Obituaries - Thompson Memorial Home

William H. Hyatt, Jr. (Hal)

William H. Hyatt, Jr. (Hal) passed away unexpectedly on November 9th. He was born in East Orange, NJ and resided in Little Silver NJ. He graduated from West Orange High School, Middlebury College, Columbia Law School and received a Masters in tax law at Boston University.

At the time of his retirement, Hal, known in the business world as Bill, was a partner in the firm of K&L Gates. He concentrated on environmental law and related litigation particularly Superfund matters.

Hal was very active in the community having served on the Rumson Borough Council, the Oceanic Free Library Trust, and the Rumson Country Day School Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club, the Rumson Country Club and the Seabright Beach Club. He also served on the board of directors at Skytop Lodge in the Poconos.

Claire Janet Power

Claire Janet Power passed away peacefully on Monday November 6, surrounded by family. All who knew Claire remember her as a source of strength, caring, and love, and we mourn her loss.

Claire was born to Albert and Anna Chassey in Brockton, Massachusetts on August 8, 1937. The youngest of four siblings, Claire is survived by her brother Raymond. Graduating Brockton High in 1954, she soon met her future husband, Peter Power. They were wed on April 6, 1958.

An avid lover of the arts and an accomplished artist herself, Claire taught herself to sketch, paint with oils, play piano and guitar. She combined love of music with her devotion to the church, as a member of the Saint James folk choir and later the Monmouth Civic Chorus, with whom she traveled and sang in some of the great cathedrals in Europe. Family, faith, and music were cornerstones of Claire’s life.

William E. Drastal

Willam E. Drastal, age 76, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 4, 2023, surrounded by family.

William was a loving son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was a childhood polio survivor, with a quick, dry, unforgettable sense of humor. William worked as a sky marshal in the 1970s, a US Customs agent, and later went on to be a professional actor (member of SAG-AFTRA). He also was a Jeopardy contestant, and he was a dedicated and passionate author and playwright. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and he was an active supporter of fellow veterans.

James R. Ientile

James R. Ientile, of Colts Neck, NJ passed away November 6, 2023 with his family by his side. Born in Summit, NJ, he lived in Chatham until the early 1960’s when his family moved to Middletown, NJ. He graduated Mater Dei High School, Middletown, NJ in 1968, and then went on to Bentley College in Waltham MA. He grew up in his family’s construction business, F.J. Ientile, Inc., and eventually ventured out on his own, founding James R. Ientile, Inc. in 1989. Jim’s passions were his business and his family. He enjoyed golf, travel and especially family dinners. He frequently traveled to his second home in Turks and Caicos Islands, where he will be missed by many good friends. He often donated his time and resources to various organizations, without looking for recognition. Those who knew him well, knew he had a heart of gold.

Hilda B. Melconian

Hilda Melconian, of Rumson, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on October 14, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She was 88.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 11, 1935, Hilda was the second youngest of 11 children of Armenak and Marie Berejikian. After early schooling in Beirut, she moved to New York City in 1950, and graduated from George Washington High School, then attended City College of New York.

Soon after, Hilda began a fulfilling career at the United Nations, working for the Saudi Arabian and Cambodian Missions. She married Melcon Melconian, an engineer with Mobil Oil, in 1961, and together they enjoyed a socially active life in Manhattan, Los Angeles and London. Their first son Gregory arrived in 1969, promptly followed by their second son Philip. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where Mr. and Mrs. Melconian raised their children and lived for 45 years. Together with her husband, Mrs. Melconian emphasized the importance of family, faith and community service.

Philip Eugene Bagnell

Philip Eugene Bagnell, 39, of New Brunswick, NJ, died October 12th 2023 in Newark, DE.

He was born in October, 1984, to Joseph and Genevieve Bagnell in Freehold, NJ. Philip proudly welcomed his daughter Winifred into the world in 2017. He married Amanda Velez-Bagnell in March, 2023. Phil worked as a Fire equipment safety inspector for more than 10 years.

John Christie Archibald

John Christie Archibald, 91, of Little Silver, passed away peacefully at home on October 22, 2023. Mr. Archibald was born in Negaunee, Michigan, on August 22, 1932, to Ralph S. Archibald and Emma Quinn Archibald. He was raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, graduated from St. Thomas Academy, MN, and from Lehigh University in 1954.

Having joined The Bank of Manhattan (Chase) in 1954, John retired in 1980 as SVP Group Executive of Commercial Banking. He then was Vice Chairman at Josephson Int’l, an affiliate of International Creative Management. He served on the Boards of Carson, Pirie, Scott; General Instrument Corporation; and Chock Full of Nuts. He was a visiting faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Barbara H. Judge

Barbara H. Judge, age 91, of Tinton Falls, NJ, died peacefully at home on October 5, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer. Barbara is survived by her son Thomas B. Judge III of Shrewsbury, NJ, and her daughters Lauren Bartkus and her husband Brian of Bedford, MA, Linda Ferrogine and her husband Jim of Shrewsbury, NJ, and Dana Farabaugh and her husband Jay of Newtown, CT. She is also survived by her beloved 10 grandchildren, Taylor, Anne, Brooke, Jimmy, Tommy, Kate, Casey, David, Jill and Nick, who lovingly called her Baba.

Dorothy Ann (Mazza) Corson

Dorothy Ann (Mazza) Corson, 80, Middletown passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 10th. Born and raised in Red Bank, she graduated from Red Bank High School and then attended Asbury Park Business School. Dorothy married her high school sweetheart, Garrett (Gary) in 1961, and recently celebrated their 62nd Wedding Anniversary. She then began working in the clerical department at Fort Monmouth, NJ until 1965 when she began her family. In 1980, Mrs. Corson, returned to the work force at Fort Monmouth working in the Army Community Services Department. Her dedication, commitment and professionalism earned her the position of Director of Army Community Services. Upon her retirement in 2003, she was awarded the Commander’s Award for Civilian Services as Chief of Army Community Services.

John Kerencew

John Kerencew (67), of Jackson New Jersey, passed away on Wednesday October 4th, 2023, surrounded by family.

John was born in Plainfield New Jersey. He served in the US army and later married Valerie (Kirman) Kerencev on September 15th, 1984. They welcomed two sons Daniel and Timothy Kerencev. And moved to Jackson New Jersey where they lived for the past 34 years.

A devoted husband and father first John was also an avid fisherman and a lifelong Jet fan. John loved nothing more than to spend time fishing with his sons and family whenever he could. John was a dedicated Nascar fan and enjoyed watching and attending races with friends and family. John In his later years also enjoyed traveling and site seeing with his wife Valerie.

Linda Bulmer

The Bulmer family is heartbroken to announce that Linda Bulmer passed away peacefully at home on September 30th, 2023.

Linda was born in NYC, Hell’s Kitchen section on February 23, 1951. She then moved to Keansburg as a teenager where she graduated from Middletown HS North. Shortly after graduation, Linda and her high school sweetheart, Dennis Bulmer, got married and started their family where they lived in Keansburg for over 50 years. While raising their 3 children, Linda was an integral part of Dennis’ businesses and she became the president of their company B&D equipment rentals.

She loved traveling, playing bingo, going bowling, and drinking her Dunkin coffee. She was always funny, always laughing, she told you like it was, always up for a vacation or an adventure, she had a contagious laugh that would make people crack up, and she was simply full of life. She was “Linda B.” to friends, Mom to three, Nana to eight, but her true love was her best friend and husband Dennis. Together they created successful businesses, an amazing family, and a network of friends that has lasted decades and is beyond counting. Her greatest gift was creating memories with people and making them laugh.