OBITUARIES

Daniel F. EBERLE

Daniel F. Eberle, 85, of the Township of Washington, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 11, 2022. He is survived by his daughter Jennifer R. LaPorta, son Geoffrey D. Eberle, and two granddaughters: Olivia R. Eberle and Hanna K. Eberle.

Dan is predeceased by Helen, his loving wife of 61 years.

Dan graduated from Bogota High School and Fairleigh Dickinson University nd was a retired pharmaceutical sales representative for Abbott Laboratories, where he'd worked for 35 years. Dan enjoyed contributing to his community, and over the years served on the Township of Washington Planning Board and Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

He appreciated the outdoors throughout his life, especially in his later years, with his granddaughters. Dan was an avid hunter and fisherman, and was active in local outdoor sportsman organizations, and contributed his time to the New Jersey Sea Scouts.

He was a member of West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood. A private graveside service at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus was planned. Donations in memory of Daniel Eberle can be made to Washington Township Volunteer Ambulance Corps Inc., 354 Hudson Ave., Township of Washington, NJ 07676. (WTVAC.org.)

Doris SMITH

Doris Smith, 101, of Westwood — beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother — passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

Wife of the late Al Smith (deceased 1999) beloved mother of Bob, Don, Al, and Jim Smith, all of Westwood. She very much enjoyed all of her 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Doris was a graduate of Englewood School of Nursing and worked at both Hackensack and Pascack Valley hospitals, and served as the school nurse at Meadowbrook School in Hillsdale for 15 years.

Active in her community, she was a member of the Westwood Fire Dept. Ladies Auxiliary for more than 70 years, delivered Meals on Wheels well into her nineties, served on the Board of Westwood House, and was a member of Westwood Senior Fellowship, St. Andrewʼs 50+ Club, and the Sassy Dancers of Westwood.

Doris was a member of the United Methodist Church in Hillsdale.

The family received guests at Becker Funeral Home, Westwood, on Friday, April 15. A brief memorial service will be held Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, with interment to follow at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dorisʼs name to The United Methodist Church in Hillsdale, or St. Jude Childrenʼs Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. becker-funeralhome.com.

Pauline A. HUHN

Pauline A. (Kuizinas) Huhn passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, with her family at her side. She is survived by her beloved husband of 68 years, William A. Huhn, and their children Ann Goldstein; Mary Romero and her husband, Robert; Jean Griffith; and Peter Huhn. She was the cherished grandmother of Jill Goldstein and her husband, John Barry; Thurman Hall; Robert Romero; William Griffith and his wife, Sarah; Ann Griffith; and Eileen and Shannon Huhn; and great-grandmother of Mark Barry.

She was born in Worcester, Mass., a daughter of Joseph and Anna (Kaleskas) Kuizinas, and was predeceased by her sisters Anne Ternosky and Frances Alonis and brothers Joseph and Charles Kuizinas.

Pauline is survived by her sister, Sr. Mary Elaine Kuizinas, SSC of Lemont, Ill. and many nieces and nephews.

She was an administrative assistant for the Borough of Hillsdale for many years. She was a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Park Ridge. She was a member of the Order of Lay Carmelites and participated in Nocturnal Adoration. She was a member of the Golden Age Social Club of Park Ridge.

Pauline was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11 at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Park Ridge. Arrangements by Robert Spearing Funeral Home Inc., Park Ridge. rsfhi.com.

Mary T.

GRITMON

Mary T. Gritmon, 92, of Westwood, passed away peacefully on April 9, 2022 surrounded by family. Devoted mother of John J. Gritmon (Virginia) of Lewes, Del., Maryann Gritmon (Meg) of Harbeson, Del., James P. Gritmon (Arlene) of Schenectady, N.Y., Karen M. Gritmon of Pearl River, N.Y., and Kathleen A. Bernhardt (Donald) of Westwood.

Loving grandmother (Meda/Gigi/G Ma) to Meagan Smyth (Michael), Jennifer Malenfant, Kate Gritmon, Nicolas Gritmon, Lukas Bernhardt, and Samuel Bernhardt.

