Obituaries for April 2026
Let us pray for our dearly departed clergy and religious whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in April.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Father Donald Eugene Blumenfeld
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, on April 23 for Father Donald Eugene Blumenfeld. He died peacefully on April 16. Father Blumenfeld was 72.
A lifelong resident of East Rutherford, NJ, he was the son of Donald and Joan Blumenfeld. Father Blumenfeld earned his bachelor’s degree in classical languages from Seton Hall, continuing there for his M.A. in Judeo-Christian studies. He went on to earn an S.T.B. from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, and a Ph. D. in Theological Studies from the Graduate Theological Foundation.
Following his graduation from Seton Hall, he entered the seminary at the Gregorian University in Rome. In 1979, he was among the first class of priests to be ordained in Rome by Saint Pope John Paul II.
After serving as associate pastor of Saint Mary’s in Dumont, Father Blumenfeld began his teaching career at Union Catholic Regional High School. He also served on the faculty of Morris Catholic in Denville, Paramus Catholic in Paramus, and was director of campus ministry and chaplain at Ramapo College in Mahwah.
Father Blumenfeld also taught at Trinity College, Caldwell College, Felician College, and Seton Hall University, where he was an adjunct professor. He later became Seton Hall’s director of field education at Immaculate Conception Seminary and continued as an adjunct professor of religious studies and in the CORE. He remained at Seton Hall until his retirement.
Additionally, he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol starting in 1970, earning the Amelia Earhart Award and the rank of Cadet Captain before transitioning to senior member status. Father Blumenthal held numerous leadership roles in the organization, including the role of
Northeast Region Inspector General, which he held from 2013 until his death. He was promoted to the rank of Lt. Col. in 1993. He was awarded multiple honors during his distinguished CAP career.
Father Blumenthal was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his brother, Doug Blumenfeld, and sister-in-law, Jean Marie, of Westfield, as well as numerous cousins.
Sister Mary Felicia Brodowski, CSSF
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel in Lodi, New Jersey on April 24 for Sister Mary Felicia Brodowski. She died on April 22 at the age of 83.
Sister Mary was born to Thomas Brodowski and Agnes Szymanski in Wilmington, Delaware, on May 3, 1942. She attended Saint Hedwig Elementary School, which was staffed by Felician Sisters. Though attracted to the congregation, she was more influenced by her aunt, Sister Mary Sanctine Szymanski, also a Felician Sister. She and her brother Thomas were raised in a very Catholic home.
After graduating from Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, she entered the postulancy of the Felician Sisters in 1960. She made her final profession in 1968.
Sister Mary attended Felician College in Lodi, receiving a bachelor’s degree in education. She went on to earn an MA in English at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
She began her education ministry by teaching elementary school in New Jersey, then moved on to teaching high school English at Saint Anthony High School in Jersey City, Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, and Saint Joseph High School in Camden. While at Immaculate Conception, she received the Outstanding Secondary Educator of America award.
For the next six years, Sister Mary served as principal of Saint Anthony High School in Jersey City. She then served as President of Saint Anthony for sixteen years. During those years, she received numerous honors, including the Mayoral Citation for Educational Leadership in Academic and Athletic Excellence; the President’s Medallion from Felician College, where she also served on the board; and the Christopher Columbus Award for Outstanding Contributions to Civic and Community Affairs.
When her mother’s health declined, Sister Felicia devoted two years to the special ministry of caring for her. She spent her later career working with adults with challenges in the 21 and Over Program, part of the Felician School for Exceptional Children, a ministry she held dear to her heart.
Sister Theresette Hunting, CSJP
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Saint Michael Villa in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on April 10 for Sister Theresette Hunting, CSJP. She died peacefully at Saint Michael Villa on April 5. Sister Theresette was 91.
Born in 1934 in New York City, she was the daughter of the late Russell Emerson Hunting, Sr., and Marie Helen Murphy.
