Tom Gross, Warren County Superintendent, Warren County Special Services Board Member
Thomas “Tom” Gross, former superintendent of Blairstown Elementary School, died on Jan. 18. He was 78 years old.
After graduating from college, he served as a teacher and principal at Blairstown, before serving 13 years as the district superintendent. Following his retirement from Blairstown, he served as an interim superintendent in Frelinghuysen and Knowlton elementary schools. Later, he was appointed as county superintendent in Warren County. In that capacity, he was a member of the Warren County Special Services school district board, and a member of the Warren County Community College Board of Trustees.
He was a member of the Warren County Association of School Administrators, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, the Blairstown Open Space Committee, the Blairstown Enhancement Committee, and, earlier in his life, the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department in Stroudsburg, Pa.
He is survived by his wife Rita E. (Pike) Gross, three sons, two daughters, and nine grandchildren.
Arrangements are under the direction of Newbaker Funeral Home in Blairstown; visitation will be held there on Jan.23 and a funeral service at the same location on Jan. 24.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Tom’s name to the Blairstown Ambulance Corp., P.O. Box 389, Blairstown, NJ 07825 or The Antler Wildlife Sanctuary, 661 Limecrest Road, Newton, NJ 07860.
Sean Dolan, Fredon Township Superintendent
Sean Dolan, formerly superintendent of Fredon Township, died at home on Jan. 19 of cancer. He was 50 years old.
He attended Glassboro State College, graduated from Montclair State University, and received a masters’ degree from William Paterson University.
He was a teacher in Hasbrouck Heights, Wood-Ridge and Mountain Lakes, a vice principal in Randolph and Mountain Lakes, principal of the borough school in Morris Plains, and superintendent at Fredon Township. He retired for medical reasons in 2016 from Fredon Township.
He was a coach who began wrestling programs in Wood-Ridge and Mountain Lakes, and coached the Randolph High School football team, and the Mountain Lakes High School soccer and wrestling teams. He also coached sports for his children, including softball, soccer, football, lacrosse and wrestling. He was president of West Morris Central Women’s Lacrosse Parents Club for four years, and the head coach of Long Valley Grade School wrestling team.
He was also an avid musician and drummer. In his early years he was a singer and songwriter in his own band. After his diagnosis of cancer, he authored two books — a children’s book, “The Boy with the Sketch Book,” and a poetry book, “Sleeping with Lions,” which was designed by his daughter, Cameron Dolan. He visited elementary schools to read his books to children.
He is survived by his parents, John and Bernadette Dolan; his wife of 24 years, Lisa Dolan; a daughter and two sons; a brother, sister, mother- and father-in-law; cousins, friends, students and colleagues.
Visitation will be held on Jan. 23 at St. Brigid Church in Peapack; a funeral mass will be held Jan. 24 at the church. Arrangements are by Bailey Funeral Home.
Donations in his memory may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 5028, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5028, www.mskcc.org.