The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 18

64 REGION 00 THE HOME NEWS THURSDAY. APRIL 22. 1993 Rhoda Booth Jackson Marion Martishewski Highland Park festival readies' idea was to give people in town a chance to meet the crafters," Rolnick said. As the idea has expanded and more people have gotten involved, the day is now looked upon as one for the community to get to know each other maybe a little better and for out-of-towners to acquaint themselves with the borough. 1 "It's really a day for everyone in the community to find out what's going on in town and for visitors to see Highland Park," Rolnick said.

Children can ride a kiddie train, the ferris wheel, or go through the moon walk for a dollar per ride, Rolnick said. And for food lovers, Charlie Brown's will offer traditional American dishes made in their restaurant and the Corner Confectionery will provide desserts like ice cream and other sweets. Tabatchnick's Deli and Catering will sell kosher hot-dogs among other delicacies and several food vendors will specialize in Vietnamese and other South Asian dishes. The borough's council members, Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works Department participate in the event every year, Rolnick said for the obvious safety purposes but also to add the presence of the town's backbone visitors who may not be familiar with the people who keep the borough running. By DIONNE FORD Home News staff writer HIGHLAND PARK For the fourth year in a row, Highland Park's merchants and businesses are supporting the borough street festival, which plans to give residents and visitors a taste of Highland Park this Sunday.

The fair promises pony rides, sidewalk drawings, international cuisine, and arts and crafts. About 30 craft vendors, and 20 vendors selling anything from T-shirts to hermit crabs will be located along Raritan Avenue between Second and Fifth Avenues during the fair hours of 11 am to 5 p.m. That portion of Raritan Avenue will be closed to vehicles during those hours to accommodate the pedestrian mall. In previous years, the festival was sponsored by the borough's Cooperative Business Association, but this year it's being sponsored by the newly formed Highland Park Chamber of Commerce. A former association and Chamber of Commerce member, Margaret Rolnick, came up with the idea for a festival four years ago as a way to let residents meet the crafters whose merchandise is sold in her Raritan Avenue store, Margaret's Craftshop.

"I started it because I'm dealing with crafters in the local area The Frank Vargo, 74 EDISON Frank Vargo died yesterday at the John F. Kennedy. Medical Center. He was 74. Born in Perth Amboy, he lived in the Hopelawn section of Wood-bridge before moving here 36 years ago.

He was employed as a lift truck operator by Bird and Son Inc. in Perth Amboy for 16 years, retiring in 1981. He was a member of Our Lady of Peace RC. Church in the Fords section of Woodbridge. Surviving are his wife, Frances Horvath Vargo; a son, Ronald of Sayreville; a granddaughter, Renee; a grandson, Ronald, and a great-grandson, Robert, all of Sayreville.

Services will be 9 a.m. Saturday at the Mitruska Funeral Home, 531 New' Brunswick Ave, Fords, followed by a 9:30 a.m. Mass in Our Lady of Peace Church. Burial will be at the Alpine Cemetery in Perth Amboy. George E.

Ludwig Jr. HIGHTSTOWN George E. Ludwig Jr. died yesterday at home. He was 54.

Born in the Bronx, N.Y, he had lived in the Avenel section of Wood-bridge until he moved here 10 years ago. He worked as a warehouse supervisor at West Point Pepperell in Dayton for the past 20 years. He was a former chief of the Avenel Fire Department and a member of the Exempt Firemans Association of Avenel. Surviving are five sons, Dr. George E.

II of Metuchen, Raymond G. of Silver Springs, Md, Robert T. of Washington, D.C, Paul R. of Avenel, and Matthew serving in the Navy in Jacksonville, one brother, Richard T. of Bar-negat Light, N.J.; one sister, Anna Michalski of Pt Charlotte, Fla, and five grandchildren.

Services will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Costello-Koyen Funeral Home, 399 Avenel St, Avenel, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian burial at St. Andrew's R.C. Church, North Madison Avenue, Avenel.

Burial will be at St Gertrude's Cemetery in the Colonia section of Woodbridge. Bernie Wayne, 74, wrote the theme for Miss America LOS ANGELES (AP) Bernie Wayne, who composed the music for the enduring hit "Blue Velvet" and wrote "There She Is," the crowning theme of the Miss America Pageant has died. He was 74. Mr. Wayne died Sunday of natural causes at his Marina del Rey home, said Josh Starer, funeral director of Hillside Memorial Park Mortuary in Los Angeles.

