Loeffler, Frederick J. Jr., passed away on June 16, 2020. Born in Newark, NJ to the late Frederick Sr. and Leona Mae (Stephens) Loeffler. Frederick  later resided in Pompton Lakes where he worked as a manufacturer for EI Dupont,. Frederick is survived by his wife, Virginia (Emmert), two sons, James Loeffler of Pompton Lakes and Mark Van Orden of Vernon. Four daughters, Lauren Wynn of Florida, Vicky Cerritelli of Dumont, Virginia Masters of West Milford and Deborah Babb of Florida. Also surviving is one brother, Albert Loeffler, fourteen grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Visiting will be held at Richards Funeral Home, 4 Newark Pompton Turnpike in Riverdale, NJ on Friday, June 19, 2020 from 2 to 4 PM with a prayer service starting at 3:30 PM. Private disposition.

Mathews, Jettie Mae, 95, of Llanfair House in Wayne, NJ passed away on June 20, 2020. She formerly resided at Hearle Village in Pequannock, NJ.  Jettie Mae was born on April 16, 1925 in Smoaks, SC.  She spent her childhood working alongside her six siblings and parents, Barney and Sarah Kinsey, who were sharecroppers.  She attended a one-room schoolhouse and worked on various farms picking cotton before and after school and during the summers.  When she was seventeen, Jettie Mae left home and moved to Charleston and, while working as a waitress in the Milton Coffee Shop, she met the love of her life, Warren Mathews who was stationed in Charleston during WWII.  They were married for 59 years.  Jettie Mae and Warren raised three children in Bloomingdale, Joyce Rauch of Pompton Plains, Warren Mathews, Jr. of Bloomingdale, and Gloria Saltzman of Manahawkin.  Jettie Mae worked at The Windbeam Restaurant in Riverdale, the Holley Inn in Bloomingdale, Mack Molding Plastics in Wayne, and after retiring from Johannsen Manufacturing in Boonton Township, she volunteered at Chilton Memorial Hospital.  Faith was a central part of Jettie Mae’s life and she loved Bible Study, singing in the choir and being active at the Bloomingdale Methodist Church where she was a member since 1945.  Jettie Mae was active in the Bloomingdale Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary and enjoyed walking with the “Healthy Blooms” as part of the Bloomingdale Senior Program. She grew all sorts of vegetables and flowers in her garden and loved playing guitar, watching “Wheel of Fortune”, listening to country music and playing Bingo when she lived at Hearle Village in Pequannock.  Jettie Mae will best be remembered for asking others if she could “help their plate” during picnics where her family enjoyed her Southern fare of boiled peanuts, magic cookie bars, zucchini bread, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese before running around her yard catching fireflies.  She is predeceased by her husband Warren and her grandson Robert Rauch, and is survived by her sister Sarah Anne Reeves of Walterboro, SC, her three children, six grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren. Jettie Mae was deeply loved and will be profoundly missed by all. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jettie’s honor to Bloomingdale United Methodist Church. 65 Main St. Bloomingdale, NJ 07403. Private arrangements entrusted to Richards Funeral Home.

Meyer, Jr, Theodore Roosevelt, 61, a big-hearted man, died on June 5, 2020 after a fall at his condominium in West Milford, New Jersey. The son of Theodore R. Meyer, Sr. and Emily B. Meyer (Kohout), and brother of the late Joseph P.Meyer, Ted is survived by his sisters Marie Meyer (Raymundo Morado) and Emilie Oberstaedt (Mark), his niece Melissa, his nephews Matthew and Patrick, and his many cousins and dear friends. A longtime resident of Clifton, NJ, Ted enjoyed much of his youth in the company of extended family, from scrubbing pans in Uncle Frank’s Kohout’s Bakery, to picking fruit at the family farm and, of course, playing games and sports with his siblings and cousins. While a parishioner of St Philip the Apostle R.C. Church, Ted joined Boy Scout Troop 121, where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated Paul VI Regional High School in 1977 and earned a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1981. While at Stevens, Ted served as Vice President of Sigma Nu Fraternity. For twelve years after college, Ted worked at Sier Bath Deck Gear Company in North Bergen, first as Sales Engineer and later as Product Manager. When Sier Bath closed in 1993, Ted joined Cupo Construction in West Caldwell, where he served the next twelve years as a carpenter in the residential remodeling business. Later, Ted worked as a maintenance worker at Krehel Automotive Repair in Clifton, until a disability forced him to stop working in 2013. How Ted spent his “non-working” hours reveals so much more about the man some called “a gentle giant.” For most of his adult life, Ted cared for his father, and later his brother, both of whom had Huntington’s Disease, even while developing HD symptoms of his own. Often putting family ahead of himself, Ted good-naturedly balanced work, household chores, and care giving day in and day out for nearly thirty years. Ted handled these tasks with cheerfulness and grace, never complaining or grumbling about the work. Ted’s attention to others didn’t stop there. He was always happy to grab a shovel, an ax, or his vast collection of Craftsman tools when anyone needed help. Whether taking on a major project or selecting a small gift, Ted never cut corners. He put great care and thoughtfulness into everything he did, from choosing the perfect Christmas poinsettia to meticulously installing an Italian marble backsplash in his sister’s kitchen. Ted particularly enjoyed patiently teaching his many skills to others. ​There were moments when some might not share Ted’s sense of “fun.”  His loved ones marveled at Ted’s Outward Bound wilderness expedition, and some cringed at the bowl of crickets he ate on a family trip to Mexico. In the late 1980s, Ted taught himself to cook and was willing to try anything. He loved exploring the vast selection of ethnic grocery stores of northeast New Jersey, incorporating the cuisines of the world into his repertoire. He frequently came home after a long day of work to prepare delicious meals from scratch that he would serve to his father and brother at 9:00 p.m. Ted thought nothing of entertaining the entire extended family at a pig roast or clam bake. Those gatherings will long be remembered, even if few could stay awake for the full preparation of his legendary Thanksgiving turkey, which required hours to bone, stuff and an all-night vigil to smoke. In 2015, Ted moved to West Milford, just a few miles away from his favorite place, the family farm. Though his sisters worried about him at first, it turned out to be a blessing. At Bald Eagle Commons, Ted made instant friends. He also joined The Almond Branch Church which became his second family and made him feel loved. Ted liked to get an early morning ride to church so that he could be among the first people there in order to greet others with his signature bear hugs as they arrived. While the gifts he received from The Almond Branch are too numerous to count, an obvious highlight was their 2019 mission trip to New Life Children’s Home, an orphanage in Haiti. Ted cherished the memories of traveling with the group to Port-au-Prince, where he helped with finishing details on a house for missionaries. When they weren’t working, he also enjoyed the worship services, the social gatherings and the love and affection of the children. They were forced to cancel a planned trip to the beach, but he had fun playing with them on the slip and slide they brought down from New Jersey. A memorial service will be held at a later date. If you wish to make a donation in Ted’s memory, kindly consider The Almond Branch Church & Resource Center in West Milford (https://www.awakenj.com/ ), New Life Children’s Home (https://newlife4kids.org/) or Huntington’s Disease Society of America (Huntington's Disease Society of America).