Mary also has three precious great-grandchildren: Kayden Malenfant and Abigail and Arlo Smyth.

Mary was born in Schenectady, N.Y. on March 31, 1930 to the late Ambrose P. and Julia Rose Mountain.

Mary was preceded in death by

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her brothers and sister, Ambrose J. Mountain, John P. Mountain and Agnes Anne Macherone. Mary also leaves numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces, -nephews, and cousins.

She was a proud graduate of the Class of 1951 from the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y. She graduated with a degree in nursing. She was a lifetime member of The Golden Roses Society. She received her school nurse teacher certification from Columbia University in New York City.

Mary worked as a school nurse teacher at St. Anthonyʼs Parochial School in Nanuet, N.Y. for 10 years and as the head nurse manager at Elmwood Manor Nursing Home in Nanuet, N.Y. for 23 years.

Mary was an avid bridge player. She had a strong faith and was a member of St. Andrewʼs Roman Catholic Church in Westwood.

The family received relatives and friends on Tuesday, April 12 at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood. A Mass celebrating Maryʼs life and faith was held on Wednesday, April 13 at St. Andrewʼs Roman Catholic Church, 120 Washington Ave., Westwood. Family and friends were welcome to attend the interment on Thursday, April 14 at St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Schenectady, N.Y.

The family is very grateful to Valley Hospice for the wonderful care and support they provided to Mary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The ARC of Rockland at arcofrockland.org.

Kimberly Ann MULLEN

Kimberly Ann Mullen, 65, a longtime resident of Park Ridge, passed away peacefully on April 2, 2022. Kimberly was born in Olean, N.Y. on Aug. 6, 1956. Kimberly was the first born of three children to her loving parents, Victoria and George Mullen. Kimberly moved to New Jersey with her family and graduated from Pascack Valley High School.

Kimberly is survived by her beloved daughter, Nicole Banks, her devoted mother, Victoria Mullen, and her cherished brother George Mullen, sister Mary-Beth Cacciola and brother-in-law Tony Cacciola.

She adored her nieces and nephews: Anthony, Dylan, Derek, Madison, Bridget, and Brian, who will fondly remember their aunt — and especially her easygoing demeanor and effortless style.

Kimberly is predeceased by her father, George Mullen, as well as her daughter, Nicoleʼs father, Todd Banks.

Kimberly retired from TD Bank of Mahwah after working 10 years as an executive assistant. She spoiled her two cats, Fleury and Letang, and fostered countless other cats in need. Kimberly never missed an opportunity to visit the beach and was known by friends and family as a talented jewelry maker. The loss of Kimberly weighs heavy on the hearts of her family, who will welcome friends to honor her memory at upcoming memorial services.

Memorial visitation was Thursday, April 7 at Robert Spearing Funeral Home, Inc., 155 Kinderkamack Road, Park Ridge. rsfhi.com.

Memorial Mass was Friday, April 8 at Our Lady Mother of the Church, Woodcliff Lake.

Kim Ann BANKS

Kim Ann Banks, 62, passed away peacefully in her home in Emerson on April 4, 2022.

Kim is survived by George, her husband of 38 years; her father, John Lowenberg; brothers Anthony and John Jr.; her sister Nancy; and her nephew, Gale and niece, Savannah. She is predeceased by her mother, Angelina Lowenberg, née Campisano.

Kim was born in Jersey City on Feb. 11, 1960 and raised in Hasbrouck Heights. She attended Hasbrouck Heights High School, then earned a bachelor of arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University and an MFA from Brooklyn College.

Her professional career included marketing communications positions at Mercedes-Benz USA, JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. She also worked as an account executive for the Cosgrove Associates and The Team brand strategy development and communications agencies in New York and London.

Kim was the creator and founder of The Pet Set, a greeting card and stationery business, earning her several National Stationery Show creative award honors.

Over the last several years, Kim turned her passion for cooking into a new career: studying classic French cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education, and working for several local area food purveyors and restaurants.

