Joseph Stivala, 74

Former Verona police officer and longtime township resident, Joseph Stivala, died Feb. 23 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 74.

Born in Montclair, Stivala attended Verona schools, graduating Verona High School in 1954. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1955 until 1958.

He served as a member of the Verona Police Department from 1959 until 1967. He also founded the Verona Eagles junior football program in 1966. Today the Eagles program continues to serve Verona boys and girls.

Stivala was  president of Verona Local 72 of the New Jersey Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and a member of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen.

In 1967, he joined the New York -New Jersey Waterfront Commission as a special investigator assigned to both the New Jersey and New York seaports. He retired from that organization as assistant chief in 1986.

After retirement, he resided in Wellington, Fla. before moving to Keller, Texas and then returning to Boynton Beach, Fla.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Shirley, their five sons, Steve, Gregory, Jeffrey, Keith and Mark, nine grandchildren and his sister, Rosalie.

A gathering of remembrance is planned for April 3 at the Village Royal Green clubhouse in Boynton Beach, Fla. Donations in his memory can be made to the Hospice of Palm Beach County, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407.