Rita Hutton, 54, retired secretary
May 4, 1999
Rita R. Hutton, 54, of Lakehurst, N.J., a native Staten Islander and a retired secretary, died Saturday of a heart attack while vacationing on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Born Rita Gunther in Great Kills, she moved to Tottenville in 1973, to Prescott, Ariz., in 1994 and to Lakehurst in 1997. She was a secretary for various firms in Staten Island, Manhattan and New Jersey for 20 years. She was also a home health attendant and an ombudsman in Arizona, retiring in 1997. Mrs. Hutton graduated from Tottenville High School. While living in the Renaissance Active Adult Community in Lakehurst, she was chairwoman of a benefit for the Deborah Hospital which raised almost $1,000. She enjoyed reading and spending time with her grandchildren. While living in Staten Island, she was an elder of Great Kills Moravian Church. Surviving are her husband, Thomas V.; one son, Jeffrey; a daughter, Diane Hutton-Rose; one sister, Ethel Ducey; and five grandchildren. The funeral will be Friday at 10 a.m. in the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville. Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Eileen Arnone, 58, was bank employee
May 3, 1999
Eileen C. Arnone, 58, of Oakwood, an assistant head bank teller, died Saturday in Silver Lake Nursing Home, where she had resided since March. Born Eileen C. Lampe in Manhattan, she moved to Oakwood in 1965. She worked as an assistant head teller for Gateway State Bank, Dongan Hills, for several years. Prior to that she worked as a cashier in the New Dorp Kmart. Mrs. Arnone was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Oakwood Heights Post, and was a parishioner of St. Charles R.C. Church, Oakwood. She enjoyed traveling and taking trips to Atlantic City. Her husband, Vincent P., died two and half months ago. Surviving are three daughters, Theresa Schimmel, Christine Ward and Maureen Arnone; a stepdaughter, Renee Heinz; a sister, Catherine O'Hagan; and seven grandchildren. The funeral will be Wednesday from the Hanley Funeral Home, New Dorp, with a mass at 10:15 a.m. in St. Charles Church. Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, also New Dorp.

Vernon Nembhard, 78, retired electrician
May 4, 1999
Vernon Nembhard, 78, a longtime New Brighton resident and a retired electrician, died Sunday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. Born in Jamaica, the West Indies, Mr. Nembhard moved to New Brighton in the late 1960s. Mr. Nembhard was an electrician with the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) line for two decades, retiring in the late 1980s. His wife, the former Enid D'Aguilar, died in 1996. Surviving are four sons, Norman, Anthony and Carlton Nembhard, and Burchell Archer; five daughters, Esmeta Campbell, Monica Simon, Andrea McIntosh, and Pamela and Maureen Nembhard; a sister, Roslyn Crearey; 21 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. The funeral will be May 11 from the Harmon Home for Funerals, West Brighton, with a service at 11 a.m. in St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church, Stapleton. Burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery, West Brighton.

Rose Vattiato, 86, was a homemaker
May 4, 1999
Rose Vattiato, 86, of Boynton Beach, Fla., a former Mariners Harbor resident and a homemaker, died April 27 in John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, West Palm Beach, Fla. Born Rose Battaglia in Brooklyn, she was brought to Mariners Harbor as an infant and moved to Boynton Beach in 1978. Mrs. Vattiato, a homemaker, was a longtime parishioner of St. Clement R.C. Church, Mariners Harbor. She enjoyed doing volunteer work at the church and taking trips to Las Vegas. She had also been a member of the Mothers Club at St. Peter's Boys High School. Surviving are her husband, Joseph; three sons, Joseph Jr., John and Jim Vattiat ; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Funeral arrangements were handled by the Boynton Beach Memorial Chapel. Burial was in Boynton Beach Mausoleum.