Beyond her love for cooking, Kim was a British literature and history enthusiast (a self-admitted Anglophile), who wrote poetry and ad copy, and took great pleasure and comfort sharing her life with her beloved husband and two chocolate Labrador retriever companions, Trotter and Chester. Most of all, she loved her home in Emerson.

She will be remembered for her deft touch and influence with words as well as with food. She made it look easy, but we know her secret was a dogged pursuit of excellence. Kim was a seeker of knowledge. We will always miss hearing what she has to say.

A memorial Mass celebrating Kim's life and faith will be held at the Church of the Assumption in Emerson on Friday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m. Memorial donations in memory of Kim Banks may be made to the Emerson Volunteer Fire Department (emersonfire.org) and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. (searchdogfoundation.org).

FROM PAGE 16

son that looks like them.”

After this flap — and another last summer, in which Ghassali inserted state Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) into the speaking lineup at the D&I Pride in the Park festival against volunteersʼintent and wound up stripping committee VP Elizabeth Gloeggler of her post; and race-tinged controversy around use of the town basketball courts — committee members said theyʼd decided to “disassociate until significant changes have been made and a public apology is issued to Mr. Ware-Hill.”

Gloeggler told Pascack Press on April 14 she doubted Ghassali had watched the movie. “To be honest, he should have been standing up for the volunteers with his residents who called and said, ʻI donʼt like this event.ʼHe should have had their backs like he should have had mine ... These are residents; it was their event.”

According to Lam Pieroni, the D&ICommittee met with Ghassali and Councilman Tim Lane on Feb. 15, “where they shared that they will issue an apology with how the situation was handled and escalated.”

She told Pascack Press on April 13 that on Feb. 16 she and committee president Amaka Auer asked Ghassali if an apology was going to be issued. “His response was the screenshot from ʻCops and Robbersʼ and ʻI am not doing anything now.ʼ”

Residents criticize decision

Three residents asked Ghassali about the incident at the March 8 meeting of the governing body.

Matthew Solomon asked why the governing body was not using the D&I Committee to show that Montvale is “welcoming of all people.”

He noted the mayor and council “are happy to receive the positive glow of the D&I Committee … but diversity isnʼt just platitudes about the language that we speak and inclusion is sometimes riskier than celebrating different foods that cultures eat.”

He said, “Responsibility isn't just about stop signs and taxes” and that being responsible is about being responsible for decisions and the way that Montvale is viewed by other towns “and you are failing in that responsibility,” Solomon said.

He said, “Repeatedly since this D&I Committee has been formed, the mayor and council have failed to serve all of the families of Montvale.

Jodi Sullivan told the mayor and council in March that the controversy was “an embarrassment … it was unnecessary to have gotten to that point.”

She asked the mayor and council to “rethink their stance on that committee” and to “work together with them to make Montvale a place where tolerance and understanding is the norm rather than novelty.”

Another resident said she felt the disinvitation was a “knee-jerk reaction.” She said most adults can distinguish between content appropriate and inappropriate for children and asked, “Why wasnʼt he [Ware-Hill] given the benefit of the doubt?”

She said because Ware-Hill is a writer on a childrenʼs Disney TV series, “he clearly understands the difference between whatʼs appropriate for adults and whatʼs appropriate for children.”

She asked why he wasnʼt given consideration for understanding the difference in material appropriate for both audiences.

“It was given,” Ghassali said.

Moreover, he said he did not know that Ware-Hill was the cousin of a D&I member and that he has a written apology prepared for Ware-Hill over his handling of the incident. He said heʼd called the filmmaker five times, left two voicemails, and sent one text message since the disinvitation — and has not heard back.

“Iʼm not calling him again,” Ghassali said.

He acknowledged that police brutality is real, wrong, and unacceptable, and said that message “needs to come out and needs a conversation and action to stop it.” He added, “Not all police are bad.”

The mayor repeated his objection to the moment from Ware-Hillʼs film that sparked the disinvitation and asserted, “The media does not want to show this frame from the movie ʻCops and Robbersʼ at the time stamp 1:45, because itʼs ʻtoo disturbing.ʼ”

Thatʼs not so from our experience. As an editorʼs notein our Feb. 18 story “Montvale in spotlight as mayor disinvites Black History Month reader; volunteers call for apology” explained, “We are not printing the screenshot here, believing the reader is better served by watching the entire work, which provides the artistʼs context and keeps that moment in perspective.”

