Virginia L. Ratcliffe
Virginia L. Ratcliffe of Lawrence died Sunday in Capital Health System at Fuld. She was 74.
Born in Trenton, she was an area resident all her life.
Ms. Ratcliffe retired in 1994 as the supervisor to the superintendent of elections for Mercer County after 25 years of service.
She was a member of the Republican Club of Lawrence Township, Order of the Eastern Star of New Jersey, Signal 22 and a life member of the Slackwood Ladies Auxiliary.
Daughter of the late William and Pauline Feaster Richardson and wife of the late Harry James Ratcliffe Jr., she is survived by a daughter, Dolly DiMeglio and her husband Sal; two sons, Harry Ratcliffe III and his wife, and Bill Ratcliffe and his partner Mark Lord; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Also surviving are her two sisters-in-law, Justine Opaleski and Marilyn Ellis; an aunt, Margaret Ratcliffe; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
The funeral will be held 11 a.m. today from Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Road. Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Hamilton.
Adrienne S. Szilagyi
HAMILTON Adrienne Sandberg Szilagyi died Sept. 25 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton. She was 59.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Ms. Szilagyi was a Trenton-area resident most of her life.
Wife of the late Alex Lewis Szilagyi, she is survived by a daughter, Andrea Szilagyi of Lawrence and a sister, Ricki Pelzner of New York City.
Funeral services and burial were Friday at Ewing Cemetery.
Arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing.
Msgr. Thaddeus J. Wojciehowski
Reverend Monsignor Thaddeus Joseph "Father Ted" Wojciehowski died Friday at St. Lawrence Center in Lawrence. He was 89.
Born in Primrose, Pa., he moved to Manville as a child.
Monsignor Wojciehowski prepared for the priesthood at St. Mary’s College, Orchard Lake, Mich. and at St. Bernard’s Seminary, Rochester, N.Y. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop William A. Griffin in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Trenton on at age 26, along with his best friend, the Rev. Joseph Rucinski.
His first assignment was associate pastor of St. Stephen’s Church, Perth Amboy in 1942. A year later, he became associate pastor of St. Hedwig’s Church, Trenton. He joined St. Catherine’s, East Keansburg as pastor in 1955.
During his 12 years at St. Catherine’s, he led an improvement campaign that made extensive repairs to the church and rectory and built a parish school and convent.
In 1967, he was appointed pastor of Holy Cross Church, Trenton by Bishop George W. Ahr.
In 1981 he was appointed chaplain of Mercer County Chapter of the Holy Innocents Society and Spiritual Director of the Holy Cross Center of Learning by Bishop John C. Reiss.
He served as chaplain to many area organizations. Monsignor Wojciehowski also held key leadership positions in the Trenton and Metuchen dioceses.
At the recommendation of Bishop Reiss, in recognition of his countless works, Pope John Paul II elevated Monsignor Wojciehowski as a Prelate of Honor to His Holiness on March 10, 1984.
He retired as pastor of Holy Cross Church in 1991. He spent four years of his retirement in residence at St. Jerome’s Church, West Long Branch, assisting the pastor, the Rev. Fred Jackewicz, and the Filippini sisters with their busy parish and school. Bishop Reiss appointed Monsignor Wojciehowski liaison for retired priests to provide the diocese with a communication link with the retired priests.
In October 1995 he was one of the first priests to move into the new retired priest residence, Villa Vianney, in Lawrence, where he was reunited with his best friend, the Rev. Rucinski.
Predeceased by parents Stephen and Valentyna Wojciehowski, and two brothers, Stanley and Chester Wojciehowski, he is survived by two sisters, Stephanie Castles and Mary Penarczyk, along with many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
A Rite of Reception was held Wednesday at the Divine Mercy Parish, Church of the Holy Cross, Trenton. A Funeral Liturgy was celebrated Wednesday. Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery, Hamilton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are to be made to either the Villa Victoria Filippini Sisters, 376 West Upper Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ 08628 or to the Felician Sisters, 260 S. Main St., Lodi, NJ 07644.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Winowicz Funeral Service, Trenton.
