Gabriela Ayala-Cortes, Essex County Mom, Dies At 45 Gabriela Ayala-Cortes, Essex County Mom, Dies At 45
Gabriela Ayala-Cortes, Essex County Mom, Dies At 45 Gabriela Ayala-Cortes, a mom and Verona resident, died on Thursday, Oct. 10 at the age of 45 of cancer, according to her obituary on the Shooks Cedar Grove Funeral Home. Born in Ecuador, Ayala-Cortes emigrated to the United States in 2003, her obituary reads. She worked as the director of regulatory affairs operations for Organon and Company in Jersey City, according to her obituary. She is survived her husband, Carlos, her children, Camila and Isabella, her parents Rodrigo and Marcia, and numerous other family members and friends, her obituary reads. A fundraiser has been created to suppo…
Cause Of Death Released For Whitney Houston's NJ Mom, Cissy Houston, 91 Cause Of Death Released For Whitney Houston's NJ Mom, Cissy Houston, 91
Cause Of Death Released For Whitney Houston's NJ Mom, Cissy Houston, 91 Cissy Houston, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer and mother of Whitney Houston, died at home in Newark on Monday, Oct. 7. She was 91 years old. Houston had been in hospice care for Alzheimer's disease, the family said in a statement posted to social media. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Whitney Houston (@whitneyhouston) “Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We loss the matriarch of our family,” Pat Houston, her daughter-in-law, said in a statement.  “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our live…
BBQ Pitmaster From NJ Dies After Brief Illness BBQ Pitmaster From NJ Dies After Brief Illness
BBQ Pitmaster From NJ Dies After Brief Illness A Pennsylvania BBQ pitmaster and business owner with roots in New Jersey has died suddenly, according to his obituary posted by Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home. Michael "Mike" C. Wister, 58, originally of Elizabeth, NJ, but most recently of Lansdale, PA, passed away suddenly after a short illness at home on Saturday, Sept. 28, as detailed in his obituary. For 20 years, Mike ran small roadside BBQ stands, then he ran Wister’s Barbecue on Main Street for five years before moving to Broad Street in Lansdale where it's been for over two years, as explained in his obituary.  In his spa…
NJ Wrestler Alan Vera Garcia, 33, Dies Weeks After Going Into Cardiac Arrest Playing Soccer NJ Wrestler Alan Vera Garcia, 33, Dies Weeks After Going Into Cardiac Arrest Playing Soccer
NJ Wrestler Alan Vera Garcia, 33, Dies Weeks After Going Into Cardiac Arrest Playing Soccer Alan Vera Garcia, a professional New Jersey wrestler, died on Monday, Sept. 23, weeks after going into cardiac arrest while playing soccer, according to multiple news reports. He was 33 years old. Our dear friend and teammate, Alan Vera, recently suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while playing soccer. He is currently... Posted by USA Wrestling on Monday, August 5, 2024 Garcia, of Guttenberg, was born in Cuba and the first Cuban wrestler to win a national championship in the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling, his obituary on the Barquin Funeral Home site reads.  His obituar…
'Good Times' Star John Amos, Of New Jersey, Died In August, Family Announces 'Good Times' Star John Amos, Of New Jersey, Died In August, Family Announces
'Good Times' Star John Amos, Of New Jersey, Died In August, Family Announces John Amos, who played the father on the 1970s sitcom "Good Times" and grew up in East Orange and lived in Tewksbury, died in August at the age of 84, his family announced Tuesday, Oct. 1. Born in Newark, Amos attended East Orange High School. His parents divorced when he was two and Amos supported his family by working as a garbage collector and street cleaner, according to the Washington Post. Amos attempted to play professional football but was cut from the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs and went into acting. He later appeared on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" before being cast as Jam…
Kay Escobar, Morristown Native, Activist Dies At 32 Kay Escobar, Morristown Native, Activist Dies At 32
Kay Escobar, Morristown Native, Activist Dies At 32 Kevin "Kay" Escobar, a Morristown native who advocated for immigration and racial justice, died on Thursday, Sept. 26, according to their obituary posted at the Cochran Funeral Home website. Escobar enrolled at CUNY Law School where they co-founded several student groups and initiatives, scoring an internship at the New York Civil Liberties Union, according to their obituary.  They championed a statewide survey that documented immigrants' access to reproductive healthcare and worked with Black Lives Matter Morristown, leading marches throughout the state, their obituary reads. During t…
