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Lee Boswell-May, a lifelong South Orange resident and promoter of music and community, has passed away at the age of 74.
Lee was born in Orange on September 24, 1945, raised in South Orange, earned her degree at Glassboro State College, was married to jazz bassist and legend Earl May, was the curator of Jazz in the Loft at SOPAC and stage manager of Giants of Jazz. She was a tireless cheerleader for jazz and for South Orange.
Village Green was alerted to Lee’s passing by several community members including Dee Billia of SOPAC who shared these thoughts and the video biography of Lee below. This story will be updated when we have more information.
From Dee Billia:
We received word that our wonderful curator for Jazz in the Loft, Lee May, passed away. We don’t have any more information at this time, but we are all stunned and saddened. Lee was married to world-class bass player Earl May, was a Jazz singer herself and a tireless advocate for Jazz in the region. She played a huge role in Giants of Jazz, Jazz in the Loft and other music activities in South Orange. She was a lifelong resident of South Orange and was a historian for the African-American experience in our area.
She was an important figure in our community and will be missed.
From Mike Griot via Facebook:
I have lost my friend.
You were everyone’s biggest fan and supporter…never asking why…always willing to help. Music coursed through your soul like the Nile, and all we could do was be awestruck by its beauty. You were the fabric of our expansive musical family — a lover of all genres: as long as sincere people expressed their joy, you gave them the reward of your undivided attentions. You offered your support to almost every gig, event, concert, festival or project I’ve pursued for the last decade or more. I never imagined a day like this…without a warm “well hello, Michelob” (nickname) or a full throttle hug.
Your gift of your dear husband Earl May’s Acoustic Bass (“Coltrane”) was among the most generous gifts I’ve ever received. I promise I’ll keep playing it in tribute to him…and YOU, my dear Lee Boz May.
I miss my friend.
Lee May with Mike Griot
From Gregory Burrus via Facebook:
Very very sad that my live music buddy Lee May has moved on to the heavens. If I did 70 events in a summer she was at every South Orange Downtown After Sundown event, Jazz On Sloan and Spiotta Park and when I did 24 Hours of Music she was there all day. She was in 100 degree heat of Maplewood 4th of July managing the stage for over 8 hours, there in Blues Muse and W.O South Mountain Blues Festival, SOPAC Jazz In the Loft and so many other events, she was there all over South Orange, Maplewood and Newark Bethany Jazz Vespers.
Lee was wife of Bass player Earl May so she made it a point to talk to every bass player at every event. and very sad Coronavirus canceled my last Jazzy Nights at Fox and Falcon where she was to be an honoree for her lifetime SO residency, her history of South Orange and the fact she was a true music lover supporter and more. She hung out at every local venue and supported the musicians. Lee (Boz) May will be missed tremendously. We will do a tribute later and all I can say is RIP Good Buddy.
Robert M. Dlugos, 85, of Maplewood, N.J., died peacefully in his home April 15, 2020, with his family at his side.
Bob graduated from Columbia High School in 1955, and honorably served in the US Air Force for four years. He married his wife in New Bedford, Mass. They were married for 60 years. They made their home in Maplewood, where they raised their five children.
Bob was a Maplewood resident for 70 years. Bob proudly served as a firefighter for the Maplewood Fire Department from 1967 to 1994.
With a passion for photography, Bob was a member of the Professional Photographers of America and the Professional Photographers Association of NJ. In 2014, Robert earned a prestigious degree of photographic craftsman. He also won several awards for photographic excellence.
Bob also took wedding and family portraits as a side business. He was also honored by Maplewood as a volunteer, holding the title of “Township Photographer.”
Bob was always involved with many Maplewood activities, even campaigning for a mayoral candidate in the 1970s.
An avid sports fan, he loved the NY Yankees and boxing.
Bob cherished time with his family. He loved amusement and water parks and took annual vacations, spending time with his children and grandchildren. Bob rode his last extreme roller coaster at age 80.
Many will remember Bob as a boisterous person who told jokes and was generous to all.
Bob leaves behind his beloved wife, Barbara; his children, Donna, Robert II, George, Debra and Patricia, and four grandchildren.
Due to current restrictions, arrangements are dedicated to family only.
Maplewood has lost a medical hero who gave his life caring for others on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis. Long-time Maplewood resident Paul Moise was a nurse who worked in a nursing home and at a hospital in New Jersey. He passed away on April 12, leaving his wife and three children: an 8th grade daughter, a 3rd grade son, and a preschooler. The older children are students at Maplewood schools.
Paul will be buried in a small funeral on Monday April 27.
Paul’s wife, also a nurse, is not able to work at this time, due to her high risk of contracting Covid-19 as well as her solo childcare responsibilities. The family is very much in need of immediate support for funeral costs and living expenses at this time. Please consider giving generously to the family of a true MapSo medical hero. They are deeply grateful to the support of the MapSo community.
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Gerard William (Jerry) Ryan May 21, 1961-May 27, 2020
Gerard W. (Jerry) Ryan
Jerry Ryan passed away at his home in Maplewood, New Jersey, after a valiant three-year battle with cancer. He was 59.
Born and raised on “the rock,” Staten Island, New York, Jerry graduated from Monsignor Farrell High School in 1979. He then attended The Cooper Union in New York City, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Class of 1983) as well as preferential status at McSorley’s Ale House. After moving to Maplewood, NJ, in 1985, he earned a master’s degree in Computer Science in 1987 from Rutgers University. He was completing his doctoral dissertation at New Jersey Institute of Technology when he passed.
Jerry had a genius for friendship. At Cooper Union, he made many lifelong friends, including the “eight guys,” a group of classmates with whom he enjoyed an annual ski trip for more than 25 years. Other long-term friends included members of the Strollers, Maplewood’s community theatre company, with whom he enthusiastically “trod the boards” in productions ranging from A View from the Bridge to The Music Man in addition to serving on the Board of Directors.
Professionally, Jerry spent 15 years as a technical manager and research scientist at Bell Labs, followed by seven years at Avaya and nearly five at Motorola, where he managed the software component teams for some of the earliest Android products, including the Droid RAZR and Droid2Global. At the age of 50, he embarked on a second career as a senior lecturer at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where students consistently lauded him as one of the best lecturers at the school. During this time, he was also a major contributor, community leader, and chief software architect of the PALISADE open source privacy software in the NJIT Cybersecurity Research Center.
In addition to all of this, the bedrock of Jerry’s life was public service. In 1992, after a contentious election and legal fight, Jerry began his service on the Maplewood Township Committee, the youngest person ever to have been elected. Jerry served a total of 19 non-contiguous years on the Township Committee, including three years as Mayor from 1998 through 2000, again the youngest person to serve as Maplewood’s Mayor. Jerry also served 23 non-contiguous years on the Maplewood Planning Board, including five years as Board Chair, a position in which he was serving at the time of his death.