Marie Litrell, 88, was a homemaker
May 4, 1999
Marie Litrell, 88, of Great Kills, died April 29 in the Sisters of Charity Medical Center, St. Vincent's Campus. Born Marie Amodeo in Manhattan, she was brought to West Brighton as a child and lived in New Dorp for most of her life before settling in Great Kills in 1996. A homemaker, Mrs. Litrell also managed Williams Printing, the family business in St. George, for four years during World War II before leaving to raise her family. She was a graduate of Curtis High School and earned a bachelor's degree in math from Hunter College, Manhattan. Mrs. Litrell enjoyed reading and spending time with her family. She was a parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace R.C. Church, New Dorp. "She always had a ready smile and was optimistic even when times were tough," said her son, Jack. Her husband, Anthony, died in 1985. In addition to her son, Jack, Mrs. Litrell is survived by four sisters, Lena Amodeo, Vera Werner, Josephine Quinn and Elizabeth O'Keefe; two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. The funeral will be tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville. Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Lloyd Riley, 68, retired UPS driver
May 4, 1999
Lloyd Riley, 68, of Henryville, Pa., a former Staten Island resident and a retired United Parcel Service (UPS) driver, died Sunday at home of cancer. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Prince's Bay in 1969 and to Henryville in 1997. He was a driver for 27 years with a UPS center in Queens and belonged to Teamsters Union Local 804. He retired in 1989. Mr. Riley served in the Navy from 1947 to 1950 aboard the battleship USS Missouri. He also coached in the South Shore Babe Ruth League during the mid-1970s. Mr. Riley enjoyed fishing, hunting and woodworking. He was a former parishioner of St. Joseph and St. Thomas R.C. Parish, Pleasant Plains. "He was a loving husband, father and 'poppa' to his grandchildren," said his son, Patrick Riley. In addition to his son, Patrick, surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Tarallo; another son, Lloyd; two daughters, Debra Riley and Connie Walsh; a brother, Joel Riley; two sisters, Florence Wandell and Frances Riley; and 11 grandchildren. The funeral will be tomorrow from the John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, Eltingville, with a mass at 10 a.m. in St. Thomas the Apostle R.C. Church, Pleasant Plains. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.

Joseph Kinsella, 70, retired seaman
May 4, 1999
Joseph Kinsella, 70, of Westerleigh, a lifelong Staten Islander and a retired seaman, died yesterday in the Sisters of Charity Medical Center, St. Vincent's Campus. Born in New Brighton, Mr. Kinsella moved to Westerleigh in 1947. He was a seaman for the Military Sea Transport Service in Bayonne for many years, retiring in 1981. Mr. Kinsella served in the Army during the Korean War. He attended Curtis High School. Mr. Kinsella enjoyed bike riding, reading and listening to music from the 1920s and '30s. Surviving are two brothers, his twin brother, Walter, and John; and two sisters, Leah Abildnes and Margaret Kinsella. The funeral will be tonight at 8 in the Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook. The Rev. Paul B. Conner II, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Willowbrook, will officiate. Burial will be tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Joseph DeFeo, 47, was an electrician
May 4, 1999
Joseph DeFeo Sr., 47, of Grasmere, an electrician and retired longshoreman, died Sunday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Grasmere in the early 1980s. He was a member of the International Longshoremen's Association and worked as a rigger on the Brooklyn waterfront for many years before retiring and taking a job six years ago as an electrician with Tap Electric Co., Holbrook, L.I. "He was very good at repair, very handy and did a lot of concrete work in his spare time," said his brother-in-law, Edward DeLucia . Mr. DeFeo served in the Army during the 1960s. He was a parishioner of Holy Rosary R.C. Church, South Beach. Surviving are his wife, the former MaryLou Gulizio; two sons, Joseph Jr. and Nicholas; his mother, Catherine DeFeo; a brother, Neil DeFeo; and a sister, MaryAnn McCarty. The funeral will be tomorrow from the Raccuglia & Sons Funeral Home, Brooklyn, with a mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Stephen's R.C. Church, Brooklyn. Burial will follow in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Joseph Andriulli, 72, retired horticulturist
May 4, 1999
Joseph Andriulli, 72, of Grant City, a lifelong Staten Islander and a retired horticulturist, died Sunday in Staten Island University Hospital, Prince's Bay. Born in Graniteville, he also lived in New Brighton and Clifton before moving to Grant City in 1970. He was an assistant horticulturist for the city Parks Department in Sunnyside and Brooklyn for 35 years, retiring in 1984. Mr. Andriulli was a parishioner of St. Christopher's R.C. Church, Grant City, and was a member of the church's Holy Name Society. He was also a member of the Richmond AARP chapter. A graduate of McKee High School, he enjoyed carpentry and playing golf and cards. Mr. Andriulli was a private in the Army from 1946 to 1947, serving in Texas. Surviving are his wife, the former Rosemarie Unrein; one son, Anthony; one daughter, Susan Norton; one brother, Rocco; and one sister, Geraldine Caputo. The funeral will be Thursday from the Richmond Funeral Home, Grant City, with a mass at 10 a.m. in St. Christopher's Church. Cremation will be in the Rosehill Crematory, Linden, N.J.