Delores Sims
TRENTON Delores Sims died Sept. 27 at home. She was 81.
Born in New York City, she was educated in the Lambertville public school system. She was an executive secretary for Bristol-Myers Squibb in Lawrence.
She was a member of St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church and among her many activities at the church, served as the church secretary and was a member of the Lionels gospel group. She was also a participant of the Walk For Life Breast Cancer Association.
The mother of the late William Trent, she is survived by two daughters, Bethany L. Sims of Palmdale, Calif. and Darya M. Sims of Trenton; three sons, Daryl R. Trent Sr., Eric J. Trent Sr., both of Trenton, and Charles B. Sims Jr. of Palmdale, Calif.; 17 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; three sisters, Lillie Trent of Washington D.C., Barbara Trent of Morrisville, Pa. and Ruth Ann Dotson of Seattle, Wash.; two brothers, William R. Trent of Washington, D.C. and John Crosby of Lawrence; an aunt, Evangeline Elliott of Baltimore, Md.; a special friend, Linda Hudson of Lawrence; and many relatives and friends.
The funeral was Tuesday at St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church, 308 N. Willow St., Trenton.
Arrangements are by Anderson Funeral Service, Trenton.
Mary D. Bolger
Mary D. Bolger died Friday in the St. Joseph’s Skilled Nursing Unit at Morris Hall. She was 85.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y., she was a former resident of Rossmoor in Jamesburg.
She retired from the New York Bell Telephone Company, where she worked in customer relations.
Daughter of the late Joseph and Florence McEvoy Bolger and sister of the late Florence Bolger, she is survived by several cousins, Eileen Carey McCoy, Eileen McCoy Whang and her husband, Kyu-Jung Whang, Maura and Andrew Whang, Thomas McCoy III and Ariana McCoy.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday in the Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel at Morris Hall. Burial was in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Morris Hall, 1 Bishops’ Way, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
Andrew D. Maglione
TRENTON Andrew D. "Andy" Maglione died Sept. 25 in Saint Francis Medical Center. He was 92.
Born in Trenton, he was a lifelong Trenton area resident.
Mr. Maglione retired in 1983 after more than 40 years from General Motors Corporation in Ewing. He was a Trenton-area boxer known as "Dundee Maglione."
Son of the late Donato and Angelina Franco Maglione, husband of the late Mary Graziano Maglione, brother of the late Joseph "Tony" Maglione and Anna Maglione; he is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Andre D. and Marie Maglione of Hamilton; a daughter, Sandra M. Cornelius of Lawrence; a brother, Rocco Maglione of Ewing; a sister, Rose Spirito of Hamilton; six grandchildren, Lori Powell, Kristi Zoldi, Brian, Darren, and Ryan Maglione and Andre Maglione Jr.; 16 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral was Sept. 29 from the Brenna Funeral Home, Trenton. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Sept. 29 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Hamilton Township. Entombment was in Our Lady of Lourdes Madonna Mausoleum, Hamilton.
Harold W. Coleman
HAMILTON Harold W. Coleman died Sept. 24 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton. He was 60.
Born in Plainfield, he was a Hamilton resident most of his life.
Mr. Coleman was employed with the Stout Bus Co. in Hamilton as a driver and had also worked for several other bus companies. He served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam for two tours of duty in the 101st Airborne.
Son of the late Richard Coleman Sr. and Anne Nicholson, he is survived by his daughter Tiffany Coleman of Lawrence; a sister Jacqueline Collette of San Bernardino, Calif.; a brother Richard Jr. and wife Denise Coleman of Hamilton; a dear friend Corin Marshall of Niagara Falls, Canada; nephews including Shawn Coleman, Paul and Richard Collette; and nieces, including, Michelle Hernandez; and his former wife Laura Andrews Coleman.
The funeral was Sept. 29 from the Kingston & Kemp Funeral Home, Hamilton.
Donations may be made to the American Red Cross in memory of Mr. Coleman at 707 Alexander Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.