    

Saitta, Thomas John, 63, of Wes t Milford for 20 years, on Monday, June 22, 2020. Born in Clifton, NJ, he was the son of the late Richard and Doris (Kurnath) Saitta. Employed by G. A. F. of Wayne as a Maintenance Engineer. Thomas is survived by brother, Richard (wife, Donna) and grand nieces, Emma and Olivia of Wayne and brother, Gary of Nutley. Also surviving are nephews, Michael (wife, Maureen) and Joseph Saitta. Thomas was predeceased by  his parents and step-father, Robert Colburn. Visitation on Friday, June 26 from 10 to 11 AM at Richards Funeral Home, 144 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ. A funeral service will be held at 11 AM. Private disposition will follow.

Shaw, Daniel “Danny” passed away on Father’s Day, Sunday June 21, 2020. Danny lived the majority of his life in his beloved Riverdale, NJ. Recently, he moved to Haskell, NJ to the Lakeland Health Care facility as he battled with Parkinson’s disease. He was a parishioner at Saint Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes and was a member of their CCD program for special needs. He graduated from the Riverdale School and Passaic County Vo-Tech. Many people will remember Danny for his work at the Pompton Plains Friendly’s Ice Cream Restaurant where he retired after 22 years of dedicated service. He was an active member of Explore Post 136 sponsored by Pompton Lakes Elks Lodge #1895 for more than 40 years and was a well-known “local celebrity” to many of the Elks members. He was proud to participate in the New Jersey Special Olympics and competed in bowling,proudly making the 200 club, the track and field events, and the fishing and crabbing event held in Sea Isle City. Danny loved to go on trips with his explorer friends and enjoyed going to local off Broadway and even Broadway plays.  He was a lover of music and dancing and enjoyed going to monthly “Canteen Events” held at the Pompton Reform Church. He was also an avid Mets fan and enjoyed going to the stadium as well as watching the games on television. He also enjoyed going to the $1.00 hot dog nights at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair and was honored to sit with Yogi Berra himself during a charitable golf outing where he received an autographed ball. He loved the Riverdale Fire Department and spent many years watching the apparatus depart, with lights on and siren blowing, responding to a call when the whistles blew and was still there waiting patiently for the trucks to return asking many questions. Danny and his mom Terry loved coming out to the yearly spaghetti dinners as well as the fire department wet downs for the past 40 years. He was made an honorary firefighter by the Department Membership and he was always proud of it. Most recently, his fondest memory was when Tim Tebow sponsored a “Night Out” event at the Jacksonville Chapel in Lincoln Park. The church members did a beautiful job to make it a memorable evening for the adults with special needs. Danny is survived by his mother, Theresa “Terry” Shaw, formerly of Riverdale now living in Boonton, one brother, Tom (wife,Jodi) Shaw  and niece Rachel of Newton, and two cousins, Mary and Susan Lowe of Keyport. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Explorer Post 136, 5401 Richmond Road. West Milford, NJ 07480, Attn: Diane Baum, Treasurer.There will be a Memorial Mass held at Saint Mary’s Church in Pompton Lakes at a later date. Arrangements entrusted to Richards Funeral Home. Riverdale, NJ.