Gerard W. (Jerry) Ryan
As Mayor, Jerry provided critical support for the establishment of the Springfield Avenue Partnership and the Community Coalition on Race. Among Jerry’s accomplishments in public life were the adoption of Maplewood’s Master Plan, the creation of the Maplewood Arts Council, the redevelopment of former industrial sites on Burnett and Springfield Avenues, the rehabilitation of the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, and the conversion of the former Woman’s Club to The Woodland.
In a speech he gave in 2015, Jerry said, “It has been a blessing and joy to be given the opportunity to serve my neighbors, the people in the town that I live in. To have the support of your family and your friends and your party to be able to help you do this thing that you love doing — it really can’t be described.”
He added, “The really great thing about this job is that you get to meet every single interesting person in your community. Some people say nasty things about you. Some people say delightful things about you. But you are elected to serve them all.”
Jerry is survived by his wife, Deborah Gaines Ryan; his daughter, Christina Ryan Finley, and her husband, Patrick Finley; his sons, Luke Ryan and Mark Ryan; his three siblings and their spouses, Jo Anne Ryan Carroll and William Carroll, Denis Ryan and Cher Roessler, and Ellen Ryan Manger and Tony Manger; three stepchildren, Lila, Andre, and Aaron; over 200 beloved aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins; and a host of devoted friends.
Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, Jerry has asked that donations be made in his memory to the following local charitable organizations: the Maplewood Strollers (thestrollers.org), Rent Party (rentpartylive.com), Achieve Foundation (achievefoundation.org), or CancerCare.org.
A memorial service of suitable size and joviality will be arranged as soon as possible. Meanwhile, please send condolences, along with your favorite Jerry stories, to Deborah at RememberingJerryRyan@gmail.com
Editor’s note: Jerry Ryan — longtime Maplewood resident, former Mayor and Township Committee member, and Planning Board chair at the time of his death — passed away from cancer on May 27. In an email, township clerk Liz Fritzen said, “Mayor Ryan will be missed by all who knew him.Funeral bunting will be placed on the pillars of Town Hall beginning tomorrow in memory and tribute to Mayor Ryan.”
Mayor Frank McGehee sent the following remembrance to Village Green:
Mayor Ryan had a big heart, a contagious laugh, an amazing wit and a great respect for people.
I met Jerry in 2015 and had the pleasure of working with him briefly on our Planning Board. Jerry’s professionalism and ability to manage a meeting, even while in the midst of his hard fought battle with cancer was remarkable.
One of his last public acts is one that I will never forget. In March, to commemorate Women’s History Month, I asked Jerry if he would be able to come to the Township Committee Meeting and read a proclamation which quoted his very own words the night he nominated our first woman Mayor, Ellen Davenport.
DeLuca, McGehee, Dafis, Ryan, Davenport and Ian Grodman
He was fighting his illness, but told me he would do his best.
The night of the meeting, Jerry was not present initially. But as the moment of the proclamation approached, Jerry was there. He showed up and read his original words beautifully and from his heart. It was very moving for all who were in the chamber that evening.
That is my last memory of Jerry. The ever present person who embodied the essence of community service, especially to and for his beloved Maplewood. Whatever the ask he was always there.
Jerry you will be missed very deeply, but your incomparable legacy will live on for generations to come.
On behalf of the Maplewood Township Committee, our heartfelt condolences to Jerry’s family, friends and all who loved him.
The following is from Maplewood Township Committee member Greg Lembrich, who ran against and defeated the late Jerry Ryan, former Mayor of Maplewood, in the Democratic primary for Maplewood Township Committee in 2015. Ryan passed away on May 27, after a years-long battle with cancer.
Jerry was such a good guy that he served as a mentor and a supportive resource to me even when I was running against him.
Then, the week after that tough election, he invited my wife Alexandra and me out to dinner on a double date with him and his wife Deborah, where we swapped stories and shared jokes.
He offered to be an advisor or sounding board whenever I needed one, and he followed through countless times over the years. Often when I lacked the context to understand a longstanding issue or just needed to vent, Jerry was always there, gracious and gregarious, to buy a round, give me the inside scoop (sometimes sprinkled with a bawdy tale), and help me find my way.
When I suffered setbacks, he was always among the first to call or text and offer support and encouragement, even if he was on the other side of the issue. When my wife had surgery, he and Deborah came to our house with enough chicken and sides to last for days and sat with us in friendship.
Jerry Ryan, Nancy Adams and Greg Lembrich at a candidates forum in 2015.
How much did Jerry Ryan love Maplewood?
Jerry served on the Township Committee for nearly 20 years, including 3 years as Mayor, and even more time on the Planning Board. Most of it was thankless, but Jerry cherished the privilege of serving the town he and his family loved.
In addition to those thousands of hours of public service, Jerry devoted time to so many community groups and seemed to know everyone in town. Jerry loved serving Maplewood so much that he stayed on the Planning Board, and even served as Chair, for years while fighting a fierce battle with cancer. Even when it was clear that he was suffering, I can recall so many times when he nonetheless showed up at Town Hall and elsewhere to serve, to support others, or to celebrate with his community.
What makes Maplewood such a great community? It’s not just our proximity to NYC, or our beautiful parks and architecture, or our vibrant businesses. Plenty of other towns have those things as well. What makes Maplewood special, and always will, is our people. And Jerry was one of our best. Everyone who enjoys living in Maplewood (or has at any point in the last 30 years) owes a debt of gratitude to Jerry Ryan, even if they never met him. His soul and his service became woven into the fabric of our community, and our lives here are better because of how he lived his here.
I had hoped to tell Jerry all of this in person, but his time was shorter than I thought. As a Township, and certainly a Township Committee, in time we will find appropriate ways to honor Jerry’s memory and celebrate his life. But today I feel sad at the loss of a colleague and friend. And I think back to Election Night 5 years ago when Jerry said, sincerely, that he hoped I would enjoy serving this town as much as he did. If I could, today I would tell him, “Jerry, I do love it, and it’s a great privilege. But the bar you set was really high, and I’m still trying to reach it.” Rest in peace Jerry, and love to Deborah, your kids, and your entire family as they mourn your loss.
It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our beloved Audience Services Director, Grayce Coviello, died on May 12, 2020 as the result of a long illness.
Many of you may remember her warmth and beautiful smile as she greeted you in the lobby at SOPAC before a performance. Her personality and professionalism greatly enhanced the patron experience and helped create a welcoming environment that made you feel special.
She was a consummate professional, and so much more. A devoted mother, grandmother and glorious office-mate whose true accomplishments in life centered around the love and empathy she emanated with her entire being. She was one in a million and can never be replaced. We are all fortunate to have known her and to have called her our friend. There is no doubt that she is singing show tunes with the angels right now. Forever loved, forever missed, forever our wonderul Grayce. Read more about Grayce.
Dr. Godwin Onochie Molokwu, who ran for a seat on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in 2014, is the 25th Maplewood resident to die as a result of COVID-19.
Dr. Molokwu’s death was announced by Mayor Frank McGehee in a COVID-19 update this morning (see full update below).