Bobby Vinton's recording of "Blue Velvet" was a No. 1 song in 1963, enjoyed a resurgence as theme of David Lynch's 1986 movie of the same name, and recently was a hit again in England after it surfaced in a TV ad. "There She Is" was first heard at the Miss America Pageant in 1955, when the reigning queen, Lee Meriwether, made her farewell walk and Miss America 1956, Sharon Kay Ritchie, was crowned. The pageant is held in Atlantic City, N.J. It was dropped from the program in 1982 in a dispute over money, then reinstated in 1985.

Pageant officials said Mr. Wayne settled the dispute for considerably less than the 15-year, $25,000 contract he had wanted. In a 1985 interview, Wayne said he was overjoyed that "There She Is" was allowed to return as theme song of the Atlantic City, N.J.-based pageant "I felt that someday it would be back in its rightful place in Atlantic City," Mr. Wayne said at the time. "Blue Velvet," ryrics written by the late Lee Morris, became the pivotal recording of Vinton's career.

Vinton learned of Mr. Wayne's death while working on his new Blue Velvet Theater in Branson, Mo. "He just had the magic. He was able to do something that stayed with people a long time," said Vinton. "Blue Velvet" was first recorded by Tony Bennett in the early 1950s.

The Clovers recorded it in 1955, inspiring Vinton to record his own version in Nashville. "I said, 'What would happen if we took a great song like 'Blue Velvet' and used a country The outcome was a No. 1 record, a No. 1 album and a long career for me." 1 Self-storage facility I plans big expansion By SARAH WOOD Home News staff writer EAST BRUNSWICK U-Haul of North New Jersey last night asked the Zoning Board for multiple variances so it can increase its self-service storage space by nearly ten fold. Citing market research studies that have determined a soaring need for storage spaces for individuals in the area, U-Haul plans to increase the number of storage spaces at its Route 18 location from 27 units to 319.

The 30,000 square feet of new storage area will be constructed in four rows of three buildings in a vacant lot behind the existing U-Haul storage building. Among the variances requested were one for impervious lot coverage and one for use. The variance for coverage is required because the buildings and parking area will exceed the limit of 75 percent co MATAWAN Marion Approbate Martishewski died yesterday at Bayshore Community Medical Center in HoImdeL She was 33. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y, she had lived in Marlton and Elizabeth before moving here 18 months ago. She worked as a customer service engineer for the Home Life Insurance Co.

of Piscataway for the past six years. She graduated from Glassboro State College in 1982 where she received a bachelor of science degree in finance. She was a member of Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center in Edison, where she was a member of the church's music ministry, and had played the flute. She had also volunteered in the church's ministry to the suffering and victory in Jesus. Surviving are her husband, Brian; her parents, Peter and Phyllis Approbato of Marlton; two sisters, Josephine Cuozzo of Sidney Center, N.Y.; Sara Husta of Honeybook, three brothers, Joseph Approbato of Monroe, N.Y, Thomas Approbato of Roselle, and Peter Approbato of Marlton, and several nieces and nephews.

Services will be 8 p.m. Friday at the McCriskin Home for Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Ave, South Plain-field. Sabino Lopez, 72 HAYWARD, Calif. Sabino Lopez, who had survivors in New Brunswick, NJ, died Thursday at Mt Diablo Hospital in Concord, Calif. He was 72.

Born in Puerto Rico, he moved here 30 years ago. He worked as a supervisor at Mt. Eden Nursery in Hayward for 30 years. Surviving are his wife, Amalia of Puerto Rico; four sons, Gilberto and Victor, both of New Brunswick, Jose of Miami, Fla, and Luis of Puerto Rico; three daughters, Elsa Mendez of New Brunswick, Irene and Aida, both of Puerto Rico; three brothers, Jose, Modesto and Luis, all of Puerto Rico; two sisters, Be-len and Julia, both of Puerto Rico, 21 grandchildren and nine greatgrandchildren. Services will be 8:30 a.m.

Friday at the Anderson Funeral Service, 201 Sandford St, New Brunswick, followed by a 9 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Burial will be at St. Peter's Cemetery in New Brunswick.

William Jackson III, 56 OLD BRIDGE William James Jackson III died Tuesday at his home. He was 56. Born in Pennsylvania, he had lived in the Western Monmouth County area most of his life. He was a self-employed carpenter for 35 years, retiring in 1991. He was predeceased by his son, Robert.