James Brown, 87, retired printer
May 4, 1999
James E. Brown, 87, of Fort Wadsworth, a lifelong Staten Island resident and retired printer, died Sunday in the Verrazano Nursing Home, Tompkinsville. Born in Stapleton, he moved to South Beach in 1939 and settled in Fort Wadsworth in 1945. He was a printer with the Rosebank firm Louis Dejonge & Co. for more than 40 years, retiring in 1977. He also served as a captain in the Civil Defense from World War II until 1965. Mr. Brown enjoyed repairing televisions. He was also an avid sports fan and collector of bric-a-brac. Surviving are his wife, the former Catherine Zimmer; a son James Jr.; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. The funeral will be tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Tottenville. The Rev. Joanna White of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, will officiate. Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Gertrude Twaite, 72, associate comptroller
May 4, 1999
Gertrude Twaite, 72, of Westerleigh, a retired associate comptroller at Wagner College, died yesterday in the Sisters of Charity Medical Center, St. Vincent's Campus. Born Gertrude Bryn in Brooklyn, she moved to Westerleigh in 1955. Mrs. Twaite worked at Wagner College for about 20 years, rising to the position of associate comptroller. She retired in 1985. Mrs. Twaite received a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. Mrs. Twaite served as the former financial secretary of the Sons of Norway's Nansen Lodge in Travis. She also served as the lodge's scholarship committee treasurer and a member of its ladies auxiliary. She served on the board of directors of the Norwegian Children's Home Association and was a coordinator for the 17th of May Parade Committee, a planning group for the parade which is held in Brooklyn and celebrates Norwegian independence day. Mrs. Twaite, with her husband, Sverre J., were among four families from Nansen Lodge who joined 1,000 members of the international organization at the 52nd biennial international convention in Norway in 1992. The convention began in Trondheim, Norway, the first capital of the Norwegian Empire. The group then took in three days of sightseeing, boarding the "Heritage Train," to Lillehammer, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. A member of Zion Lutheran Church in Willowbrook, she served as treasurer of the church's Ladies' Aid and a member of Zion Association of Retired Persons. In addition to her husband, surviving are a son, Peter; a daughter, Kristine Twaite; a brother, Clifford Bryn; and three grandchildren. The funeral will be Friday from the Harmon Home for Funerals, West Brighton, with a service at 10 a.m. in Zion Lutheran Church. Burial will be in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Frances Turner, 78, was a meat packer
May 4, 1999
Frances Helen Turner, 78, of New Brighton, a retired meat packer, died April 29 in the Sisters of Charity Medical Center, St. Vincent's Campus. Born Frances Helen Jones in Birmingham, Ala., she moved to Manhattan when she was 18 years old and to Clifton in 1969. She settled in New Brighton in 1971. A member of the Butchers' Union Local 174, Mrs. Turner worked as a meat packer for the former White Packer Co., Jordan, N.J., for about 30 years, retiring in 1984. She also worked as a cook for the clients of United Cerebral Palsy, Willowbrook, for the last eight years. She enjoyed cooking, needlepoint and rug hooking. Her daughter, Denise Hodges, remembered her as a wonderful mother to everyone she knew. "She was a mother not only to her own kids," said Mrs. Hodges, "but to the children of her friends as well." Her husband, Charles, died in 1974. In addition to her daughter, she is survived by a son, Walter; two brothers, Howard and John E. Jones; a sister, Lillian Avant; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The funeral will be tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Scamardella Funeral Home, West Brighton. The Rev. Lawrence DeSilvia, of First Central Baptist Church, Stapleton, will officiate. Burial will follow in Frederick Douglass Cemetery, Oakwood.