In his 2014 candidate’s statement published on Village Green, Dr. Molokwu wrote, “I want to change our school system so it is the best in the state. I am proud to run for an office where I will be a caretaker of the most valuable thing in our lives, our children’s education. I have four children who attend school in this district. My wife Lillian and I chose this community because of the schools, safety and diversity. I have the expertise as a husband, father, medical specialist and former educator to ensure our schools are better than any of the private and charter schools in New Jersey. Our children’s education should be the finest and our homes should be sought after by the home buying public.”
Dr. Molokwu was an gastroenterologist with a practice in Irvington. He was affiliated with Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/RWJBarnabas Health.
According to Tributearchive.com, “Dr. Godwin Onochie Molokwu, of Maplewood, N.J. passed away peacefully on Monday, May 25, 2020. The funeral services and interment will take place in Nigeria. A full obituary will follow.”
Village Green will publish Dr. Molokwu’s obituary when it is available.
Dr. Godwin Molokwu, candidate for South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education Credit: Falcon Reese.
From Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee:
Dear Community,
On Wednesday, we lost our former Mayor, colleague and friend Gerard W. (Jerry) Ryan.
Jerry served on the Maplewood Township Committee from 1992 to 2003 and again from 2009 to 2015. He was our 11th and youngest Mayor serving from 1998 to 2000.
Township Committeeperson and former Mayor Victor De Luca said it best.
“At 59 years of age, Jerry left us too early. Let us recognize all that he did while he was with us and offer our deepest thanks and appreciation to Gerard W. Ryan. May he Rest In Peace.”
Our prayers are with his wife Deborah Ryan and the entire Ryan family during this time.
TESTING
The Essex County Free Mobile Test site is coming to Maplewood on June 4th.
The location site and date will be formally added at 2 PM to the www.essexcovid.org website for residents to enroll. The site will be limited to 225 appointments and located at our community pool parking lot. Special thanks to Essex County Chief of Staff Philip Alagia and team. Again, Maplewood will not be added as an option to the website until 2 PM. Please register at www.essexcovid.org and 973-324-995.
Testing is also continuing at Weequahic Park for all Essex county residents. Test times are from 9 am to 12 noon and residents must arrive by car. You can also register at www.essexcovid.org
PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION UPDATE
It saddens me to share that our community has lost its 25th member to COVID-19. Dr. Godwin Molokwu. He was 59. A full obituary will follow. Please keep the Molokwu family and all 24 other families who have lost loved ones due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) in your prayers.
The Maplewood Public Health Division numbers for the period of Friday 5/22 through Friday 5/29 are as follows:
Total Cases: 295 (+16) Age range of new cases: 17 to 90. The 17 yo was confirmed Friday.
Probable Cases: 6 (+2)
Total Deaths: 25 (+1)
Total recovered cases: 195 (+14)
NJ Statewide confirmed cases: 158,844 (+7,372)
Essex County confirmed cases: 17,546 (+640) (3rd highest county in NJ)
Essex County confirmed deaths: 1,647 (+71) (highest county in NJ)
For COVID-19 questions, please call 2-1-1 or our Public Health Division at (973) 762-8120.
PARKS
FACIAL COVERINGS REQUIRED IN MAPLEWOOD PARKS
Individuals within the Township of Maplewood’s parks are required to have face coverings and practice social distancing and use face coverings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. We are healthier together by staying apart.
GOVERNMENT
DCA Short-Term Rental Assistance Program
A Short-Term Rental Assistance Program to serve very low income and homeless or at risk of homelessness with up to 12 months of rental assistance will launch on June 15.
Households will be selected by the DCA through the Coordinated Entry process in each county’s Homeless Management Information System.
Additional funding will be administered by an online lottery. When the lottery is opened, households may submit applications. Applicants selected through the lottery will be eligible to receive up to six months of short-term rental assistance.
Households may qualify for the lottery based on the following standards:
Eligibility Requirements
New Jersey residency
Income
Current in rental payments as of March 1, 2020.
DCA will provide the centralized application intake, eligibility review, and payment directly to participants’ landlords.
The tracing program which is a full time commitment has launched. People will be scheduled 7 days a week between 8am-8pm, but not to exceed 35 hours per week. To learn more about contact tracing, you can complete this free training which will be required for all contact tracers and please register at https://covid19.nj.gov/forms/tracer to be notified when opportunities become available
COMMUNITY
Food Distribution
The next Essex County Emergency Food Distribution Event Will be on Thursday, June 4th at Essex County Codey Arena At 10 AM at 560 Northfield Ave. in West Orange. 1,000 boxes of food that will be distributed. Please come rain or shine.
Online Grocery Shopping for SNAP Recipients
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants are now able to use their benefits to order groceries online. Online shopping is available through Amazon and participating Walmarts, ShopRites and The Fresh Grocers. Visit njhelps.org to learn more and apply for food assistance and other benefits.
The following is from Victor DeLuca, former Mayor of Maplewood and current member of the Maplewood Township Committee:
Thank you, Jerry Ryan! You made a positive difference in my life and in the lives of so many others.
I met Jerry in 1995 at a rather contentious meeting between 100 Hilton neighborhood residents and the Maplewood Township Committee. I found him willing to listen to our concerns and thoughtful on solving the problems we identified. After that meeting we began working together on revitalizing Springfield Avenue and addressing the inequitable delivery of municipal services to the eastern side of town. I give Jerry a lot of credit for being a leader on those difficult issues, long ignored by governing bodies before him.
In 1997 Jerry and I became political partners, running as Democrats for the Township Committee. As you can see, we looked a lot different back then. I’ll never forget how supportive Jerry was of me and how willing he was to have a “newbie” join him on the ticket. Campaigning door-to-door, day-after-day allowed us to create a lasting bond and deepened our shared commitment to public service. I am proud to say that my first vote on the Township Committee was for Gerard W. Ryan as Mayor of Maplewood.
Jerry Ryan (left) and Vic DeLuca in 1997
Jerry took great pride in being the youngest person ever elected to the Township Committee and also being the youngest Mayor. He served 19 non-contiguous years on the Committee and I had the honor and privilege of serving with him for 13 of those years. He also served for 23 non-contiguous years on the Planning Board, including 5 years as Chair. I had the pleasure of serving with him on the Board and appreciated his leadership in guiding decisions that impacted the future of our community.
Jerry loved Maplewood. It was the community in which he raised his three children. It was the place where he supported the arts, even performing in a few plays by The Strollers. Jerry gave his heart and soul to our town and its people.
Jerry and I met last week to reflect, remember and laugh about our time together. We talked about how much we were able to get accomplished and how he should be proud and content with all he has given us. We also complained about our beloved NY Mets.
My deepest sympathies go to his wife Deborah, his children Christina, Luke and Mark, and his step children Lila, Andre and Aaron. He told me how happy he was to walk Christine down the aisle last year.
At 59 years of age, Jerry left us too early. Let us recognize all that he did while he was with us and offer our deepest thanks and appreciation to Gerard W. Ryan. May he Rest In Peace.
