Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • September 12, 2012 Obituaries Evelyn G. “Chickie” Fitzpatrick, nee Eisenhart, of Ramsey, formerly of Manhasset, New York and Hillsdale, died Sept. 4. She was 82. She was a graduate of Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Jersey City, and Caldwell College. She is survived by her husband William (Bill) Fitzpatrick, her children William of The Woodlands, Texas, Deborah Mink of Glen Head, New York, and Cathleen Lull of Woodcliff Lake, five grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Joseph Grasso of Mahwah died Aug. 31. He was 65. He was a 1964 graduate of Barringer High School, and a 1968 graduate of Rutgers University. He was the founder and operator of The Opus Group, an advertising and marketing company based in Ridgewood for over 20 years. He was the founder and force behind Exhibit Arts, a company that specialized in trade show exhibit design and construction. Most recently, he was the creative director at Tambourine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He served as president of the Ridgewood Youth Council, acted as the publicity director for the Fourth of July Committee, and was a member of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Van Neste Park restoration team. He was an advocated in the fight against pancreatic cancer. He was the author of the children’s book “Mr. Lester’s Farm,” which tells the story of a man and his ambitions and how they impacted the history of Ridgewood. He is survived by his wife Wendy Grasso, his children Janine Grasso-Hochegger, Jackie GrassoPatel, Jamie Grasso-Carius, six grandchildren, his mother Marie Grasso, and his sister Anne Bizzarro-Pierro. He was predeceased by his father Emidio “Jerry” Grasso. Arrangements were made by Feeney Funeral Home in Ridgewood. Memorial donations may be made to Help is at Hand (Helpiisathand.org). Joseph Hays of Mahwah, formerly of Long Island and Irvington, New York, died Sept. 5. He was 89. He was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII. Before retiring, he worked as a manager for Con Edison for 38 years. He is survived by his wife Joan, his daughter Laurel Gerety of Franklin Lakes, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by his son Thomas. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to Villa Marie Claire, 12 West Saddle River Road, Saddle River, NJ 07458. John Joseph Merz of Ridgewood died Aug. 31. He was 70. Before retiring in 2004, he worked as a cable technician for Verizon for 38 years. He was a parishioner of the Mount Carmel R.C. Church in Ridgewood. He is survived by his Evelyn G. Fitzpatrick Memorial service set for Eleanore Nissley A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15 to celebrate the life of Eleanore S. Nissley, the grande dame of Republican politics in Bergen County, who died Aug. 30 at her daughter’s home on Cape Cod, Mass. at the conclusion of the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla. A Ridgewood resident, she was 87. Mrs. Nissley will be remembered for her loyalty, wit, generosity and her ability to embrace new talent, particularly women, and make them feel welcome. A generous contributor to Republican causes over the past 65 years, she was also generous of spirit. “Eleanore Nissley was full of wit and wonder and had a great capacity for public service. Her compassion for her fellow man and woman was unbounded. There will never be another Eleanore Nissley, and we are all the poorer for her passing,” said Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, a close friend whose election campaign Mrs. Nissley chaired. Mrs. Nissley’s passion was civil service to Bergen County and to the Republican Party. She served as the Republican state committeewoman for Bergen County for some 45 years, attending seven national Republican conven- Joseph Grasso tions, and was a GOP county committeewoman. Her civic contributions over the years included serving as a member of the Board of Trustees and of the Foundation of Bergen Community College, a New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority commissioner, a Commissioner of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, a board member of the Buehler Center, Boy Scouts of America, and others. In addition, she managed an active portfolio of commercial real estate and was a past director of Interstate Bank. Mrs. Nissley is survived by three children, Jim Nissley and his wife Carolyn, Gale Klun and her husband Mike, and Debra Nissley and her husband Kurt; and 27 grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Warren, and a son, Peter. The memorial service on Sept. 15 will take place at 4 p.m. at the Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre of Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus. For information call 201-488-2877. Memorial donations may be made to National Airedale Rescue; Attn: Rusty LaFrance, treasurer, 8524 Maggie Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89143. wife Norma (nee Ermacora), his children Jennifer Wylie of Fair Lawn, John Merz of Closter, Stephanie Kacmarcik of Highland Lakes, four grandsons, and his sisters Margaret, Kathy, and Joan. Arrangements were made by C. C. Van Emburgh Funeral Home in Ridgewood. Memorial donations may be made to the Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 Saint Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or to the American Cancer Society, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Dorothy Louise Plumhoff, nee Yuhas, of Ramsey died Aug. 31. She was 83. She was a homemaker and was later employed by Texwipe in Upper Saddle River. She is survived by her husband John, her daughters Joy Plumhoff, Deanne Felton, Betty Denike, Margie Florio, and Fran Spring, and five grandchildren. Arrangements were made by Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey. Memorial donations may be made to the RamapoBergen Animal Refuge, Inc., 2 Shelter Lane, Oakland, NJ 07436. Norman S. Sand of Franklin Lakes, formerly of Ridgewood, died Sept. 2. He was 79. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Before retiring, he was a computer systems analyst with Cigna Corp. in Wayne for 30 years. He was a member of the Franklin Lakes Baptist Church, where he was a member of the choir and the Missions Committee. He is survived by his wife Jane F. (nee Sparks), his children Sharon I. Mish, Robert, and Raymond, 10 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his niece Laura Summers. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to the Franklin Lakes Baptist Church, 649 Summit Avenue, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 or the Grace Bible Church Worship Team Ministry, 150 Sunset Road, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444. Marianne A. Skinner, nee Barbary, of Upper Saddle River died Sept. 1. She was 60. She was a retired teacher who had taught in the Clifton and Upper Saddle River school systems. She is survived by her husband Alfred Adrian Skinner, her children Vanessa Ford of Mahwah and Alfred of Saddle Brook, and one grandchild. She was predeceased by her parents Anthony and Agnes Barbary. Arrangements were made by Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home in Ramsey. Memorial donations may be made to the American Brain Tumor Association, 8550 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 550, Chicago, IL 60631. Cornelius “Neil” Van Der Horn of Wyckoff died Sept. 1. He was 56. He was a project manager for Turner Construction. He was a parishioner of Saint Elizabeth’s R.C. Church in Wyckoff. He is survived by his wife Dottie (nee Lapinski) Van Der Horn of Wyckoff, his children Caitlin Thorwarth of Glen Rock, Justin of Wyckoff, and Rebecca Van Der Horn of Wyckoff, and his sisters Barbara Kaczyk of Midland Park and Carol Van Dyk of West Milford. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to the Joseph Lapinski Foundation, P.O. Box 3, Stanton, NJ 08885. Marianne A. Skinner Dorothy Louise Plumhoff Joseph Hays Cornelius Van Der Horn Norman S. Sand John Joseph Merz