SOUTH AMBOY – The city has commemorated the opening of the Woodmont Cove residential development with the naming of streets for World War II veterans.
The development is on John T. O’Leary Boulevard near the South Amboy YMCA and the Venetian Care and Rehabilitation Center.
During a ceremony on May 31, Mayor Fred Henry honored three veterans who have had streets in the development named for them.
According to Henry, Max Nebus was involved in an incident in Italy during which he saved a troop of soldiers he was with at Monte Cassino in February 1944. Nebus observed German machine guns threatening his unit and he destroyed their position with hand grenades. Nebus was killed during the battle and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross.
Nebus’s daughter, Linda, who was 15 months old at the time of her father’s death, attended the event with her family.
“My father and I never knew each other, but I’m sure he would have been pleased with today,” Linda said. “My family and I want to thank all of you for this honor and especially the people involved in this. It’s good to know that people haven’t forgotten all of the men who have been lost. So many of them never got the chance to see their own children. Thank you all, we really appreciate this.”
The second veteran honored was Lt. Howard Littell, a paratrooper involved in the D Day invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. According to records, Littell survived the jump, but was killed by enemy fire on June 7. Littell’s family was not able to attend the ceremony due to a death in the family.
The final veteran honored was Walter “Pete” Casey, who was involved in the D Day invasion of Normandy, France, and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
Casey survived the war and returned to South Amboy, where he was known as the town’s milk man. He had a hand in starting the South Amboy First Aid Squad, the South Amboy chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and he was a member of the Knights of Columbus. Casey served as grand marshal for the city’s Memorial Day and St. Patrick’s Day parades.
Casey’s daughter, Mary, and her family attended.
“The Casey family has been a part of South Amboy history for generations,” Mary said. “My grandfather, Robert Casey, was mayor in the 1940s. My father and my Uncle Bob operated the Raritan Valley milk business in the 1950s and 1960s.
“My father’s love of South Amboy started when he was born here and continued until his death at the age of 93. I can’t see a more fitting way to leave his footprint than this street, which is wedged between his two favorite spots, his skating hole at the water works and his swimming hole at Frog Hollow,” she said.
Woodmont Cove was built by Woodmont Properties of Fairfield.
Woodmont Properties “produced a great project by taking a contaminated piece of land, cleaning it up and building this beautiful complex,” Henry said. “They promised they would do it and they delivered.
“There was a lot of planning, designing, redesigning and re-redesigning because some things were not the way some people thought it should be. It was not an easy task for this particular piece of property.
“We now have this living area which benefits Woodmont, it benefits the residents who live here, it benefits the city and the people of South Amboy. I want to thank the people who made this possible,” Henry said.
Woodmont Properties President Lewis Zlotnick said, “I was involved in this project from its inception. It started as former Mayor Jack O’Leary’s vision and he had a vision for the town. As a result of that vision we have a beautiful YMCA, the Venetian rehabilitation center and the Woodmont Cove development.”
Zlotnick said Woodmont Cove will have 126 residences. He said 86 residences have been completed, with a majority of them leased and occupied. Zlotnick anticipates the development will be complete by the summer.
Contact Peter Elacqua at [email protected].