Surviving are two sons, William J. IV of Hawaii and Thomas H. of Florida; a daughter, Lisa Butler of National Park; two brothers, James of Edison and Charles of Florida; two sisters, Ida Kutza of Edison and Sarah Koch of Long Branch; a dear friend, Joan O'Keefe, with whom he lived, and four grandchildren. Services will be 1 p.m. Friday at the Freeman Funeral Home, followed by burial at Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold Township.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Freeman Funeral Home in Freehold. John H. Conover 67 NEWARK John H. Conover Sr. died Saturday at Orange Orthopedic Memorial Hospital in Orange.

He was 67. Born in New Brunswick, he had lived here for 38 years. He was a Navy veteran, serving in World War II. He was a retiree of Singer Inc. in Elizabeth where he had worked in shipping department for 12 years before retiring in 1981.

Surviving are two sons, John H. Jr. of Ruther Glen, Va, and Bruce Lowery of Connecticut; one stepdaughter, Ivory Elizabeth Fitz of Richmond, a brother, Frank of Kenilworth; his companion, Christine Thompson of Newark, four grandchildren and seven step-grandchildren. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Anderson Funeral Service, 201 Sandford St, New Brunswick.

Burial will be at Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick. LANDRIE In Sayreville on April 21, 1993, Evelyn E. Kane of Sayreville. Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Mal-iszewski Memorial Home, 121 Main St, Sayreville.

Burial will be at Cloverleaf Park Cemetery, Woodbridge. Calling hours at the funeral home will be 2 p.m-4 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday. TITA In Old Bridge on April 21, 1993, Leo of South River.

Services will be 7:45 a.m. Saturday at Rezem Funeral Home, 457 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick followed by a 8:30 a.m. Mass at Corpus Christi R.C. Church, South River. Burial will be at Cloverleaf Cemetery, Woodbridge.

Friends and relatives may call at the funeral home 7-9 p.m. Thursday and 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Friday. WASHINGTON Rhoda Booth Jackson, who once worked for the I Rutgers University Center for Alco- hoi Studies, died of complications from lung cancer and pulmonary disease yesterday at the Washing-i ton Home Hospice.

She was 85. She was the widow of Charles Reginald Jackson, the author of "Lost Weekend," a novel about al-I coholism later made into a movie. Born in Barre, VL, she had been a resident for several years of Or-! ford, N.H, Newton, and New Brunswick, N.J. She had lived here since 1989. She was a graduate of Spaulding I High School in Barre and Connecti-; cut College for Women in New Lon- don, Conn.

She was a researcher at Fortune magazine where she worked with Archibald MacLeish and James Gould Cozzens. She later worked at the Amos Tuck Business School of Dartmouth College, and the Yale and Rutgers University Centers for Alcohol Studies. Surviving are her daughters, Sar-I ah Jackson Piper of New York City and Kate Winthrop Jackson of Washington, and two grandchil- dren. I Michael J. Coffaro, 83 NEW BRUNSWICK Michael J.

Coffaro died Tuesday at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Am-; boy. He was 83. He was a native and lifelong city resident I He was the owner of Coffaro's Pizzeria for over 25 years, retiring in 1973. He was a communicant of St. Mary of Mount Virgin R.C.

Church and was a member of the church's Golden Age Club. Surviving are his wife, Dorothy Sciortino; one daughter, Loretta Sica of the Somerset section of Franklin; two sons, Anthony and i Paul, both of Somerset; four broth-) ers, Anthony and Charles, both of New Brunswick, Peter of Highland Park, and Lou of Millbrae, two sisters, Catherine Sciortino of New Brunswick and Loretta Santisi of North Brunswick, four grandchil-; dren and three great-grandchilden. Services will be 8:15 a.m. Friday at the Selover Funeral Home, 555 Georges Road, North Brunswick, followed by a 9 a.m. Mass at St Mary of Mount Virgin Church.

Burir al will be at St. Peter's Cemetery. Leo Tita, 48 SOUTH RIVER-Leo Tita died yesterday at the Old Bridge Region-; al Hospital in Old Bridge. He was 48. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y, he moved here several years ago.

He was employed in the telecom- munications division of RCA Inc. He graduated from Brooklyn I Community College. He was a communicant of Corpus Christi R.C. Church. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 4907 in Spots-Wood.

