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Leonard Fenton, 73
Leonard “Red” Fenton, 73, of Los
Angeles died on Sunday, December
23, 2001 in the Temple City Convalescent
Home in Temple City, Calif.
Born in Westfield, he had lived in
Rahway before relocating to Los
Angeles 15 years ago.
Mr. Fenton had been employed by
Merck & Co. in Rahway for 35 years
prior to retiring.
He served in the United States
Army during the Korean Conflict.
Mr. Fenton was a Past Commander
and life member of Post No. 681 of
Veterans of Foreign Wars and American
Legion Post No. 5, both of
Rahway.
Surviving are his wife, Dolores
Fenton; three stepsons, Michael
Donahue, James Donahue and William
Donahue; two stepdaughters,
Sharon Styler and Chris Moreno;
two sisters, Margaret DeMayo and
Dorothy Archer, and six grandchildren.
Memorial services were to be held
at St. Ignatius Church in Highland
Park, Los Angeles.
John J. Bucuk, Jr., 84
John Julius Bucuk, Jr., 84, of
Middlesex died on Thursday, December
27, 2001 at his residence.
Born on April 12, 1917 in
Bloomfield, he had previously lived
in Scotch Plains and Bloomfield.
Mr. Bucuk had been employed for
55 years as a truck driver for
Shallcross Express in Kenilworth
prior to retiring in 1996.
He was a member of Teamsters
Local No. 478 in Union.
Surviving are his wife, Edith
Carrona Bucuk; a son, Garrett Bucuk;
two daughters, Janice Harding of
Springfield and Carol Kukola of
Blackwood, and six grandchildren.
A religious service was held on
Monday, December 31, at the
Sheenan Funeral Home in Dunellen.
Nickolas Mitilenes
Laboratory Founder; Army Veteran Received Purple Heart
Nickolas G. Mitilenes of Wall
Township died on Thursday, December
27, 2001 at his home.
Born in Newark, he had lived in
West Orange before moving to Wall
Township.
Mr. Mitilenes founded the Medical
Laboratory Diagnostics in Newark
in 1951, serving as its Co-Director
until his semi-retirement seven
years ago. He established the facility
after working in the field of bioanalytical
medicine.
Although he remained active in
the technical operations of the laboratory,
he also worked in the Pulmonary
Department of the Presbyterian
Hospital in Newark through the 1960s
and 1970s.
A United States Army veteran of
World War II, he participated in the
Normandy invasion of France in June
of 1944. He saw action in various
battles in Europe and was wounded
during the Battle of the Bulge. Mr.
Mitilenes received the Purple Heart
and was honorably discharged from
the Army in 1945.
He graduated from Seton Hall
University in South Orange in 1948
with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Philosophy and Biology and pursued
graduate studies at the University of
Maryland.
At age 60, he earned a Master of
Science Degree in Bacteriology and
Public Health from Wagner College
in Staten Island. He and his son
graduated from the college at the
same time and with the same degree,
a first for the school.
After taking a course, Mr. Mitilenes
became responsible for instituting
the monitoring and reporting of the
pollen count for local radio stations
in the New York and New Jersey
area.
He was a member of the American
Association of Bioanalysts and the
American Chemical Society and was
board certified by the American
Board of Bioanalysts.
Surviving are his wife of 53 years,
Carolyn J. Mitilenes; a daughter,
Georgene Bonard of Westfield; a son,
Dr. George Mitilenes of Far Hills; a
sister, Marika Critticos of Miami,
Fla., and five grandchildren.
A Funeral Liturgy was offered on
Monday, December 31, at the Holy
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in
Westfield. Interment took place at
Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.
Arrangements are under the direction
of the Gray Funeral Home, 318
East Broad Street in Westfield.
Memorial contributions may be
made to the American Cancer Society,
P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, Ga.
30368-2454.
Mary Bori Leiss, 92
Mary Bori Leiss, 92, of Scotch
Plains died on Monday, December
24, 2001 at JFK Hartwyck at Oak Tree in
Edison.
Born in South Plainfield, she had
lived there before moving to Scotch
Plains in 1976.
Mrs. Leiss had been employed as a
clerk by New Jersey Bell Telephone
for 40 years.
She was a member of the Sacred
Heart Roman Catholic Church in
South Plainfield and the Telephone
Pioneers of America.
She was predeceased by her husband,
Bernard Leiss, in 1973.
Surviving are a niece, Joanne Zelek
of South Plainfield; a great-nephew
and a great-niece.
A Funeral Mass was held on Saturday,
December 29, at the Sacred
Heart Church. Interment took place
at the Holy Redeemer Cemetery in
South Plainfield.
Arrangements were handled by the
Higgins Home for Funerals in
Plainfield.
Grace J. Schneider, 91
Grace J. Preston Schneider, 91, of
Scotch Plains died on Sunday, December
23, 2001 at Overlook Hospital in
Summit.
Born in Chicago, she lived in
Scotch Plains for most of her life.
Mrs. Schneider, who was fluent in
multiple languages, had worked for
New Jersey as a social worker for
more than 20 years.
She was predeceased by her husband,
Philip B. Schneider, in 1993.
Surviving are a brother, Paul
Preston of Salem, N.H.
Services were held on Friday, December
28, at the Higgins Home for
Funerals in Plainfield. Interment took
place in Hillside Cemetery of Scotch
Plains.
James Cooper, Jr.
Real Estate CEO; Developed Residential Community
James W. Cooper, Jr., 69, of Toms
River died on Wednesday, September
2, at the Ocean County Medical
Center in Brick.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
Mr. Cooper had lived in Westfield
before moving to Toms River.
He was the founder and Chief Executive
Officer of C&C Real Estate
Group, a commercial mortgage brokerage
and real estate development
firm in New Jersey.
Among his accomplishments was
the creation of Tinton Farms, a residential
community on Harvest Lane
in Tinton Falls.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Mr.
Cooper was an active member of the
Union County Chapter of the Society
for the Preservation and Encouragement
of Barber Shop Quartet Singing
in America. He also sat on the
board of the Beacon Hill Country
Club in Atlantic Highlands.
Surviving are his wife of 20 years,
Romaine Cooper; a daughter, Joanne
Adams of Little Silver; a son, James
W. Cooper, 3rd of Plainsboro; a stepdaughter,
Nancy McGuire of
Keansburg; a stepson, William
McGuire of Lakewood; a sister,
Marylouise Cooper of Lakewood, and
four grandchildren.
The funeral service was held on
Friday, September 4, at the D’Elia
Funeral Home in Lakewood, followed
by a private cremation.
