ABERDEEN – Municipal officials in Aberdeen Township paid tribute to Bruce Sinclair, a former member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Environmental Committee, with a moment of silence during the Oct. 21 meeting of the Township Council.
Sinclair, 66, died on Oct. 16. Municipal officials said he was a regular attendee at council meetings and often sat in the same front row seat in the council’s meeting room.
Public Information Officer John Roman said a Go Fund Me page has been established to fund a memorial bench in Sinclair’s name on the Cliffwood Beach seawall.
Emily Lannotta, the fundraiser’s organizer, is hoping to commemorate Sinclair’s life by creating Bruce’s Bench.
“Bruce Sinclair was a dedicated neighbor and friend to all in Aberdeen, but especially in Cliffwood Beach. … Bruce’s kindness and generosity resonated through our neighborhood in many ways.
“His contributions to our community are unmatched. He is truly loved his town and the neighboring communities.
“To honor Bruce’s memory and dedication to our town, we would like to place a bench at the Fiorendo Sigismondi Community Center on Prospect Avenue. … Let us all be reminded of his example of kindness through Bruce’s Bench,” Lannotta said.
According to an obituary posted online by the Rupell Funeral Home, Phillipsburg, Sinclair was born in South Amboy to the late Joseph B. and Dorothy E. Smith Sinclair.
He received a degree in economics from Seton Hall University, South Orange, and worked for many years in logistics for the U.S. Department of Defense, based at the Picatinny Arsenal in Wharton.
Sinclair was active in Christian retreatant circles and cared about individuals in need. After tropical storm Sandy struck New Jersey in 2012, he worked to help residents in neighboring Union Beach who were struggling to recover their lives following the devastating storm.
Sinclair was preceded in death by his brothers Alan and Larry, and niece Pamela. He is survived by sisters-in-law Susie and Kathy; niece Christina (Joseph) Ippolito, nephew Scott, and niece Susan, according to his obituary.