Albert (Tico) Shikiar passed away peacefully with family, at home on June 4, 2020 at the age of 85 in South Orange, New Jersey. Albert was born on February 5, 1935 in the Bronx, New York. Albert is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sue “Suki” Marsh Shikiar, son David Shikiar,of California, daughters Karen Masters and Susan Santillo, son-in-law Michael, brother Stuart Shikiar,of New York, grandchildren Jesse, Ben, Elise, Samuel, and Matthew, stepson Adam Marsh and his wife Sara Litman.
Albert grew up in the Bronx, New York, served in the US Army, and attended Hunter College. After starting a career as a school teacher, Albert became an agency manager at The Equitable Life Assurance Society where he was one of the youngest agency managers at the time. He moved to South Orange, and started his own business, Shikiar Associates, a heath insurance consulting firm to school districts and municipalities in New Jersey. Thereafter, he founded Access Care in Livingston, New Jersey where he marketed long-term care insurance for MedAmerica until he retired at the age of 80. He served briefly on the South Orange Board of Trustees.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to build a living tribute to Albert’s life by planting trees and naming a bench at one of Jespy House’s shared homes. Please make any donations in Albert’s name to Jespy House, located at 102 Prospect Street South Orange, NJ 07079or online at https://jespyhouse.isecuresites.com/gifts/general-donation.
This post has been updated with an obituary sent to Village Green by Mr. Arguelles’s wife, Lauren Hargraves.
Emmanuel (Mani) Arguelles in Kyoto, Japan (photo courtesy Lauren Hargraves)
Emmanuel (Mani) Arguelles, 56, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Jersey City after a tough seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Mani was born in Manila but he moved to Astoria, Queens just before he turned 10. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1980. He also attended Columbia University where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was well on his way to earning a doctoral degree in mathematical education at Rutgers when his life took a turn late last year.
Mani spent his early career at Bell Labs and AT&T. Mani left AT&T in the late 1990s to form a start-up, co-founding Sonova Networks, an IP telephony company. Sonova folded shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. After that, Mani switched careers, finding his passion teaching math and later computer science at Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ, where he and his family resided for many years.
Mani loved music and played a number of instruments. He enjoyed his time as a member of “Trinity,” a musical group at St. Joseph’s in Maplewood. In more recent years, he provided backup support to the music ministry at Sacred Heart in Kearny.
At Columbia, Mani was concerned about the achievement gap. His doctoral dissertation on variation theory postulated that teaching and rewarding mixed ability groups for their efforts rather than solely focusing on individual results could benefit all learners. The theory was that this style of learning would provide incentives to students who find a topic easy, to help the students who find it harder and would even reinforce the topic to the students who were in effect teaching their peers. Mani was working with the school district for permission to undertake a study of these techniques at CHS when he was sidelined by pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Arguelles at CHS Back to School Night, September 2019. Photo by Mary Mann.
Mani is survived by his wife, Lauren Hargraves, his two children, Zach and Maya Arguelles, and his siblings and their spouses, Enrico and Martha Arguelles, Clarissa and Ramon Moreno and Rosanna and Dieter Brunner.
Friends, colleagues and former students who would like to offer condolences or share stories or pictures about Mani (or Mr. A to his students) may email them to storiesandcondolencesformani@gmail.com
From Columbia High School Principal Frank Sanchez:
To our Columbia High School community:
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the loss of Class of 2021 student, Omar Hutchinson, who tragically passed away on Friday, August 28th in a swimming accident. Our community stands with Omar’s family as they grieve this incomprehensible loss. At this time, the family asks for privacy to seek solace from each other, and they know the Columbia family of students, faculty, and staff are ready to support them when called upon.
The loss of a member of our community affects us all greatly, and we want to be mindful of how this news may impact our children. Some ways to help engage your child in discussing their feelings is to accept how they are feeling, listen to the information they are sharing with you, and answer their questions honestly, even if the answer is “I don’t know.”
We are fortunate in our district to have trained professionals on staff who are able to talk with students and help support them through difficult events like this. Columbia High School has a professional and supportive team made up of administration, student assistance counselors, social workers, and school counselors who are all available to help talk with your child.
During this time, our staff will be available to meet with students through the GoogleMeet platform. CHS Student Assistance Counselor Michael Loupis and Social Worker Laura Prato will be available to provide support for any students in need tomorrow (Weds. 9/2) at 1:00 pm at this Google Meet. Students are also encouraged to reach out to their CHS School Counselor for any additional support tomorrow and Thursday. The attached letter also has resources for students and community members to help them.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to administrators and/or the CHS Counseling Department with any concerns or requests. Once again, our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the Hutchinson family and with all from our community who are impacted by this tragic loss.
Sincerely,
Frank Sanchez
Note: The letter from Mr. Sanchez originally stated that Omar Hutchinson was a member of the Class of 2020. Sanchez later sent a correction that Hutchinson was a member of the Class of 2021. Village Green will update the community with information on how to console or aid the family should that information become available.
South Orange is reporting its first death due to COVID-19 since May. The resident, a 94-year-old woman, was not identified by officials. She is the fifth resident of South Orange to succumb to the novel coronavirus. South Orange officials reported an uptick in COVID-19 cases in late July.
From South Orange Village President Sheena Collum:
Please be advised that our Health Officer Mr. Festa informed me today [September 2, 2020] that we have lost another South Orange resident to COVID-19, a 94 year old female. This is number five. This puts our totals at 125 positive test cases and 2,970 test cases. No further information is available on the identity of the individual.
Danny Ives, 27, has died after his motorcycle apparently crashed in South Orange near Seton Hall University last night. South Orange police are investigating the incident.
As reported in March, Ives’s love of bikes and motorcycles began when he was ten and “began to rummage through people’s curbside junk on days when the Maplewood Department of Public Works told residents to put out their unwanted items. For him, the old bikes he found were not trash, but treasure.”
Danny Ives at Maplewood Bike Shed
“Anything I could get my hands on, I would kind of tinker with it, take it apart, put it back together,” said Ives. “Then I started fixing other people’s bikes from my mobile van, and now I’ve got a shop that can support and house everything you need.”
From Alli Joseph’s March report, “A very resourceful, well-loved member of the community, Ives was clearly touched to see his grand opening … crowded with energized and happy people — including friends, family, and residents who heard about the opening from Maplewood Bike Shed’s social media pages. Greeting arriving guests with hugs and thanks, Ives seemed particularly pleased when young kids with BMX bikes came by to look through his stock, leaving their bikes on the sidewalk outside — reminding him, no doubt, of his younger self.”
From the South Orange Police Department:
On 9-4-20 at approximately 11:40 pm South Orange Police Officers responded to a 9-1-1 call of a single vehicle crash involving a motorcycle and its lone driver in the area of Elm Ct on South Orange Ave.
Upon arrival officers discovered an unresponsive male lying in the eastbound lanes of South Orange Ave in close proximity to the motorcycle, a 2005 Ducati and adjacent to the old main gate to Seton Hall University.