Ghassali showed that screenshot to residents at the March 8 council meeting — it appeared on delayed broadcast via Montvale TV — and said that if this is content the borough wants to expose kids to “then we have a bigger problem than just reading a book.”

Ghassali said he believed that children, after hearing Ware-Hill speak, would be curious about what movie he had made. He said both children and adults would be curious about “Cops and Robbers.”

“And I donʼt want my kids, or my friendsʼkids, to go and see that movie. Because itʼs one-sided, and god bless Netflix and God bless the Disney Channel [Ware-Hill is a writer on a Disney series], for having him; theyʼre more progressive than I am. But thatʼs not the role model for the kids. For the adults, 100%, we can have that conversation. But not with the kids and thatʼs the whole story,” said the mayor.

Ghassali said the Montvale Public Library had not approved of Ware-Hill as guest reader prior to him being announced by the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. It was not clear why the guest reader needed the libraryʼs approval.

Ghassali said that the Diversity & Inclusion Committee annual budget increased from $2,000 to $7,000 this year, indicating his and the councilʼs support for a lively slate of events.

Ghassali said Ware-Hillʼs “invitation is still open for him to come in and we have a conversation [about policing and race in America]. Itʼs an important message that he has and that we want to hear, but not with kids.”

Film too graphic?

We were unable to reach Ware-Hill for comment. In a July 2021 interview with Alternative Press, he is asked, “How would you respond to critics who think your film is too graphic?”He replies, “I would say thatʼs subjective. I would say itʼs no more graphic than the videos that weʼre traumatized by every month of new Black killings, and if you feel itʼs too graphic, then maybe itʼs not for you, and thatʼs fine as well.”

His interviewer also asked, “Do you think you could use this film as a way to help explain racial profiling and police brutality to young children?”

Ware-Hill replies, “Absolutely, I think it can be. There is strong language within the film, but the language isnʼt as strong as Black kids being killed by cops. Think of Tamir Rice — he was a baby. Go even further back and think about Emmett Till. I think it can be used as a tool for kids to learn.”

He says, “The sad reality is the talk that every Black kid gets from their parent/guardian that happens at a young age because it has to happen at a young age. So this can be a tool for little Black kids, but it can also be a tool for white kids to show this is what your peers go through, and a white kid can help use this as a tool to become an ally and help make significant change happen.”

On April 11, we asked Ghassali for the letter of apology he said heʼd prepared. He replied, “I am not going to comment anymore on this story. Let me know if you have any questions on anything else.”

The March 8 Borough Council meeting video is online.

WOODCLIFF LAKE

Annual spring tennis clinic served

Woodcliff Lakeʼs Park and Recreation Department will be sponsoring its Annual Spring Tennis Clinic at the Old Mill tennis complex, conducted by Bill Howley, USPTR professional.

This is the year for you to join the longest running professionally directed and instructed outdoor tennis clinic on the east coast, right here on Woodcliff Lake Old Mill Courts.

This yearʼs clinic begins the last week of April. Choose Monday the 25th, Tuesday the 26, or Wednesday the 27th. The clinic runs for five weeks. All rainouts will be made up.

Instruction will be available for adults and children during the day and evening at various times. Classes for all player levels, from those who are just learning to play, up to league and team players, in different groups, of course.

Basic and advanced strokes, in conjunction with strategy and tactics and game playing, will be covered.

Adult lessons will be conducted in the mornings and in the evenings.

Lessons for children, 2nd graders through high school, will be held after school in the afternoons and early evenings in one-hour sessions.

A special session just for high school team players is at 6 p.m. The cost is $95 per student with discounts for multi-family participants.

Participation is open to all WCL residents and our friends in surrounding towns.

For more information and registration, contact director Bill How-

Creative Commons

ley at cciachief@aol.com or (201) 926-7924.