Obituaries

Frank Fiore Ciccone

10/15/1940 – 09/02/2022.

The son of Frank and Madeline Ciccone. Raised in Bayonne, NJ, lived in Colts Neck for 40 years, married to Peggy Ciccone for 50 years.

Survived by daughters Laura, Caryn, Nicole, son-in-laws, grandkids Frank Owens, Maxwell Owens, and Riley Roebuck. Predeceased by loving niece Dawn Caccese.

Robin E. Simunovich (nee Huey) left us on August 30, 2022. She was born in Chicago, IL and has resided in Colts Neck for the last several years. She is predeceased by her parents and husband. She is survived by her son Ryan and his wife, Jessica; her son David and his wife Ami; two step-sons, Peter and Mark, and their wives, Kelly and Iris; four grandchildren; two brothers, Bobby and his wife, Kathy, and Reid; a loving sister-in-law Maria Kerfoot and her husband, Frank; and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Robin’s grandchildren held a special place in her heart. They will remember her warm embrace, spontaneous adventures, never-ending pillow-fights, and creative pumpkin carving.

Linda Borden McKean died peacefully at her home in Rumson, New Jersey on June 2, 2022. Born in 1928 in New York City, she was a teacher, community leader and fisherwoman, as well as a much loved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend to many.

Descended from the Borden Mills textile family in Fall River, MA., which included the notorious Lizzie Borden, she grew up in New York City and Rumson, NJ. Educated at The Brearley School, Bennington College and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, Linda worked as an actress. She appeared in multiple Summer Stock Theatre productions, the Clare Street Theatre and on Off-Broadway, with a featured role in A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1952, she married Q.A.Shaw McKean, and moved to Rumson, New Jersey.

John Gerald Magnotta left us on August 23, 2022. Residing in Middletown for most of his life, John and his wife Donna raised three incredible sons; Christopher, Patrick and Michael. He was a caring and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. In his earlier years John devoted much of his free time to the concessions of the River Plaza Youth Club. He and his crew helped to raise funds and spirits with their renowned sausage, peppers and onion sandwiches prepared every Sunday. For the majority of his life John was a self-employed contractor skilled in many trades. Most recently John was employed by Monmouth Building Center as the manager of their lumber yard and warehouse. Despite his busy work schedule, John was always front and center in his children’s lives and their many activities.

Colonel (RET USA) Philip St. Goar Threefoot died peacefully at his home in Little Silver, New Jersey on August 22. He was 84 and had valiantly battled cancer for 20 years. Phil was born on February 13, 1938 in Meridian, Mississippi to Frederick St. Goar and Claire Molitor Threefoot. The family moved to the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1940s.

Phil was educated by the Jesuits at Bellarmine Academy, San Jose, CA. Their approach to education impressed Phil, taught him discipline, and reinforced his family’s strong work ethic. After high school, Phil enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, graduating 2^nd in his class from the world’s toughest engineering curriculum.

 Douglas J. Spitz of Rumson, N.J. passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on the evening of August 19, 2022 at the age of 56. During the last year of his life, Doug bravely battled brain cancer with the support of his loving family.  He embraced life with kindness, integrity, generosity and adventure.

Doug was born March 15, 1966, in Trenton, N.J. to Phyllis and John Spitz. He was raised in Long Branch, N.J, where he enjoyed playing football and picked up his life-long hobby of fishing. Doug graduated from Long Branch High School class of 1984 and continued his education at The College of New Jersey class of 1988. 

Ryan Thomas Talbot was born in 1985, leaving us on August 19, 2022   Following graduation from Red Bank Catholic, he joined the Army to serve his country, including a 15-month tour in Iraq. Most recently, Ryan served in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, selflessly defending vulnerable citizens. 

Ryan loved music, attending concerts, and took joy in playing guitar. Ryan adored all animals, most notably his Boston Terrier, Ralphie – who he regarded more as family than a pet.            

Ryan possessed an unrelenting wit, managing to lighten grave situations. His big heart and sense of humor were evident to all who knew him. He was honest to a fault, treating everyone with the utmost care and warmth. He went out of his way to care for those around him, even when he was struggling the most. This was the purest reflection of his true self.

Edward J. Aumack entered his eternal life on August 21, 2022, surrounded by his devoted, loving family. Edward was born in Long Branch, NJ, in 1936, and resided in Shrewsbury for the past 50 years. Edward was employed for 32 years with the US Postal Service, working various positions at the Red Bank Post Office and retired in 1992 as Postmaster of Matawan, NJ.

Edward loved and cared for his family, always “there” for everyone in need of his wisdom and guidance. Serious, fair, kind, helpful, competitive, faithful and loving was Edward. He was a lifetime fan of Notre Dame, the Yankees and the Chicago Bears.

Richard W. Jesmajian left a void in our hearts when he departed this earth on 8/20/22. He was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1947 and grew up in Valley Stream, NY, attending Valley Steam Central High School. He earned his BS degree from Union College, KY, an MS degree in Computer Science from Fairleigh Dickinson U. and an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Monmouth University. As an adult he lived in Bergen County, Middletown NJ and most recently in Tinton Falls.

He retired from AT&T Labs after 25 years, having also been a part of AT&T long Lines, Bell Labs, and AT&T International. His specialization was in designing distributed application architectures and negotiating domestic and international telecommunication standards. After that he did contract work for Bell South, Tektronics and AT&T Labs. He was currently an Adjunct Prof., teaching computer science courses at Brookdale Community College and Monmouth University.

Bridget “Breeda” Gillen was born on April 14, 1932 to Brigid and Daniel O’Connell, the fifth of six children in Glanmire, County Cork, Ireland. She grew up on Templesque farm with her siblings William, Helen, Mary, Patrick and Donal. Bridget immigrated to NYC from Cobh, Ireland on a transatlantic steamship in 1955. She was joined later by her brother Patrick and her best friend Patricia who married Patrick.

William Gillen from Red Hook Brooklyn proposed to Breeda in 1962. They were married at Church of the Holy Family in the Bronx and they honeymooned in a rose covered cottage in Nantucket. Their first home was a winterized bungalow in Breezy Point and later a house in Belle Harbor, New York where they raised their four children Maureen, Eileen, Kevin and Brian. Many Sunday dinners were shared with her brother Patrick's family. Although Breeda could not swim she loved the ocean and made sure all her children became strong swimmers. They all served as lifeguards in Rockaway Beach rescuing many lives over the years.