Officers as well as South Orange Rescue Squad members on scene performed life saving measures but unfortunately were unsuccessful as the victim, a 27 year old Maplewood resident was pronounced deceased at 12:15 am on 9-5-20 by University Hospital.
Preliminary investigation appears the victim had been traveling West on South Orange Ave before coming to a rest in the eastbound lanes. The crash is still actively being investigated at this time.
If any individual or individuals have any information regarding this incident please contact the South Orange Police Department’s Detective Bureau at (973)763-3000 x. 7788
For Daniel’s friends and loved ones unable to attend his Funeral Mass in person, we will be making it possible to attend online via livestream at: https://youtu.be/8peKPQEO2Yk
Daniel Appleton Ives
Daniel Appleton Ives, bicycle enthusiast, self-taught motorcycle wizard, environmental and social justice activist, community idol, affectionate son and brother, passed away suddenly at the age of 27 after a tragic accident on September 5, 2020. He loved the good in all people and lived life to the fullest.
Danny was born on December 2, 1992 in Brooklyn, New York. Shortly after he learned to walk, Danny turned a tiny plastic PlaySchool bicycle for toddlers into a smooth ride by demanding insistently that its training wheels be taken off. Once they were with reluctance removed, his easy circling around the house and darting down the hallway on a two-wheeler proved his propensity for biking and ignited a lifelong passion. Before long, Danny could be seen effortlessly gliding along all the sometimes treacherous trails of Prospect Park attracting the attention of many awestricken onlookers surprised by the skill of this remarkably graceful young child.
Danny moved to Maplewood with his family when he was seven years old. Within that year, he started making plyboard ramps and jumps in the driveway as his parents and sisters looked on with amazement and pride. He practiced his hops, grinds, bar-spins, and tail whips while continuing to master building and rebuilding lightweight, efficient bicycles, oftentimes from abandoned parts found in curbside household refuse around the neighborhood. By his mid-teens, Danny became a regular at both Maplewood skateparks, around the state, and in NYC joining the burgeoning community of BMX bikers of all ages.
At Maplewood Middle School, at the beckoning of his school principal, Danny wrote a heartfelt letter to producers for Nick News Adventures and was consequently selected from a large pool of candidates to go to Thailand with Linda Ellerbee and five other teens from around the country. Danny became part of a cast of fourteen-year-olds that spent two weeks with a television crew living at an elephant sanctuary in Chang Mai. While there, he befriended an elephant named Poonmi, rode with her through the jungle, bathed her in muddy ponds and fed her sugarcane, and took overall care of her. This generated Danny’s lifelong love for elephants. Danny and his friends’ adventures were featured in a Nickelodeon news article titled “If I Could Talk to the Elephants.”
When Danny graduated from Columbia High School in 2011, he followed his passion building bikes and creating a bike shop that would become and integral part of his community. Combined with robotic studies at Morris Community College, he had visions for developing electric motors and environmentally-friendly technologies and alternative sources of energy, a topic he could talk about for hours. His passions grew to include collecting and repairing vintage cars, and a love for building motorcycles from scratch. He built several motorcycles that he shared with other biking friends. True works of art, each one. Danny toured the country to various motorcycle shops and rallies and met renowned leaders in the motorcycling community. When he wasn’t in his Range Rover with his flatbed bike rack extending off the back, he could be seen rumbling around on his latest creation. During this time, he continued to follow his dream for a bike shop. Danny explored the possibilities and expanded his network, and ended up owning a mobile bike repair shop that became well-known throughout the MapSO community. On the side, Danny had worked hard in various hospitality jobs and then later for the South Orange DPW where his good neighborly reputation continued to grow. But, with any extra time he had, he focused on further honing his expertise, learning small shop business and management, and building bikes.
In March 2020, Danny’s dreams came true when he opened his Maplewood Bike Shed at 1673 Springfield Avenue in Maplewood. In his new establishment, he cherished sharing biking tips and tricks among youngsters who congregated there and seeing his many customers smile when they got their new and renewed bicycles or other equipment. With his perpetual smile, unpretentious approachability, and warm thoughtful ways, Danny was friendly with everyone. He especially enjoyed young kids for their enthusiasm for everything. In return, all kids and their parents loved Danny for his effusive smile and constant ardor. In addition to being a loving and proud big brother, Danny became an integral part of his community and many people’s daily lives. Since its grand opening, Danny’s Mplwd Bike Shed became a boon for everyone during COVID-19. Danny’s immense network of friends and the community’s adoration is a testament to his character and the positive impact he had on everyone.
Danny is survived by his mother Martine, stepfather Eddie, and younger sisters Emily and Jill, his father George and his loving extended family, as well as a multitude of close adoring friends and relatives spanning the globe.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the GoFundMe fundraiser for the Danny Ives Foundation that supports a cause that was close to Danny’s heart and entire being.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect Avenue South Orange, NJ on Saturday, September 12th, at 10 AM. Interment will be private. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home 153 South Orange Ave, South Orange on Friday, September 11th, from 4-8pm.
TO CONFORM TO COVID-19 PROTOCOLS, NO MORE THAT 45 GUESTS WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE FUNERAL HOME AT A TIME. THIS WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED.. YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO WAIT
Due to current restrictions regarding the pandemic church attendance is limited to the first 150 people
[Author’s note: I’ve known the Ives family since Daniel Ives’ younger sister Jill was a babysitter for my children years ago. I have such fondness for Martine, Jill, Emily and, of course, Danny, and I was thrilled to see Danny open his Maplewood Bike Shed just six months ago. At the time, I wrote an article on the opening and shot a video for The Village Green, which was quoted in the new story they ran after his passing. So, as a personal and family historian, it seemed fitting that I should endeavor to pen a profile of his extraordinary life, cut far too short. I hope this gesture brings some solace, and a smile, to the family, and myriad friends who loved him deeply.]
Danny Ives
To hear his mother Martine Ives tell it, Danny Ives was a force from babyhood who never sat still and was not interested in relaxing. “He was always wanting to stay up and not sleep,” she laughed, “and he stayed like that. Like he’s gonna miss something.” A restless, energetic kid who was adored by all his teachers and peers, but didn’t always enjoy the rote parts of school (he’d rather have been building bikes from parts, drawing complex mechanical diagrams or out riding), Danny thrived on freedom and exercise. “They used to call kids ‘hyper’, and he had that kind of energy,” Martine said. “I let him do the bike stuff a lot when he was younger, because it would make him so tired. I’d say, ‘Hey, go bike riding,’ and he would be out for hours, come home, eat and go to sleep!”
Danny’s younger sister Emily said not much changed for Ives as an adult. “He didn’t lay down for a second,” she explained. “If he went to bed late, he was still up early. You would never catch him watching a movie, because he was always up doing something, going somewhere. And when he would lay down as a kid, you’d know there was a problem.”