Before entering the religious life, Sister Theresette worked for New York Life Insurance, Inc. as a secretary in the actuarial department. In 1954, she served her country in the secretarial corps of the U.S. Naval Reserves in Bainbridge, Maryland, and New York City. She was honorably discharged as a Yeoman Third Class in 1958 while a novice.
Sister Theresette entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace at Saint Michael Villa Novitiate, Englewood Cliffs in 1957. She pronounced her final vows there in 1965. She graduated from Caldwell College with a BA in music education and continued her music studies at Manhattan College and Jersey City State College.
As a teacher, she educated students at Our Lady of Victories in Landisville; Saint Anne’s School in Fair Lawn; Holy Rosary School in Edgewater; and Saint Aloysius Elementary School in Jersey City. Sister Theresette also held various positions at Saint Michael Novitiate and Englewood Cliffs College; Saint Joseph Village in Rockleigh; and Saint Michael Provincial House and Saint Joseph Province Office, both in Englewood Cliffs.
She later became the Saint Joseph Province archivist and helped to facilitate the consolidation of the congregation’s archives in Englewood Cliffs.
Sister Theresette was predeceased by her brothers Russell, Donald, and Richard Hunting. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Ute Hunting and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Deacon Joseph James Nazzaro
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on April 14 at Saint Francis by the Sea Catholic Church in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, for Deacon Joseph James Nazzaro. He died peacefully on April 7 at the age of 95.
Born on August 30, 1930, in Jersey City, NJ, Deacon Nazzaro was one of three sons to Patrick and Mildred Nazzaro. After graduating with a BS degree from Panzer College in East Orange, and a master’s degree from Montclair State University, he entered the Army and served in Korea from 1955-57.
He married his wife, Rose Grimley, in 1958, following his honorable discharge from the army. Over a three-decade career, first at Pascack Valley High School in New Jersey and then Pascack Hills High School, he served as a teacher, coach, trainer, and eventually chairman of the physical education department.
In 1975, Deacon Nazzaro was part of the first class of permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of Newark. Initially, the primary focus of his ministry was the sick, whether in hospitals, nursing homes or the home bound.
After his retirement, he and his wife moved to Hilton Head, SC, where he continued his ministry under the direction of the pastors at Saint Francis by the Sea Catholic Church in Hilton Head.
Deacon Nazzaro is survived by his wife of 67 years, Rose; his five children and their spouses, Joseph Jr., Madonna Rogacki, Deborah Donnelly (James Warrington), William (Patty) and James (Shannon); ten grandchildren and step-grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Robert, Robert’s wife Bea, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Deacon Robert V. Thomann
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey on April 23 for Deacon Robert V. Thomann. He died on April 19. Deacon Thomann was 91.
Born on September 1, 1934, to George and Anna (Schmitt) Thomann in the Bronx, Deacon Thomann was the middle brother to Joseph and Dorothea. He met his wife, Joan (Coyle), at a church dance and they were married in May 1957 at Sacred Heart Church in Cambria Heights, NY. They had seven children, 19 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.
Deacon Thomann earned his BA and MA degrees in Civil Engineering from Manhattan College, a Ph.D. in oceanography from New York University, a master’s degree in systematic theology from Seton Hall University, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fordham University. He was a teacher all his professional life, with 30 years at Manhattan College and numerous teaching rounds in the Church.
Ordained as a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1977, Deacon Thomann ministered in the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, NJ for more than 50 years. He and his wife were active in the Neocatechumenal Way.
Deacon Thomann is survived by his wife of almost 69 years, Joan, his daughter Mary and her husband, Michael Bachynsky, Anne and her husband, Kevin Brennan, Thomas and his wife, April, Peter and his wife, Peggy, Frances and her husband, David Morano and Margaret and her husband, Scott Rice. He is also survived by his sister Dorothea and her husband Thomas McKnight, his daughter-in-law, Janice Thomann, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son, Robert Thomann, his parents and his older brother, Joseph.
