Category: GLOUCESTER CITY

Charles P. “Zeke” Cziryak, 89, of Gloucester City

If you would like to live in a community in which you take great pride, then dedicate yourself to that with humility and action. Spending your years in this city isn’t just about being neighbors; it’s doing life together. Charles P. “Zeke” Cziryak carried great pride in his country and his city. There are times when we make history, and there are times when history makes us. “Zeke’s” home had contributed to the manpower of our great nation, upholding the ideals of our American freedoms, serving as a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps during the very beginning of the Vietnam War. Mr. Cziryak was a kind, generous, and caring family man who just adored his wife, “Dutchie,” his family, country, and his city.

We’ve reached the age where life stops giving things; it now takes them away. But don’t fear sadness, as it tends to sit right next to love. Charles P. “Zeke” Cziryak passed away on Monday, April 6, 2026, at Cooper Hospital, Camden. To the whole world, you were just a husband, father, and pop. To your family, you were our world.

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Tara Marie Kennedy, 52, of Gloucester City

On April 6, 2026, at the age of 52. Of Gloucester City. Formerly of Fairview. Loving mother of Devon Shearer. Beloved fiancée of Charles Becker. Cherished daughter of Marybeth Wolf and the late Larry Gross. Beloved sister of John and Megan.

Tara worked many years as a server at the former Crystal Lake Diner in Westmont.

Tara will be honored and remembered with a celebration of her life on Friday, May 22, 2026 from 7 to 10 PM at Robert H. Jordan VFW Post 7125, 1199 Hessian Ave, West Deptford, NJ 08093.

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Fishing Derby scheduled for April 25, rain or shine

Registration at 8 am

CNBNews History Files

Brooklawn Fire Code Inspector Explains the Rapid Key Entry Box System

By Sally Martino

NEWS Correspondent

Brooklawn Council President Theresa Branella conducted last week’s meeting in the  absence of Mayor John Soubasis.

Council heard a presentation from Fire Code Inspector Carl Thomas regarding a new rapid key entry box system that will be available for installation at the school, community center and local businesses for the cost of the box.

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GC’s 2026 Philanthropy Campaign Hits $150K: Maroon & Gold Challenge Update

Seniors Zoey McKay and Samantha Richards performing in this year’s school musical “Little Shop of Horrors”

 As of April 13th we have raised over $150,000 to date in the campaign. This represents 67% raised toward our goal of $225,000. We thank all of our donors

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Wildfire Near Sunoco Tank Farm Sends Thick Smoke Across SJ (videos)

UPDATE

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

The smoke from the fire covered the South Jersey area. Image courtesy of Channel 6 Action News

 

NATIONAL PARK, NJ–Around 10:30 AM Saturday, April 11, 2026, black and dark gray smoke plumes were visible to the west. The smoke could be seen from far away, even from the Walt Whitman Bridge. “Lookie Lou’s” from all over South Jersey were driving toward the smoke, trying to find the source. CNBNews initially headed to Water Street, Gloucester City. Finding nothing, we drove to Old Crown Point Road, West Deptford, thinking the fire was at the Sunoco Refinery tank farm that faces The Piston Diner.

Not seeing anything at that location, we drove to the nearby community of National Park. Traffic was backed up from the 295 exit ramp to the Hessian Avenue traffic light. As Sweetie and I neared the fire, the smoke turned a dark black. Despite having my van windows closed and the AC on, my eyes began to tear, and I began to choke uncontrollably. Sweetie began to whimper. At that point, traffic was getting more congested. We abandoned our search for the fire’s location and headed home. 

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Richard Wimmer, 95, of Gloucester City

Richard Wimmer, of Gloucester City, NJ, died on April 4, 2026. He was 95 years old. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Joan (nee Clayton), to whom he was married for 57 years. Loving father of Sharon L. Norman and husband Jim of Kissimmee, FL, and Richard A. Wimmer and wife Suzanne of Boothwyn, PA. Dick was the cherished Gramps of grandchildren Janine Young, husband Kyle; Katie Sarajian, husband Tim; Meghan Bistline, husband John; and Jimmy Norman. He also had 4 great-grandchildren: Zoey, Ashlyn, Jay, and Delainey. Dear brother of Dorothy Lynch, deceased, and Geraldine Furlong. Dick was the son of the late Howard D. and Kathryn C. Wimmer. Dick retired from the E.I. Dupont company with 34 years as an analytical technician.

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Cleary’s Notebook Presents

APRIL CHEERS AND JEERS

Gloucester City Firefighter Settles Lawsuit for $45K

Written by William E. Cleary Sr.

JEER — To the ongoing dysfunction inside the Gloucester City Fire Department

A recently settled lawsuit revealed allegations of harassment, retaliation, and hostility toward an injured firefighter, ending in a $45,000 payout by the city. The details paint a picture of leadership problems that taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for. 


The source for the $45,000 payout by Gloucester City is a March 27, 2026, report by Transparency NJ, written by open‑government advocate John Paff. The article details the settlement of a lawsuit filed by firefighter Kyle Jeffries, (photo) who alleged disability discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the Gloucester City Fire Department. The city agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve the case — $23,804 to Jeffries for emotional distress and $21,196 for attorney fees. 

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Key points from the documented settlement

The lawsuit stemmed from a June 2023 training injury and the firefighter’s subsequent treatment while on light duty. In his lawsuit, Kyle Jeffries, who began working for the department in 2014, alleged that he sustained a ruptured nerve in his spine leading to his left leg during a swift water training exercise in June 2023. He alleged that after reporting the injury and seeking medical treatment, he was placed on light-duty status but faced hostility from both supervisors and coworkers.

Allegations included hostility from supervisors, delayed workers’ comp paperwork, and retaliatory shift changes.

The settlement was finalized in August 2025, but publicly reported in March 2026.

The city did not admit wrongdoing, but paid the settlement to close the case. The mayor and council never said a word to the taxpayers who footed the bill for this case. 

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TIPS AND SNIPPETS: Growing Up In Gcity, Cleanup of Junk Yard? Train Blocks Traffic

By William E. Cleary Sr.

REMEMBERING THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” — Howard “Butch” Shaffer rolled up from Hilton Head, South Carolina, to meet a few of his childhood buddies at the Brooklawn Diner on Thursday, April 2. For a moment, it felt like Gloucester City in the 1940s and ’50s all over again — a town where everyone knew your name, your father’s nickname, and which streetlight you were supposed to be home by.

Back then, our little community ran on corner stores, church bells, and the kind of front‑porch gossip that traveled faster than any newspaper. World War II was winding down, the Korean War was starting up on the other side of the world, and kids like us were more worried about stickball games, jukebox music, and whether we had enough change for a Coke.

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