Danny (top) with sisters Emily and Jill
When the school would call Ms. Ives and say that Danny couldn’t sit still, she wasn’t angry. “He always had to move around a lot. They wanted me to speak to him about raising his hand, which he would do quickly, even if he didn’t know the answer. But I knew that Danny focused on what he was interested in.”
Everyone could see it, especially Emily, who looked up to her big brother. “Danny was a genius; he loved bikes, so his focus was on bikes, and that thing that he loved that was not taught in school,” she said. “As a kid like that, school could limit you, make you feel bad about yourself, but he never stopped believing in himself.” Then she paused. “You can’t sit a kid down whose talents are to be a people person.”
Martine Ives with Jill (right), Danny and Emily
Gifted socially and at ease with anyone, Ives’ warm smile made everyone “feel like family,” shared childhood friend and long-time girlfriend Brianna Medina. “He would always give a friend a place to sleep, even if they stayed too long,” she laughed.
In the days following his tragic death last Friday night, when he was killed in a motorcycle crash, Medina has heard from dozens of friends of hers and Danny’s who shared stories and ways in which Danny made them feel welcome, comfortable or included. Shy people or quiet people never had to sit out gatherings; Danny made sure they fit in and weren’t awkward.
And, he always liked to make people laugh, going so far as to take on female roles in Shakespeare plays. In Stacey Lawrence’s Columbia High School drama class, Danny agreed to play the part of Thisbe, the female lead in the Mechanics play within a Midsummer Nights Dream for the Shakespeare Festival, which was performed for the entire school.
“Danny brought the house down in laughter,” Lawrence recalled. “In the last scene, he was being chased by a fellow student dressed as a lion, and Danny had his chest stuffed so that it bounced as he ran. I think he had a wig on, too, and I remember him doing a lot of curling of the wig with his fingers. He always made class fun and bright.” Lawrence said she’s taught thousands of kids, but remembers these moments with Danny most vividly.
As a bicycle and motorcycle-obsessed kid, Ives began to rummage through people’s curbside junk on days when the South Orange Department of Public Works told residents to put out their unwanted items. For him, the old bikes he found were not trash, but treasure. “Anything I could get my hands on, I would kind of tinker with it, take it apart, put it back together,” he said. “Then I started fixing other people’s bikes from my mobile van.”
“Danny was legendary to me,” said Medina. “He would take apart an entire motorcycle, and put it back together again in under a week,” she remembered. “I wouldn’t think he could remember where everything went, but then, he always could.“
It was a philosophy of building something from nothing that he shared with one of his industry idols, custom motorcycle builder Maxwell Hazan of Hazan Motorworks, whom he visited in 2017 on a trip to Los Angeles. “Never did I ever expect to meet a legend,” Danny wrote on his Instagram. “Turns nothing into something, continuously testing his abilities and learns something new with every build. It’s all about paying attention to the details, because it’s the little things that hold everything together.” In a way, perhaps without realizing it, Danny himself was the not so “little thing” that was the glue for so many in Maplewood and father afield.
“Before I moved to Colorado a few years ago,” recalled best friend Nick DiChiaro, “I talked to Danny. I asked him what he thought, and he told me to keep my head high and follow my dreams. Ever since we started riding bikes as kids, we talked about starting a bike shop.” That dream, years later, was realized with the foundations of the Maplewood Bike Shed.
Danny and Nick DiChiaro at work on one of Danny’s bikes
“About a year ago, Danny brought me to what would become the Bike Shed, and he said, “I think I found my place.” It had no floors, no bathroom, but he made it so beautiful.” Since the spring, DiChiaro said, Danny asked DiChiaro to send bikes for him to sell from Colorado. “He knew it was my dream as well, so in his way, he made sure to include me.”
Hazan, reached by phone in Los Angeles, said he instantly recognized in Danny the trait of seeing possibility in what doesn’t yet exist, and creating something with imagination. “He walked in, and was clearly a really smart guy,” Hazan remembered. “Danny had the exact quality I look for when I have someone working for me – someone smart, but more than that, willing to think creatively.”
They had tacos at a little stand downstairs on East Pico Boulevard, and as they spoke, Hazan said he knew he had met someone kindred. “You can kind of smell that quality when you meet someone, if you have it yourself. I would go to junk stores when I started out, too, and get the cheapest things I could find to build with,” he recalled. “Looking at junk parts is something most people can’t do, because a faucet can be turned into something completely different, but not everyone has that vision. Danny didn’t need a manual; some people can build upon what they have seen, but most can’t see things that aren’t there.”
Danny loved building motorcycles, especially those from the 1980s. He was often pictured alongside his beloved Hondas and Ducatis, and shared photos of himself working with parts or on long rides, something he enjoyed. Medina recalled a day when they rode up to the Catskills together, just the two of them, following the winding roads and feeling free in the wind. For her, keeping up with Danny on a motorcycle was an accomplishment.
Danny and his elephant Pang Me in Thailand
While at Maplewood Middle School, Danny applied to be one of six teenagers on celebrated news producer Linda Ellerbee’s Nickelodeon show, Nick News Adventures. He was selected from a large pool to go to Thailand with Ms. Ellerbee where along with five other American fourteen-year-olds, he spent two weeks with a television crew living at an elephant sanctuary in Chang Mai. Each student was assigned an elephant to care for during the trip, and Danny’s Pang Me took him through the jungle, played in the mud with Danny, and was fed by him. Of the six, Danny’s father (who was a chaperone), recalls, his son was the only one to feel comfortable enough with host Ellerbee to embrace her openly, and to make a friendship. He was shown with his arm around her, laughing, in a News Record photo at the time. Upon hearing of Ives’ death, the now-retired Ms. Ellerbee had this to say about her time with Danny, and the indelible impression he made:
Nick News was a television series that tried to explain the world to kids: the behavior of nations, the evolution of ideas, the health of the planet and all its inhabitants. We told kids life could be an adventure. We took kids to experience worlds that were unfamiliar to them…I remember Danny’s smile when he met his elephant. Danny had the sweetest smile. Did he talk to his elephant? Did he sing to his elephant, play with it, laugh with it, let the elephant spray water all over him in the river? Did he ride on, romp with, and care for his elephant, all day, every day? He did. All the kids did. But when the time came to return to the US, only one kid cried when he said goodbye to his elephant. Only one. It was a special moment. Danny was a special young man. He showed us a heart as big as that elephant. He showed his love. I wish I had known him better. Longer. We all do. With sadness, Linda Ellerbee
When he wasn’t charming strangers, Danny excelled in his constantly expanding world of things on two or four wheels, and the greatest skillset for life possible, perhaps: that ability that can’t be learned or taught, which is to make anyone feel like they were your oldest friend. “He would always stand up for kids who weren’t as popular,” says Ms. Ives. “He would approach the ones who were entitled, and tell them to include the others.”
Childhood friend Jack Zichelli echoed that if Danny overheard someone badmouthing someone else, he’d step in to help the person being bullied, and never allowed anyone to be left out or left behind. “If you met him for the first time, you’d feel like you knew him for five years,” said Zichelli. “Danny was always there to talk to people, and helped everyone. You could call him at 2 am, and he would answer.”
