Obituaries

Harold G. “Jake” Gunther Sr.

Mr. Gunther, 93, of Colts Neck, died Feb. 6 at home. He was born in Rockaway Beach, N.Y., and moved to Colts Neck in 1925. Mr. Gunther was a farmer at the family farm in Colts Neck from 1925 until 1932. He then was employed at Laird Co., Scobeyville section of Colts Neck, until his retirement in 1977. He was a 74-year member and former chief of Colts Neck Fire Company No. 1; a Sea Scout leader in the 1930s, teaching water and boating safety; and a local first aid and civil defense team member during World War II. He was a member of the Colts Neck Reformed Church, Colts Neck Grange, Colts Neck Senior Citizens Club, and the Lamplighters Camping Club. Mr. Gunther was predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Dorothy Decher Gunther, in 2004. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Hal and Susan Gunther of Millstone; a daughter, Barbara Gunther Reed of Colts Neck; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Colts Neck Reformed Church, followed by interment at Atlantic Cemetery, Colts Neck. Memorial donations may be made to the Colts Neck Fire Company No. 1, P.O. Box 406, Colts Neck 07722. The Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold, was in charge of arrangements.

Michael R. Buchalski

Mr. Buchalski, 48, of Freehold, died Feb. 9 at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. Born in Philadelphia, he had been a resident of Freehold since 1982. Mr. Buchalski was a partner in the firm of Buchalski, Reynolds and Brodowski, a commercial real estate appraisal firm in Freehold. He was chairman of the Freehold Borough Planning Board. He was a member of the Appraisal Institute, Chicago; a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers for Real Property; a New Jersey certified tax assessor; a state certified general appraiser in New Jersey, New York and Tennessee; and a member of the Central New Jersey Chapter of Appraisal Institutes, where he served as vice president in 1999 and president in 2000, and was a current member of the chapter’s board of directors. Mr. Buchalski was a coach in many athletic programs for Freehold Township and St. Rose of Lima Church, Freehold, and was a member of the National Golf Foundation. He was a 1979 graduate of Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Mr. Buchalski is survived by his wife, Cathy Kennedy Buchalski; three sons, Justin P. LaHaye, Jeremy M. Buchalski and Jon-Martin Buchalski, and a daughter, Elizabeth M. Buchalski, all of Freehold; his mother, Mary Noce Buchalski of Pleasantville; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Bernard and Dee Buchalski of Berlin, and Martin B. and Debra Buchalski of Ventnor; and a sister and brother-in-law, Doreen and Richard Salimena of Stone Harbor. The funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Rose of Lima Church, followed by interment at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Freehold Township. The Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the Sunrise Optimist Club, P.O. Box 351, Adelphia 07710, for the benefit of Camp Quality.

Thomas Flynn Jr.

Mr. Flynn, 74, of Marlboro, died Feb. 11 at Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel. He was born in the Bronx, N.Y., and had been a resident of Marlboro for the past 20 years. Before his retirement in 1996, Mr. Flynn was a nuclear engineer at Ebasco Services, Princeton, for 40 years. He held a master’s degree in physics from Fordham University, New York City. He was a communicant of St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church, Manalapan, and a member of the Freehold Bridge Club. Mr. Flynn is survived by his wife, Ruth; a son and daughter-in-law, Thomas and Diane Flynn of South River; a daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Joseph Zavoda of East Brunswick; and six grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Bartholomew’s Church, East Brunswick, followed by burial at Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y. The Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, was in charge of arrangements.

Roberta Sandberg

A memorial service for Roberta Sandberg, 69, of Manalapan, who died Jan. 26, will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 26 at the First Presbyterian Church of Englishtown, 50 Main St. The Rev. Dierdre L. Thomson will officiate.

Helen K. MacKenn

Helen K. MacKenn, 92, of Jackson, died Feb. 13 at Bartley Healthcare Center, Jackson. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., she resided in Jersey City and Middletown before moving to Jackson in 2003. Mrs. MacKenn was a bookkeeper at Anderson Moving and Storage, Red Bank, for 20 years, retiring in 1983. She was a communicant of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, New Monmouth section of Middletown, and a member of the church’s Altar Rosary Society. She was predeceased by her husband, Emil W. MacKenn, in 2004. Mrs. MacKenn is survived by four sons and daughters-in-law, Donald R. and Janice MacKenn of Howell, John F. and Frances MacKenn of Falmouth, Mass., Robert W. and Monica MacKenn of Vernon, Conn., and Stephen A. and Lillian MacKenn of Spanaway, Wash.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Mary’s Church, followed by burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Middletown. Arrangements were by the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown.

Helen M. Williams

Mrs. Williams, 70, of Freehold, died Feb. 13 at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. She was born in Dundee, Scotland, and lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., before moving to Freehold 38 years ago. Mrs. Williams was a communicant of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Freehold. She was the widow of Leonard Joseph Williams Sr., who died in 2002. She is survived by a son, Leonard Joseph Williams Jr. of Freehold; a daughter, Margaret Ellis of Jackson; three brothers, Robert McDonald of Manalapan, James McDonald of Pennsylvania, and Thomas McDonald of Las Vegas; three sisters, Margaret McDonald, Kathleen Fonceca and Irene Melodia, all of New York; and two grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold, followed by interment at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Freehold Township.

Robert John Schenk

Mr. Schenk, 32, of Union Beach, died Feb. 13 at home. Born in Neptune, he resided in Long Branch and Keansburg before moving to Union Beach one year ago. Mr. Schenk was a night crew chief for five years at ShopRite, West Long Branch, Hazlet and Belmar. He is survived by his fiancee, JoAnn Dressel of Union Beach; a daughter, Heather Schenk of Union Beach; his father, Robert Schenk Sr. of Union Beach; five sisters, Nancy Donochie of Burlington, Robin Dunmeyer of Howell, Lisa Yard of Manasquan, Kristine Horton of Pennsylvania, and Susan Helmick of Apopka, Fla.; and one nephew. The Laurel Funeral Home, West Keansburg section of Hazlet, was in charge of arrangements.

Lester Beacham

Mr. Beacham, 87, of Freehold, died Feb. 16 at Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood. He was born in Alabama and had lived in Freehold for the past 52 years. Before his retirement, Mr. Beacham was a factory worker for Raritan Copper Works, Perth Amboy. Surviving are his wife, Marguerite Jameson Beacham; a daughter, Armilla Blackman of Miami, Fla; a nephew; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Higgins Memorial Home, Freehold, followed by interment at Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent section of Manalapan.