Obituaries

Therese ‘Terry’ Pounds (Joiner): 1927-2024

Therese “Terry” Pounds (Joiner), 97, of Montclair, NJ died peacefully surrounded by family at Mountainside Hospital on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, Terry was born a ‘survivor,’ having lost her mother who died soon after her birth in 1927 in New York City. She subsequently lived all over the world as a self-described “army brat” after her father, Colonel Talley Dosier Joiner, remarried and reclaimed “his little Therese” from her aunts who raised her until she was six. After graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ, Terry briefly attended college at Trinity, DC, then decided to go to Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in NJ. The skills she learned there served her well at her first secretarial jobs in Manhattan, then later at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair where she worked for almost twenty years in the Office of External Affairs. She was proud of her mastery of the rules of English grammar, and many relied on her to proofread their letters. After the death of her husband in 1978, Terry set up a Montclair chapter of THEOS, a nationwide non-denominational support group for widowed men and women. She ran the group for approximately ten years and created friendships from that work that lasted until her death. She was also involved with the Friends of Barnet and the Montclair Fine Arts Festival.

Terry was predeceased in death by her husband, Donald Pounds, her son Richard, her beloved companions, Arthur Jones and Fred Berinato, and her sisters Lucy and Claire. She is survived by her son Donald Pounds and his companion Patrice Holtzer, daughter Mary Pounds Sisler, daughter-in-law Bette Pounds, sons James Pounds (Bethany) and Thomas Pounds (Liljana), daughter Virginia Pounds, sons Michael Pounds (Catherine) and John Pounds. She was the proud grandmother of sixteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: Katy, Austin, Colleen, Connor, Jordan, Jason, Jeremy, Natalie, Anika, Evan, Noah, Ben, Eli, Max, Harper and Nolan; Scarlett, Emma, Carson, Peyton and Wesley. She is also survived by a large extended family and countless friends.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 9 at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 30 N. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ 07042, followed by interment of ashes at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Upper Montclair.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Terry’s name to The Release Recovery Foundation at: https://donate.hakuapp.com/donations/new?fundraising_effort=in-loving-memory-of-therese-terry-pounds.

John Hassell

8/12/1944 - 11/23/2025

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Obituary For John Hassell

John Hassell, 81, passed away on November 23, 2025. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 12, 1944, to John Alva and Marie (Grady) Hassell.

John lived a life marked by kindness, curiosity, and a wonderful sense of humor. He married the love of his life, Sandy (Eckhart) Hassell, and together they shared over 24 wonderful years. He was friendly, thoughtful, and treated everyone with genuine respect.

He had a deep love for his family, and he embraced adventure whenever he could. John enjoyed traveling, especially throughout Europe, with Italy, Spain, and Greece being among his favorite places. He loved immersing himself in the culture of each destination, trying new foods, and making the most of every experience. At home, he enjoyed boating on Lake Erie and even challenged himself by running in several marathons.

John proudly served his country in the United States Army as a surgical assistant during the Vietnam War. In his professional life, he worked as a field service engineer in the electrical-mechanical industry. His career included time with DeVilbiss and Kuka Robotics, and later with BP Oil, where he installed pipelines in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

He was preceded in death by his parents. John is survived by his wife, Sandy; daughters Karen Radecki (Mike) and Lori Aronson (Eric); stepchildren Nikki Velliquette and Eric Velliquette; nine grandchildren and two great-granddaughters; and his sisters, Pat Hassell (Eddy Fishman) and Janet Hassell.

A visitation will be held on Monday, December 1, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home in Sylvania. A Celebration of Life will follow at 2:00 p.m., where family and friends will gather to honor John’s memory and the life he lived.

John will be remembered for his warm heart, his adventurous spirit, and the humor and kindness he shared with everyone he met. He will be deeply missed. To those who knew him, he was truly one of the good guys.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Hassell, please visit our flower store.

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