Notorious for fixing mechanical problems or giving driving advice to strangers and friends alike even at sixteen, Zichelli remembered what Danny did when a car on South Orange Avenue broke down, because the driver didn’t know how to work a manual transmission. “He made us pull over, and Danny said, ‘I have to teach this guy to drive!’ – and you know, he did.”
Danny Ives was clearly a man who lived life on his terms, and without fear. He had an innate understanding of how to make something broken whole, whether it was a bike or car part or a person. “We were having a bad day a few years ago, and Danny said, ‘Tomorrow the sun will rise, and we will try again,” recalled DiChiaro. “He wasn’t kidding, or saying it with irony. Ever since he told me that, I live by it.”
When they walked into the first day of 9th grade at Columbia high school wearing the same shirt and outfit – an ACDC t-shirt and skater clothes – DiChiaro said everyone called them “twins”, despite the fact that Danny was a lot taller, and DiChiaro was skinny.
A photo from that day is DiChiaro’s very favorite, with Danny enveloping the smaller teenager in a giant hug, showing the other kids his friend was cool – and burying DiChiaro’s head in his chest with a giant smile on his face. “He made people feel 100% all the time, and he would never put them down.”
Another close friend, Elyssa Claudio, said that despite his love of speed, Danny understood very clearly the value of slowing down, and how his beloved bikes fit into the bigger picture of happiness for so many. This was part of the reason he wanted top open a bike shop. “He felt like bikes helped people slow down, and connected people to their inner child,” she remembered. “Even though Danny loved speed, and he was extreme, it’s true – when you get on a bike, for a bit, you feel like you’re ten again.”
“Danny collected characters,” explained Claudio, “and he made you love them, too, even if you didn’t like them. He would take care of everyone and give everyone a home.” This inclusiveness extended to younger men who worked in the Maplewood Bike Shed, most of whom Danny had known for years. One such young man, now around 21, knew Danny from the age of 9, and told Claudio recently that he feels Danny saved his life by keeping him off the streets. Ives taught him BMX tricks, and understood that school wasn’t for easy for everyone. The same generosity of spirit was on display when Danny and Nick DiChiaro began hosting skate and bike gatherings at Maplecrest skate park years ago, with Danny taking younger riders and skaters under his wing and showing them not only tricks, but the right way to be.
Both the bike tricks and surety about what he wanted started early.
In their tiny one bedroom Brooklyn apartment, where Danny lived until he was 7, his mom and dad remember that he would ride a plastic toddler bike, which he insisted on having the training wheels removed from before age 2. “He wasn’t speaking yet,” remembers his dad George Ives, “but he made sounds and pointed so it was clear he was not having those supports on the bike.” Once unfettered, Danny rode the little baby bike up and down the hallway so often, said Martine, that the lady downstairs poked the ceiling with a broom, and complained about the noise. So, his father started taking him to nearby Prospect Park, where Ives would give Danny one push, and he would just go, without knowing where the brakes were.
By three, “Danny started playing with lots of cars and taking them apart,” remembers Martine. He’d pull pieces off with intention, and just when they thought Danny was breaking the toy and went to scold him, they began to realize he was “just changing it to make something else.”
And taking one thing apart and creating something else, taking a cue from an old piece of machinery or household item, was what Danny did best. “I want to build stuff,” he’d always tell him mother. “I’d say, “How are you going to build stuff?” Ms. Ives laughed softly, “and he said, “Mom, watch.”
“Danny would take this remote-control toy car called the “Tantrum” to first grade at PS 321 in Brooklyn, and race it in the courtyard. He could drive it through crowds from where he was standing, and not hit anyone,” said his father. Whether with tiny or life-size toys, Danny had a gift. “It wasn’t just the acumen for driving,” explained Ives, “but he was really good at making diagrams for science in school. Every once in awhile, he’d pick up a pen write a poem that would make me cry.”
And, Danny made everything fun, so it seemed larger than real life. “We were eighteen months apart,” said sister Emily. When we lived in the one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, my parents, Danny and I all shared a bedroom. We had bunk beds, my parent’s bed, and when Jill was born, Jill’s crib was placed on the other end, so you could say it was cramped,” she remembers. “The foyer felt huge to me by comparison, with Danny there, and we would sit in that actually tiny area by the door on our computer playing pixilated Frogger, and make forts out of the desk, inventing games.”
For a man who wasn’t typically afraid of anything or squeamish, Claudio said Ives was terrified of live spiders, but apparently unafraid to eat other insects or unusual foods. This included his appetite for extreme sandwich condiments. “Danny was disgusting,” she laughed. “Every sandwich had to have pickles and pepperoncini on it. He’d get a bacon egg and cheese with jelly and ketchup and more.” While in Thailand with Ellerbee, Ives was happy to eat spinach for breakfast or “other crazy things,” he told the News-Record, like ant eggs, deep fried worms and baby bees. Danny tried them all. “The ant larvae were still alive, and I was the first one to try them,” he said. “I just took a handful of ant eggs. It tastes kind of like a protein shake.”
After graduating from Columbia High School, Danny worked both construction and hospitality jobs with friends, bolstering his knowledge of how the things he loved to build worked, with robotics studies at Morris Community College. Zichelli, who Danny met in middle school when he had a crush on Danny’s younger sister Emily, remembered those days fondly. “I went by their house with Emily, and Danny kind of looked me up and down, like he didn’t have a good feeling about me,” Zichelli laughs.
“He looked like he was thinking, “Who’s this guy?” But, when Danny walked outside the house and saw my BMX bike, he thought, “This guy’s not too bad after all!” We hit it off right there.” For her part, Emily remembers it the same way, but with a twist. “I couldn’t have a boyfriend because Danny was friends with all the guys,” she said. “I dated Jack for a bit, and once he saw Danny’s bike, he broke up with me to be Danny’s friend,” she laughs. “He stole my boyfriend. But, Jack ended up becoming like family, which was how everyone ended up with Danny.”
Jack and Danny landed their first jobs together, Jack remembered, mostly to get back in Martine Ives’ good graces. “We were both sixteen, and got in trouble with his mom, so we thought, “We’ve got to get a job!” Hired on at Above restaurant, then over Ashley Marketplace in South Orange, the boys “put the whole place together.” Later, the summer after high school, Jack and Danny build a custom shed for a customer, creating a small odd-job business together which they called “Jack Daniels”. Later, Danny worked for the South Orange DPW, where according to sister Emily, his nickname was “Happy”, because he was.
Photos from Ives’ Instagram account depict a lifelong love of BMX bikes and motorcycles, including photos and videos of Ives doing jaw-dropping aerial tricks and stunts on skate ramps and buildings. A skilled athlete, Ives competed in swimming and gymnastics starting in middle school, and could often be found at the Maplewood pool doing complex flips and dives, much to the delight of watching children – who cheered and clapped their hands. Ives would emerge from the bottom of the pool with a huge grin on his face, happy in their joy.