He was an Army veteran. Surviving are his wife, Joan Gasavage Tita; two sons, Joseph and Michael, both of South River, his mother, Rose Morelli Tita of Brooklyn; a brother, Joseph of Brooklyn; a sister, Lucy Clark of Brooklyn, three nieces and four nephews. Services will be 7:45 a.m. Saturday at the Rezem Funeral Home, 457 Cranbury Road, East Bruns-u wick, followed by a 8:30 a.m. Mass at Corpus Christi Church.

Burial will be at Cloverleaf Cemetery in Woodbridge. Ethel E. Rowe, 88 OLD BRIDGE Ethel E. Rowe died Tuesday at home. She was 88.

Born in Savannah, she lived in Kearney before moving here six years ago. She was a homemaker. Her husband, Louis Red, died in 1983. Surviving are two daughters, Thelma Jefforeds of Kansas and Gloria Notarangelo of Old Bridge; a stepson, Louis of Jackson; three sisters, Leona DeWitt and Kathleen Graham, both of Charleston, S.C., and Jerry Aronfon of California, three grandchildren and four great-' grandchildren. Services will be 10 a.m.

Thursday 7 at the Michael Hegarty Funeral Home, 3377 Route 9. Burial will be at Arlington Cemetery in North Arlington. COFFARO In Perth Amboy on April 20, 1993. Michael J. of New Brunswick.

1 Services will be 8:15 a.m. Friday at Selover Funeral Home, 555 Georges Road, North Brunswick, followed by a 9 a.m. Mass at St. Mary of Mount Virgin i R.C. Church.

Burial will be at St Peter's Cemetery, New Brunswick. Relatives and friends may call 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 7 p.m. -9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Florist Memorial Fkwrs Gifts, Inc Wadding Bowers IMu Fresh Fruit Baskata Worldwide tarvic South River 237-2357 Honor Hon Major CndR Carta Political imbroglio moves to courtroom verage for that area, which is zoned for highway and commercial development. The use variance is required because self-storage spaces are not included in the zoning code, U-Haul attorney Jim Clarkin said before the meeting. "It's a fairly new industry, only about 18 years old," said Bob Sharp, a representative of U-Haul International, adding that while use of self-storage by the public is quickly growing, "the planning people" are not so familiar with it. The Route 18 U-Haul self-storage location is one of 12 in New Jersey and one of 650 across the United States, said New Jersey U-Haul representative Robert Jones. Purchasers of self-storage are given keys to their own storage rooms and pay for the service on a monthly basis.

The Route 18 location is watched by a 24-hour resident security guard. The subject of the accusations centers on a confrontation Sunday in front of Engel's Teaberry Lane home. Kukor and a friend, Jimmy D'Am-ico, were outside the home around 1 p.m. taking pictures of a car in the driveway, as part of Kukor's fact-gathering on the Engel's business dealings to discredit the Engels. According to the report filed by the Engels, Sylvia saw a brown pick-up truck outside.

Engel walked outside to see who it was and recognized Kukor, who drove away. D'Amico is not mentioned in Engel's report Kukor drove by again minutes later and, according to Engel, cursed at him and threatened him. Kukor tells a much different story. "He asked me, what's your and I said, 'The cops are going to be your Kukor, twice a mayoral candidate and former parry chairman, has accused the Engels of discrediting the party. amused," Avins said yesterday.

"I hope people take this as a civic lesson that votes do indeed count" Avins plans to file for a recount "David has 10 calender days to file directry with the state Commissioner of Education," said Schools Business Administrator Jeffrey Scott One particular vote cast at Constable School in Kendall Park may require Avins to file for a recount within five business days of the election; "One vote may have been a questionable affidavit vote," Avins explained. An affidavit vote occurs when someone shows up to vote but for whatever reason, their name doesn't appear on the poll register. 1, Robert Misak, 37 METUCHEN Robert Misak died Tuesday at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison. He was 37.

Born in Perth Amboy, he lived in Edison before moving here two years ago. He was employed as a truck driver for Transportation Co. of Cliffwood for the last four years. He graduated from J.P. Stevens High School in 1973.

His father, George, died in 1971. Surviving are his mother, Sally Stephens of Edison; a brother, George S. of Jackson; a niece, Jessica of Jackson, and a nephew, Mark of Jackson. Services will be 10 a.m. Saturday at the Flynn and Son Funeral Home, 23 Ford Ave, Fords section of Woodbridge.

Burial will be at the Alpine Cemetery in Perth Amboy. Evelyn E. Land rie, 62 SAYREVILLE Evelyn E. Kane Landrie died yesterday at home. She was 62.