Delfina Simo, 65, import/export manager
May 4, 1999
Delfina Simo, 65, of Lincroft, N.J., a former Staten Islander and a retired import/export manager, died yesterday in New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Manhattan, following a year-long battle with lymphoma. Born Delfina Delgado in Havana, Cuba, she moved to Westerleigh in 1966 and to Red Bank, N.J., in 1996 before settling in Lincroft in 1998. She worked as an import/export manager for a number of shipping firms in Manhattan and New Jersey for several years, retiring in the late-1980s. Mrs. Simo was a parishioner of St. Leo's R.C. Church, Lincroft. Surviving are two sons, Miguel Suarez and Billy Simo; a daughter, Lourdes Musto; her stepfather, Roger Larre; and six grandchildren. Funeral arrangements, which are pending, are being handled by the Carmen F. Spezzi Funeral Home, Parlin, N.J. Entombment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Middletown, N.J.

Charles Bivona, 67, retired taxi driver
May 4, 1999
Charles M. Bivona, 67, of Mariners Harbor, a retired taxi driver, died yesterday in the Sisters of Charity Medical Center, St. Vincent's Campus. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Mariners Harbor in 1988. He owned a medallion taxi, picking up passengers at local airports for 30 years. He was also a driver for the Dial Radio Co. He retired in 1996. Mr. Bivona was a parishioner of St. Michael's R.C. Church, Mariners Harbor. He enjoyed sports, especially following the New York Giants, and spending time with his family. Surviving are his wife, the former Frances Silipini; two sons, Michael and Steven; a daughter, Maria Tremmel; a sister, Nina Labozzetta; and nine grandchildren. The funeral will be Saturday from the Colonial Funeral Home, New Dorp, with a mass at noon in St. Michael's Church. Cremation will follow.

Catherine Bloom, 80, was a homemaker
May 4, 1999
Catherine Bloom, 80, of Howell, N.J., a native Staten Islander, died Sunday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. Born Catherine Donnelly in New Brighton, she lived in Westerleigh for 15 years and in Stapleton for about 10 years. She also lived in Westminster, Calif., for about 10 years before settling in Howell 14 years ago. Mrs. Bloom was a homemaker who enjoyed crocheting, bingo and attending functions at her local senior center. Her husband, Melvin, died in 1985. Surviving are her daughter, Catherine Barnett; two grandsons; and two great-granddaughters. The funeral will be Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Freeman Funeral Home, Freehold, N.J. The Rev. William L. Frederickson of First Baptist Church, Freehold, will officiate. Cremation will be in Monmouth (N.J.) Memorial Park.

Bernard Tuohy, 80, retired plant operator
May 4, 1999
Bernard (Barney) A. Tuohy Sr., 80, of Rosebank, a lifelong Staten Island resident and retired plant operator, died Sunday in Doctors' Hospital. Born in Tompkinsville, Mr. Tuohy moved to Dongan Hills in 1951 and to Rosebank in 1969. He was a plant operator at the former Procter & Gamble plant in Port Ivory for 31 years, retiring in 1979. He then worked as a refrigerator engineer for the former Sedutto's Ice Cream factory in Port Richmond for six years until it closed in 1995. Mr. Tuohy also did dredge work in harbors along the East Coast and worked at the Bethlehem Steel Ship Yard in Mariners Harbor during World War II. He attended the former Augustinian Academy, Grymes Hill. Mr. Tuohy was a Eucharistic minister at St. Mary's R.C. Church, Rosebank. He was a member of the Retired Persons of Port Ivory. Mr. Tuohy enjoyed reading and history. "He had a great faith in his God, his family and his country," said his son, John Tuohy. In addition to his son, John, Mr. Tuohy is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Margaret Ferrara; two other sons, Bernard Jr. and Thomas; three daughters, Patricia Hession and Margaret and Dorothy Tuohy; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. The funeral will be Thursday from the Casey Funeral Home, Castleton Corners, with a mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary's Church. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, Grasmere.