“Danny would do gymnastics whenever he felt like it,” Medina laughed. “It could be anywhere, and there would be Danny, doing flips.” On the beach, or running up a tree trunk with only a 10-foot start like Donald O’Connor’s brick wall trick in Singin’ in the Rain, always landing, cat-like, on his feet after a flip. “He was good at everything he tried,” said Medina. Then she laughed a little. “It was frustrating that everything athletic was easy for him!”
Once, his father planned to take Danny skiing in New Jersey when he was 11 or 12. The week before, every day, Danny sat with his face in a computer monitor, looking at videos of snowboarding. “He just spent hours absorbing it all, and I swear, at the mountain he chose a snowboard over skis, got on it, and snowboarded as though he’d been doing it all winter.” So adroit with anything he wanted to do, whether it was dancing or singing or riding a motorcycle, Danny could do figure it out. “That’s kind of how I saw him,” said Ives. “He chose what he wanted in life to do, when he wanted it, and he did it. The same is true for the big picture. He had his mind on living what he loves, helping people with their bikes, and BMX. Everything he touched turned into a work of art.”
Building just about anything came easy for Danny, too, and when they spoke, specialty motorcycle builder Maxwell Hazen said he could see that Danny had the ambition to create a unique and successful business, if he was given a break with time and resources. “He was different in the best way possible,” Hazen recalled. “His mind worked in the same way as only a few people I know who are very talented, and at the top of their game.”
For their part, his mother and stepfather Eddie were very supportive when Danny wanted to open his store. “Don’t worry about failure,” Ms. Ives told him. “It’s what makes someone not knowing the answer yet OK.” And when he did open the doors, his family and universe of friends – and even Maplewood mayor Frank McGehee were front and center. There, Ives greeted all arriving guests with hugs and thanks, but seemed most pleased when children with BMX bikes came by to look through the store, leaving their bikes on the sidewalk outside — reminding him, no doubt, of his younger self. “Hey guys,” he told them on that cool spring day, “come by anytime and see me; I’ll teach you to fix your bike, and learn about the parts.”
Danny loved kids, and by all accounts was as generous with his time with them as he was with the adults he met in life. On Nassau Street in Orange, where he lived for a time, Danny would fix the local kids’ bikes for free. “Me and another friend got all the kids to start calling him “Uncle Danny”,” smiles Zichelli.
Perhaps children loved Danny Ives because his life philosophy was a combination of childlike wonder, and wisdom. “Danny was like a big kid,” says Brianna Medina, “and some people may have thought he still acted younger than he was, but actually, Danny was very wise, an old soul, and knew exactly what he was doing.” She added, “When other people might suggest he should live a different way, he would disagree, saying, “Why wouldn’t I do things the way that I want to do them? Why hold back?” Danny was nothing if not authentic, and Medina said with sadness, that Danny also knew very clearly that the way he lived his life might mean he wouldn’t be around forever.
In person and in photographs, Ives’ personal philosophy was always on display. The desire to remember where you came from, who and what made you who you are – especially your childhood. “#flashbackfriday Back when we would wake up at 5 am to shred before the shoobies and security guards hit the streets,” he wrote on Instagram in 2017. “Back when we didn’t have responsibilities, we were just kids being kids. Back when we would steal [sic] red bulls and candy from A&P, then go hit up Pathmark for lukewarm bagged fried chicken,” referring to fond memories that went with photos of Danny doing daring BMX tricks as a teen. And, it was no different than the many ways people remember him, with tremendous admiration, and love. Perhaps, it could be summed up as the drive to live life hard, well, and with kindness, while still retaining your childlike sense of fun, and wonder. “I haven’t changed a bit,” he wrote. “I’m still that kid! It’s the secret to my slow aging process – never grow up. You’ll get old quick.”
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the GoFundMe fundraiser for the Danny Ives Foundation, or to the newly established Daniel Ives Imaginative Mechanics Scholarship through the Columbia High School Scholarship Fund, which will annually recognize a senior or graduate in need who shares Danny’s passion and creativity for mechanics or robotics by enrolling in a vocational/technical school or related program after high school. Donations can be made at chssf.org (in special instructions, donor should put “Danny Ives”), or checks may be mailed to:
CHSSF, PO Box 315, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Relatives and friends were invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect Avenue South Orange, NJ on Saturday, September 12th, at 10 AM. Since only 150 people will be admitted due to COVID restrictions, the service were be live-streamed and broadcast outside via this link: https://youtu.be/8peKPQEO2Yk
Interment will be private.
A public memorial for children will be held this Sunday, September 13, at 1 pm, Maplewood Skate Park at Maplecrest. Children are invited to bring bikes, skateboards, or skates, and all are welcome to celebrate Danny’s life in the place he loved.
On Sunday, September 20, scores of South Orange and Maplewood residents gathered at Maplewood Town Hall at sundown for “Shofars for Justice: A Call to Action for Black Lives and in Memory of the Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” organized by the local community group SOMA Justice.
“The sound of the shofar calls out to us, on Rosh Hashanah, to stir our collective conscience to action,” read the invitation for the event which was open to all. “We confront the errors and pain and injustice of the past year, and vow to take more action, do more good, as we move into the next. This intersectional Shofar service brings together our community, of all faiths or none at all, to mourn the death of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg and to reaffirm our commitment to the Black Lives Matter movement in 5781/2021 and beyond.”
Photos and video by Joy Yagid.
Jan Kaminsky
Erin Scherzer and daughter
South Orange Trustee Summer Jones, Maplewood Township Committee member Greg Lembrich, South Orange Village President Sheena Collum.Ritu Sharma of SOMA Justice
Dan Baum, who grew up in South Orange and graduated from Columbia High School in 1974 before embarking on a storied career as a journalist, died earlier this month.
The Washington Post noted that Baum wrote books “hailed for their solid reporting and graceful writing.”
His wife Margaret Knox was his constant collaborator.
Of Dan’s time in South Orange, she wrote, “He was a real star in theater and musical theater, starting in junior high, where he starred as Harold Hill in the Music Man. He also loved bicycling, worked in a bike shop in high school, and explored the region by bike with his friend Ken Horii. And he enjoyed being a volunteer fireman.” Back in the day, South Orange Fire Department was partially volunteer, and Knox relates: “Dan loved it, absorbing the firefighters’ discipline and compassion and relishing the thrill of being called to help, even in the middle of the night.”
She continued, “Dan lost his beloved middle brother, Mike, to cancer when they were in their 30s, and his mom succumbed to ALS in her 70s, but his 94-year-old dad and his big brother Andy live, with spouses, in Manhattan.” Baum is also survived by his and Knox’s daughter Rosa Baum of Cambridge, Mass.
Of his time in South Orange, Knox says that Baum enjoyed attending a “Columbia High reunion a few years ago, and had a great time getting reacquainted with friends from as far back as elementary school.”
