Obituaries

Mr. Filiaci was born and raised in Montclair before moving to Verona many years ago. He was a letter carrier for the Montclair and Verona post offices, as well as a part-time electrician, a trade he learned many years before while stationed in Korea in the Army.

Flemming Dunn Jr. of Jersey City, formerly of Montclair, who had a long career as a technician with Western Electric, died on April 11, 2025. He was 84.

Thomas Joseph Gilligan, Jr., formerly of Montclair, who served in the National Guard and had a long career at Morgan Stanley, died peacefully on April 13, 2025

He was educated in the Montclair school system, graduating from Montclair High School in 1973. He was well known for his wrestling ability in high school and loved to brag about it and his many awards.

Mr. Moschella, affectionately known by most as “Pops,” was a dedicated member of the St. Sebastian Society in Montclair for 70-plus years.

She was the founder and director of the Governing Institute of New Jersey, a non-profit that trained local activists to run for political offices and school boards. A service celebrating her life will be held in Montclair on April 26, 2025.

Mrs. Louis and her children joined her husband in 1984 in Montclair, where she would spend the next 41 years of her life. She believed in hard work and perseverance, qualities she carried into various jobs after immigrating.

Mrs. Hamilton chronicled her many adventures growing up in Brooklyn, her marriage and living and raising their four sons in Montclair in her humorous and touching memoir, “It Only Happens Now and Then.”

John Herring of Montclair died on March 2, 2025. He was 59. He is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and his children.

He remained the heart and soul of the Commonwealth Club into his 90s and is considered the beloved GOAT by the membership. He was never happier when he could stop by and hold court as guys came up to say hello.

Mr. Strain was also deeply committed to the community, serving on the board of trustees at his sons’ school, Montclair Kimberley Academy, from 2008 to 2017, as well as with other organizations close to his heart.

Her first love was her family. She was the quiet, soft-spoken voice that brought joy to the Franklin Place neighborhood. Her door was always open as the “neighborhood playground.” She never missed her sons’ basketball games.