Born in Jersey City, she had lived here for the past 40 years. She worked as a supervisor in the payroll department of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority for 25 years before retiring in 1988. She was a member of First Presbyterian Church. Surviving are one daughter, Lynn Parciello of Sayreville; one son, Glenn of Manalapan; two brothers, Richard Kane of South Amboy and Robert Kane of Hazlet; one sister, Doris Blyth of Florida, and four grandchildren. Services will be 10 a.m.

Friday at the MaliszewsM Memorial Home, 121 Main St Burial will be at Cloverleaf Park Cemetery in Wood-bridge. AfraSchelle Klein, 96 MANVILLE Afra Schelle Klein died March 25 at Raritan Health and Extended Care Center in Raritan. She was 96. Her husband, Ferdinand, 'died many years ago. Surviving are a son, Frederick of Spring Hill, two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson.

A Mass will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Sacred Heart RC. Church, with burial to follow at Cedar Hill Cemetery in East Millstone. Arrangemants are under the direction of Fucillo Warren Funeral Home, 205 S. Main St Karl Dzelzkalns, 85 EAST BRUNSWICK Karl Dzelzkalns died Tuesday at the Montrose General Hospital in Montrose, Pa.

He was 85. Arrangements will be announced by the Selover Funeral Home, 555 Georges Road, North Brunswick. "HcWTNews Classified 246-3000 By SUSAN K. LIVIO Home News staff writer EDISON The ongoing political feud between GOP Mayoral candidate James M. Kukor and the Engel Family, which controls the Republican Parry, has now entered the courtroom.

Robert F. Engel land speculator and husband of party Chairwoman Sylvia Engel, signed complaints Monday accusing Kukor of stalking him and making terroristic threats. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has already downgraded the charges from indictable offenses to harassment a disorderly persons offense, Edison court personnel confirmed yesterday. Kukor, of Grandview Avenue, in turn signed complaints against Engel yesterday, accusing him of making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct court personnel said. Engel is father of Councilman Robert J.

Famed Mexican comic Cantinflas eulogized by fans MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexicans paid endearing tributes yesterday to the nation's most famous and best-loved comic actor, Mario Moreno, better known as Cantinflas. Cantinflas, 81, who died Tuesday of lung cancer, made 49 films over a half-century but is best-known abroad for his role as Passepartout, the devoted servant in the 1956 film "Around the World in 80 Days." Thousands of mourners gathered yesterday outside the funeral home where his body was taken. President Carlos Salinas de Gortari paid his respects there and was to later attend a tribute at the capital's Palace of Fine Arts. "He's gone, but he'll always be with us. He's already a Mexican legend that we will keep alive forever," Salinas told reporters outside the funeral home.

After news of Cantinflas's death broke, Mexican television began broadcasting his movies from the 1940s, and radio and television stations were filled with tributes and retrospectives. Woman hurt in crash EDISON A motor vehicle accident on Pine Drive in Roosevelt Park involving one car left a 56-year-old woman injured yesterday afternoon, police reported. The woman, whose identity police would not release, was the sole passenger in the car, which was driven by an unidentified man. The driver apparently lost control of the car at about 3:11 p.m. and struck a tree, police said.

According to police, the driver was wearing his seat belt and was not injured, while the passenger, who was not wearing a belt, struck the interior of the car, breaking her shoulder. She was being treated at John F. Kennedy Medical Center last night, police said. CRYSTAL D. ADAMS-POWELL Armed robber hits store EAST BRUNSWICK An armed robber wielding a pistol held up the Quick Shop on Old Stage Road last night and escaped with $260, police said.

The counterperson at the time, Ritesh Patel, 18, told police that a large-framed black man entered the store, showed a pistol and demanded money. Patel reportedly gave him the money and the thief fled on foot The robbery is under investigation. WENDY GILLETTE Recount to be sought in board loss by 1 vote By JEFF SCHLEGEL Home News staff writer SOUTH BRUNSWICK Close might only count in horseshoes and hand grenades but David Avins' one-vote loss to Bryan Laurita in Tuesday night's school board election is near enough to press for a recount, Avins said. Laurita finished with 587 votes to Avins's 586. Both Kendall Park residents were running for the first time.

Two incumbents, Gail Barcelo of Kingston (730 votes) and Marci Ab-schutz of Dayton (660 votes), captured the other contested three-year terms. "I'm disappointed and a little bit.