Alexa Dubiel, North Jersey Artist, Clothing Model Dies At 30 Alexa Dubiel, North Jersey Artist, Clothing Model Dies At 30
Alexa Dubiel, North Jersey Artist, Clothing Model Dies At 30 Alexa Lee Dubiel, a 30-year-old Ringwood resident, died on Friday, Sept. 20, according to her obituary from the Kimak Funeral Home website.  Alexa, formerly of Ridgefield Park, was an artist, who modeled clothes for RevMatch and participated in a campaign to be Inked Magazine's 2022 cover girl, her Instagram page show. She is being remembered for her artistic talent, love of animals and going fishing with her dad and going to the beach with her mom, according to her obituary. "The small amount of time I was blessed with your presence still is remembered fondly today," Ryan White said …
Sudden Death Of NJ High School Assistant Principal Spreads Shock, Sadness Sudden Death Of NJ High School Assistant Principal Spreads Shock, Sadness
Sudden Death Of NJ High School Assistant Principal Spreads Shock, Sadness A New Jersey community was mourning the sudden loss of a high school administrator and father of five. Andrew "AJ" Barchetto, 46, died unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 22, according to family members and his obituary on the Wood Funeral Home website. Barchetto was the assistant principal of Oakcrest High School, where he also served as the supervisor of special education and child study team, the school's website says. OHS Principal Michael Manning shared the following with Daily Voice: Oakcrest is coping as well as could be hoped. Mr. Barchetto was a trusted and loved administrator. He was …
Rhonda Iwanski, Pillar Of Sussex County Community, Dies Rhonda Iwanski, Pillar Of Sussex County Community, Dies
Rhonda Iwanski, Pillar Of Sussex County Community, Dies Rhonda Iwanski, a longtime Sussex County resident who was heavily involved in multiple communities, died on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Newton Medical Center after a long illness, her obituary on the Wood Funeral Home website says. She was 67 years old. Rhonda, of Sandyston, moved to New Jersey from Florida after meeting her husband, Mark, 28 years ago, her obituary says.  She served as the CFO of the House of the Good Shepherd and was a board member for the Human Services Advisory Council's Housing Committee, Rhonda's obituary continues. She was also member of the hiring committee for Susse…
College Student Raises $102K After Crash That Killed Bergen County Parents, Teen Sister College Student Raises $102K After Crash That Killed Bergen County Parents, Teen Sister
College Student Raises $102K After Crash That Killed Bergen County Parents, Teen Sister On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Max Dryerman said his final goodbyes to his parents and his younger sister. The college student from Woodcliff Lake lost his entire immediate family in a crash on the Garden State Parkway over the weekend. A joint funeral service was held for David and Michele Dryerman, both 54, and Brooke Dryerman, 17, Tuesday morning at Temple Emanuel of Pascack Valley. A burial service followed at Sharon Gardens on Lakeview Avenue, in Valhalla, NY. Max, whose LinkedIn shows he's studying engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, launched a GoFundMe page to help put himself t…
Star NJ Ballerina Michaela DePrince Dead At 29 Star NJ Ballerina Michaela DePrince Dead At 29
Star NJ Ballerina Michaela DePrince Dead At 29 Michaela DePrince, a professional ballerina with roots in South Jersey and Philadelphia, has died at 29 years old. UPDATE: Late PA Ballerina Michaela DePrince's Mom Died Less Than 24 Hours After Her Michaela's passing was announced in a post on her Instagram on Friday, Sept. 13, and has since been confirmed by the family to Daily Voice. The family says Michaela passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 10.  A full statement from a representative of the family has been posted on Facebook.  OFFICIAL FAMILY STATEMENT UPDATE 9/14/24: Michaela DePrince Elaine DePrince Thank you to…
South Toms River Officer Killed In Parkway Crash, Treated Friends 'Like Gold': Fundraiser South Toms River Officer Killed In Parkway Crash, Treated Friends 'Like Gold': Fundraiser
South Toms River Officer Killed In Parkway Crash, Treated Friends 'Like Gold': Fundraiser A former South Toms River police officer died when his motorcycle crashed with a dirt bike on the Garden State Parkway, according to a fundraising campaign. A GoFundMe page was created for 26-year-old Antonio Caprara. The Beachwood man was killed in the crash in Toms River at around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. South Toms River Police Chief William Kosh tells Daily Voice that Caprara was terminated from the department in May 2024. Kosh did not provide further details. "Antonio was a wonderful person, known for worth ethic, kindness, and selflessness," wrote Rue. "He treated his fri…