Page 16 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • February 1, 2012 Obituaries Mafalda Stella Muti, nee Milano of Ramsey died Jan. 24. She was 92. When she finished grade school, she began full-time work as a domestic in the home of a Ridgewood family. She learned to cook at an early age and, along with her husband, owned the Community Lunch, at 45 East Main Street in Ramsey for 20 years. In 1960, they opened the Milano Restaurant in Ramsey. She is survived by her children Richard Muti and Rita Bowerfind, six grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and her sisters Anita Rapp and Corine Milano. She was predeceased by her husband Mauro Richard Muti, her daughter Rosemarie Crighton, her son Anthony, great-granddaughter Olivia White, and her siblings Margaret LaVigna, Helen Monte, Genevieve Kozma, Hugo Milano, Joseph Rapp, and Queady Milano. Arrangements were made by Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey. Vito S. Panierino of Towaco, formerly of North Haledon, died Jan. 25. He was 45. He was a graduate of Manchester High School in Haledon. After several years in computers with Singer-Kearfott Corp. in Little Falls, he took over The Goffle Grill in Hawthorne with his brother in 1995. He was a member of the Porsche and Dirt Bike Racing clubs. He is survived by his parents Sante Panierino of Italy and Immacolata Panierino (nee Contento) of Riverdale, his brother Anthony Panierino of Hawthorne, and his niece and nephew Tiana and Rocco Panierino, both of Hawthorne. Arrangements were made by Festa Memorial Funeral Home in Totowa. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, NJ Division Inc., Bergen County Unit, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Clara Rusticus, nee Konight, of Mahwah, died Jan. 20. She was 93. Before retiring, she was employed as a postal worker in Paterson. She was a member of the Historical Society of Mahwah. She is survived by her son Adrian Rusticus Jr. of Hawthorne, four grandchildren, and her sister Ethel. She was predeceased by her husband Adrian Rusticus Sr., and her siblings George, Ken, and Catherine. Arrangements were made by Browning Forshay Funeral Home in Hawthorne. Barbara A. Scalione, nee Banta, of Ridgewood died Jan. 25. She was 67. She is survived by her husband Richard M. Scalione, and her children Michael, Margaret Halpin, and Thomas. She was predeceased by her parents Gary and Alice Banta. Arrangements were made by Feeney Funeral Home in Ridgewood. Memorial donations may be made to the American Lung Association at www.lungusa.org or Saint Jude Research Hospital at www.stjudes.org. Helen “Toni” Smith of Wyckoff died Jan. 24. She was Mafalda Stella Muti 89. She was a member of the Lutheran Church Women at the Advent Lutheran Church in Wyckoff, the Decorative and Fine Arts Society, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Delta Gamma sorority. She was a volunteer at the Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge. She is survived by her children Susan Mortensen of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Rebecca Brown of Mahwah, and Barbara Smith of York, Pennsylvania. She was predeceased by her husband Taintor Smith. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to the Advent Lutheran Church, Memorial Fund, 777 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481 or the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc., 2 Shelter Lane, Oakland, NJ 07436. Grace Van Leeuwen, nee Douma, of Wyckoff, formerly of Toms River and Prospect Park, died Jan. 21. She was 87. Born in the Netherlands, she came to the United States in 1955. She was a member of the Unity Christian Reformed Church in Prospect Park. She is survived by her daughters Fenna Reitsma and Adria Broersma, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings in the Netherlands: Jan, Sjouke and Flip Douma; Anneke Mulder; and Tjikke Wielenga. She was predeceased by her husband Jacob A. Van Leeuwen, her grandson Sean Broersma, and her great-grandson Jacob Pier. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to the Christian Health Care Center Employee Fund, 301 Sicomac Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481. Armando “Art” J. Vitale of Franklin Lakes, formerly of Wayne, died Jan. 23. He was 86. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He was Eastside High School Class of 1944 graduate. He worked as a machinist for the New Era Corporation in Paterson for 25 years and later for the Sandvik Corporation in Fair Lawn, before retiring from Royal Master Grinders of Oakland. He is survived by his children Joyce A. Riley of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and Elaine M. Kaufman of Hopewell Junction, New York, five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his sister Jill Calabrese of Weeki Wachee, Florida. He was predeceased by his wife Alice Vitale (nee Van Houten), and his siblings Lena Marino, Joseph, Alex, and Guerino Vitale. Arrangements were made by Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home in Wayne. Armando J. Vitale Grace Van Leeuwen Vito S. Panierino Clara Rusticus Barbara A. Scalione Helen Smith (continued from page 10) exception applied, the board could refuse to hear the application on the basis that the township’s zoning ordinance in effect at the time the application was submitted did not permit retail on the site and the application would have to be remanded to the board of adjustment for a use variance. Judge Carver refused to address the issue, explaining there was no actual controversy before him and the planning board members would have to decide if they want to invoke the exception in the law. Following the closed session, several members of the public urged the board to join the township council, which repealed the zoning ordinance that allowed retail on this site, and the majority of voters in the township who voted against allowing retail on this site, and refuse to hear the application. Scandariato explained that he could not recommend that to the board because the board’s power is limited by the state’s municipal land use law and the board is required by that law to consider the Crossroads application under the retail zoning that was in effect when the application was submitted. He said the board does not have the right to change that legislation, nor can it interpret the statute. He explained the ramifications of Judge Carver’s dismissal and noted that there are several lawsuits pending in this matter. He advised the board to continue with the application because the board cannot of its own volition create an exception to a state statute. The Crossroads site plan, as previously described by Jaworski, calls for 600,000 square feet of retail space; 150,000 square feet of office, hotel, and theater space, with Crossroads two big box stores; and a maximum of 50,000 square feet of professional office space over the retail stores on a 300 foot long pedestrian walkway. It has recently been reported that the proposed office space and hotel have been deleted, but planning board officials have advised there have been no site plan changes submitted to the board. A review of the latest site plan, however, does not specifically identify one of the buildings as a hotel, and the buildings shown on the pedestrian mall where professional office space was to be located over the retail shops, indicate that they would be one story high. The Crossroads controversy began on March 31, 2011, when the township council adopted three ordinances relating to the Crossroads property, one of which rezoned the property from office park to a mixed use including retail, which eliminated a need for a use variance to develop the site for retail use. The ordinances were adopted over the objections of more than 400 attendees at the public meeting of the governing body and residents then collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition demanding a public referendum on the issue. The council introduced an ordinance to repeal the ordinances that rezoned the property for retail use. At a special meeting, the council voted 6-1 to place a non-binding referendum on the November ballot to determine the voters’ opinion regarding the rezoning of the Crossroads property. Just one day before the council could meet the statutory time and publication requirements to adopt the repealing ordinance, the developer submitted plans. The referendum, which asked if there should be retail on the site, received 2,955 “no” votes and 2,723 “yes” votes.