Part I: Jada
Around 1900 Domenico and Caterina Ciccone left their native Calabria in the south of Italy and came to America. They settled in Nutley, NJ where Domenico started a small business repairing shoes. His shop was on the corner of Chestnut Street and Passaic Avenue, just a few blocks from Franklin Ave. The family lived in an apartment above the shop which eventually became home to their 6 children: Joseph, Sam and Elsie (twins), Helen, Albert, and Marge.
Though they named their fifth child Albert John, he was known forever as Jada because he constantly sang, hummed and tapped that 1918 ragtime classic, “Ja-Da.” He likely heard a rendition of it by the Original New Orleans Jazz Band which included Jimmy Durante on piano.
Jada was outgoing, well liked and respected, and always in command. He managed the football team through high school and graduated from Nutley High School in 1930. He graduated from Montclair State College with a degree in education and became a teacher at Montclair High School. He eventually earned his Masters in Secondary Education from Columbia University in 1941.
Part II: Betty
Betty Mahony was born on February 10, 1923. She was the second child and only daughter of Frances (Fanny) and Ray Mahony, Sr. — the younger sister by eight years to her brother Ray, Jr. She was one of only two children but was part of the extended Hickey and Mahony families which were numerous and well known in Passaic and Nutley. She was the pride of her father, an excellent student, and popular with her classmates. She was known for her great sense of humor and caring personality. She graduated from Nutley High School in June of 1941 and attended Skidmore College that fall.
Part III: Jada and Betty
It started as a gag, a joke. Ray Mahony, Jr. and Jada Ciccone had been friends for years — frequenting dances, parties and going down the shore. In the fall of 1941 Ray, his wife Helen, and Jada planned to attend a party and Jada needed a date. Helen and Ray jokingly suggested that Jada bring his sister Betty along. Betty was 11 years Jada’s junior so not much was expected other than a fun evening together.
Apparently they had a good time, as Betty and Jada were married one year later on December 9, 1942 at St Mary’s Church in Nutley. This first date — for which there were no expectations — resulted in a 42-year long love affair. Jada had enlisted in the Army in 1942 and received orders to report to Officer’s Training School in Ft. Collins, CO, which was the start of 54 months of service. Jada had responsibility for training, discipline, logistics, and staffing as well as millions of dollars worth of engineering equipment and supplies. He was promoted to 2nd Lt., then Captain, and finally to Major before he left the service.
In 1945 daughter Carol was born and Betty and Carol moved back to Nutley to live with her parents while Jada finished his service. In September 1946 Jada was discharged and returned home. In early 1947 his father-in-law heard that Essex County school officials were looking for someone to organize, staff, and manage a newly conceived vocational/technical high school. Ray Sr. encouraged Jada to apply — a suggestion that launched a 35-year career. He loved the position and became one of the most successful and respected administrators in the county system. After a long and highly productive career Jada retired in 1982.
In 1948 second daughter Kathleen arrived and the family moved to 115 Garrabrant Ave in Bloomfield. In 1958 they moved to Maplewood and bought a bungalow in Manasquan at the Jersey Shore. 1960 marked a surprise visit by third daughter Elizabeth Ann (Lizanne).
Jada and Betty shared a dynamic, passionate, and loving relationship. Jada once told my brother Dennis that no matter how hectic or stressful his day was, he always spent an hour with his wife in the evening to stay close and connected — he called it “Betty Time.” Betty had a love of reading, conversation, politics, and even enjoyed the occasional Hollywood scandal. Like many of the Mahonys she could also tell a great story. She had a beautiful, memorable laugh.
Sadly Jada passed away suddenly in 1984 after just two years of retirement. The line to attend his funeral at Brown’s Funeral Home was a block and a half long. After suffering the effects of cancer for several years, Betty passed in 1988 — courageously and with perspective, spending her final years with her daughters and their children.
However, the legacy of Betty and Jada lives on today through their three daughters: Carol (Gardner), Kathleen (Law), and Lizanne (Gruber). A note from Lizanne: after every broken heart and bad date she had during high school, Jada had suggested “What about that Chuck Gruber?” — which for Lizanne meant she’d do just the opposite. Of course, Jada and Betty were right all along, and Chuck and Lizanne were married in 2009. “Chuck remains content that he’s the only man on earth who is guaranteed to have had Betty and Jada’s blessing at the wedding. Lizanne remains astounded that her parents were right. (But not really.)”
*Much of the Ciccone family summary was provided courtesy of Lizanne Ciccone Gruber.
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