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Little Ferry CFO Lori Beck, 47, was gravely injured when she and her fiancé, Joseph Rose, crashed while riding a quad Sunday night behind the Robert L. Craig Elementary School off West Park Street, responders said.
The couple were engaged to be married in two months.
“It happened in front of both of their families,” one responder said. “His house is behind the school.”
Beck was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The Ridgefield Park native, who’d worked for Little Ferry the past 16 years, was “a true public servant in every sense of the word,” Mayor Mauro Raguseo said Monday.
As chief financial officer, “she watched our budget like a hawk accounting for every dollar and making sure we could save as much as we could,” Raguseo wrote in a Facebook post.
“She was the reason why our annual Family Fun Day was always a huge success,” the mayor added. “She would be working to organize it for months and months to make sure everyone had a safe and enjoyable time.”
Raguseo called Beck “the ultimate hockey and softball mom,” one who always cheered on her children, Crystal and Tommy, “at the rink or the field.”
Beck was also “a dear friend to all, especially all her colleagues,” Raguseo wrote. “Her presence and demeanor put everyone at ease. She would go above and beyond to help you. She was loyal, honest and trustworthy.
“She was the happiest I had ever seen her during the last few years,” he noted. “I was honored when she asked me to officiate at her wedding to her Joe.
“We are all heartbroken and devastated by this loss of our dear friend,” the mayor said. “Our hearts go out to her children, her fiancé, and her entire family that loved her so very much.
“Lori, you made such a positive impact on our town and on all who met you. You taught us by example that no matter how difficult certain points in life may be, always move forward and keep reaching for the stars.”
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ALSO SEE: A 20-year-old former high school cross-country runner from Oakland burglarized three borough businesses and attempted to break into at least five others, authorities said Tuesday.
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