October 2026 Newsletter

We survivors, at 88 years old, should be patting ourselves on our collective backs…some 90 of us at last count!  We have much to be thankful for, although we might guess, this stage is not so easy (nor pain free)!

Asking locals Evelyn Fischer, David Byrne (is in Ireland), Bob Delezenski and Connie Stoppiello about the effects in dear ol’ Bloomfield due to the recent Nor’easter…none report any flooding or loss of power.  Seems the shore areas were the hardest hit.

When Peg/John advised of their anniversary picture, others stepped forward to remind us of their longevity together:  Judy and Eddie have been married for 67 years (photo enclosed; grandson Jack in the National Honor Society); Armand and his wife, 66 years; and Arlene Cerutto and her husband, 66 years (with 2 children, 6 grandkids and 5 great grands).  Wow.

And we have photos of new find Patti Coolick (with an obituary of her husband that relates of their lives together).  Dave Samuelson reports he has been in the hospital for 6 weeks .

We’re proud to finally have a local San Marino girl on the Tournament of Roses Court (with a Queen yet to be named), Lucy Wending.  City Club and Rotary both have annual visits; this year will be more meaningful.

We just passed the 25-year anniversary of 9/11.  We know of only one casualty, Buddy Solamone’s son John (obituary, enclosed); prayerfully we hope there were no more.  Anne Lavery, at the time, lived in Indian Lake, a few short miles from the Shanksville crash site.

In the past month we’ve heard from: Bob Quinn, Robert O’Rourke, Ray Barleon, Kay McCormick, Ann Zimmerman, Eddie Alplanalp, Arlene Cerutto, Armand D’Agostino, Lew Kain, Luci Hanson, Art Ackerman, Bob Alvine, Arlene Walsh, Ginny van Zile, Wally Riker, Dave Samuelson, and Carol Hill.  A modern day record me thinks.

Please save-the-date for our next Reunion, by Zoom:  Friday, November 6, at noon east coast time. Joseph Fleres, Superintendent of Schools, will address us.  I personally hope he updates us on our former Junior High, on Franklin.  Wally has graciously again offered to be available at 11:30 am…to assist with any feeling uncertain about clicking in.

Peter F. Zales, Obituary

Peter Zales passed away peacefully at Stanford Hospital, with loving family at his side, at age 88.He was born in Newark NJ, and grew up in Glen Ridge NJ. After graduating from Glen Ridge High School, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and attended Seton Hall University.

He began his career in telecommunications with New Jersey Bell, where he met Patricia Ann Coolick. They married in 1958 and celebrated their 64th anniversary in October 2022.Peter is survived by his wife “Patti,” his son Stephen in Menlo Park CA (Grace), daughters Lorraine in Hackettstown NJ and Karen Brumfiel in Escondido CA (Bob), plus four grandchildren (Nichole, Michael, Ellie and Melissa), four great-grandchildren who all lovingly called him “Papa Pete,” and many extended family members and friends. He was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Edith Zales and his sister Joanne Erb.

Peter’s focus, having welcomed three children before his third wedding anniversary, was spending time with his family and working to provide for their well-being. He encouraged and modeled for them his values of being responsible, reliable and diligent, while interspersing humor whenever he could. Peter pursued a long and successful career in sales and marketing management in the telecommunications industry at New Jersey Bell, Motorola and NY Cellular.

He led the sales and marketing team at NY Cellular, which in the early 1980’s was the first designated agent in the NY Metro area to sell and market “car phones” (the precursor to cell phones).

In 2003, Peter and Patti made the bold move from Verona NJ, their hometown of 39 years, to Los Altos CA, where they lived happily in the Parc Regent community for the past 19 years.

Peter was well-known for helping his neighbors with their safety and health. Peter’s hobbies included pistol target shooting in his earlier years, having a good laugh, and writing heartfelt poems for family and friends that emphasized morals and good values.

He was a proud and patriotic Marine Corps veteran, and enjoyed talking to and visiting with other veterans at the Palo Alto VA whenever their paths crossed.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Peter’s memory, one of his favorite causes was the Salvation Army.

John Salamone Obituary

John Patrick Salamone, 37 years old, North Tower 104th floor

John Patrick Salamone was born on January 25, 1964 to Madeline Reed and Benedict Salamone in Fort Cavazos, TX. He had two brothers, Michael and Thomas, and two sisters, Catherine and Michelle. He lived in North Caldwell, NJ. John attended and graduated from West Essex Regional High School, Oglethorpe University in 1986 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and Fordham University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. John married his sweetheart, Mary Ellen Salamone, in 1991, and they had three children together, Alex, age 6, Aidan, age 4, and Anna, age 3 (at the time of John’s passing). John adored his children, and their eyes would always light up when he came home from work. John’s wife, Mary Ellen, remembered, “He could make my kids smile and laugh like nobody else. They just waited for him to come home and play with them. He left business at work. He would chase after them, catch, and tickle them. He did everything with them, took them to the park all the time, taught them how to ride their bikes.” John enjoyed coaching his sons’ soccer and Little League games. He also loved to play Cinderella with his daughter and dance her around the room. John enjoyed playing golf and would take his sons to play golf on Sundays at the Essex Fells Country Club, where he was a member. Remembering her husband, Mary Ellen said, “What everybody says about him is that he had an amazing sense of humor. In any situation, he would find the lighter side of it and make you laugh about it.” John was also described by his friends and family as determined, funny, loving, and kind.

John worked as a preferred stock broker for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. He joined Cantor in 1998. On the morning of September 11, 2001, John was working on the 104th floor when Flight 11 struck the North Tower, leaving his floor and all of Cantor’s offices above the impassable impact zone. None of the firm’s attending employees survived the attack, including John. Though his life was unfairly taken on September 11th, John lives on forever in the hearts and memories of his loved ones and through all who continue to remember him. He will never be forgotten.