
Father John ‘Jack’ Kelley, age 82
By Catholic News Service
DAYTON, Ohio — A funeral Mass
was celebrated Sept. 23 for Marianist Father
John “Jack” Kelley, a retired University of
Dayton professor of religious studies who
helped start the Dayton Christian-Jewish
Dialogue in 1973.
Father Kelley was instrumental in bringing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to campus 40 years ago, died Sept. 20 at age 82.
His funeral Mass was celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the University of Dayton. Burial was in Queen of Heaven Cemetery at Mount St. John.
Father Kelley taught religion and theology at the University of Dayton from 1959 to 1970. In 1973, he taught business courses before retiring from the university. He was a prolific scholar, and in 2000 published the book “Freedom in the Church: A Documented History of the Principle of Subsidiary Function.”
During his career, he also taught at Hamilton Catholic High School in Ohio; Holy Trinity High School in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.
A Cleveland native, he held a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Eric D. August, 17
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Sept. 30 in St. Michael Church, Cranford, for Eric D. August, a senior at St. Joseph High School, Metuchen.
August, 17, died the weekend of Sept. 25-26. He was a member of the ski, chess and Republican clubs.
“The St. Joseph High School community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our student, senior Eric August who died this weekend,” said Lawrence N. Walsh, principal.“The faculty and staff were notified on Monday morning (Sept. 27) of Eric’s death, and the senior class was assembled to inform them of the news. During the day, the crisis management team has been available and the SJHS community has come together to support each other. Our prayers and condolences go out to Eric’s family during this time of grief.”
Surviving are his parents, Edward and Donna August; a sister, Elizabeth, and his grandparents, George August and Dolores and Edward Johnson.
He was to be waked in the Dooley Funeral Home, Cranford, Sept. 29.
Ethel C. Smith, mother of Bishop Smith
Ethel C. (Charnock) Smith, the mother of Bishop John M. Smith of Trenton and Benedictine Father Andrew T. Smith of Morristown, died at St. Joseph Hospital, Paterson, Sept. 26.
Smith, 93, was born in East Orange and lived in West Orange, Whiting and Cedar Knolls before moving to St. Joseph Home for the Elderly, Totowa, eight years ago.
She was a member of St. Joseph Parish, West Orange, St. John Parish, Orange, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, and Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls.
Smith was predeceased by her husband, Mortimer F. Smith, in 1983.
She is also survived by a third son, Gregory A. Smith of Westboro, Mass., two grandchildren and a great granddaughter.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Joseph Home for the Elderly, 140 Shepherd Lane, Totowa, Sept. 30 at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be in St. John Cemetery, Orange.
Arrangements were handled by Minchin Funeral Home, Paterson.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law