Remembrances & tributes

Aug 20, 2016

Owner of Hasbrouck Heights’ last farm, Edson Stagg, dies

This tribute/obituary appeared in The Record on Sept. 10, 2010:

Edson Stagg, the last farmer in Hasbrouck Heights, died Saturday at his home in Hunterdon County. He was 89.

Mr. Stagg operated a produce and flower farm for more than 25 years on land his father acquired in 1919. The land included a Dutch sandstone house dating to 1728. Mr. Stagg was born in the farmhouse.

Edson Stagg

Edson Stagg

Edson Stagg operated this produce and flower farm in Hasbrouck Heights for more than 25 years on land his father acquired in 1919. He sold the property in 1972 and moved to Hunterdon County, where he opened another farm.

“When my father bought this farm … it was a mile long and 500 feet wide. It stretched all the way from the Erie Railroad tracks in Hackensack to the Lodi bleachery,” Mr. Stagg told a reporter in 1972, after he sold what remained of the family’s property, including the farmhouse, to a developer. By then, Stagg’s Farm was shoehorned between Routes 80 and 46, and a 12-story hotel, now the Hasbrouck Heights Hilton, was across the way.

Mr. Stagg grew and sold flowers in the spring and vegetables in the summer and fall. He sold Christmas trees during the holidays.

Edson Stagg operated this produce and flower farm in Hasbrouck Heights for more than 25 years on land his father acquired in 1919. He sold the property in 1972 and moved to Hunterdon County, where he opened another farm.

Edson Stagg operated this produce and flower farm in Hasbrouck Heights for more than 25 years on land his father acquired in 1919. He sold the property in 1972 and moved to Hunterdon County, where he opened another farm.

“He was a strong, determined man who knew what he wanted and was fussy about his road stand,” said his wife, Tory. “Everything had to be spotless, and anything not of A-1 quality would go right into the garbage.”

“We used to go there to buy our corn and tomatoes in the summer,” said Louise Davenport, 81, the Hasbrouck Heights historian and former borough clerk.

Mr. Stagg continued to operate the farm after moving to East Paterson in 1963. “But his heart, his whole life, was in Hasbrouck Heights,” his wife said. “He was very sad he had to sell, but he knew things were changing after they built the hotel across the street.”

The Staggs moved to Kingwood Township in 1980. Mr. Stagg had another Stagg’s Farm there — this one growing annuals and poinsettias.

In addition to his wife of 63 years, he is survived by his children, Edson Emil Stagg of Carlstadt and Jessica S. Morgan of Elmwood Park; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Visiting is today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Patrick J. Conte Funeral Home, Elmwood Park. The funeral service will be held there Thursday at 10 a.m.

Dec 25, 2013

Emil Lasica: Farewell to a family man

Emil George Lasica died in a hospital on Nov. 30, 1999, just three weeks before we had planned to fly east for the Christmas holidays for Bobby Lasica to meet his grandparents for the first time. JD Lasica delivered the following eulogy at his father’s funeral service on Dec. 4, 1999.

My last conversation with my father took place last weekend. Dad was looking forward to finally meeting his grandson Bobby during our trip back East just three weeks from now. We spoke for only a few minutes, but he took the time to remind me to send a photo of Bobby to his brother and sister, John and Vi.

Dad was always talking about responsibility, and about family. Those were the central touchstones in the household I grew up in — everything else flowed out of responsibility, and family. (more…)

Dec 21, 2013

Remembrance of John Martin Lasica

J. Martin Lasica with a bonsai tree.

J. Martin Lasica with a bonsai tree.

In his 40s John Lasica started going by J. Martin Lasica. He lived in San Jose, Calif., and ran a roof-repair business, Just Leaks, in nearby Santa Clara. He traveled often to Thailand. He died of prostate cancer that metastasized at age 59. His ashes were spread in Flemington, NJ, by his close uncle, Edson Stagg. His daughter, Jennifer, printed a wonderful tribute to her father a few months after he died. Here’s an excerpt:

J.Martin grew up in New Jersey. He spent a good deal of time working on his Uncle Ed’s farm. Throughout his life, he reminded us how important the work ethic was. Uncle Ed’s farm was where he internalized that life lesson and first experienced the rewards of hard work.

He had high expectations of himself as well as others. In 1963, he became a father to Craig and Scott when he married Irene. Together, they had three more daughters: Jenny-Sue, Cindy and Holly. Connecticut was home. When J. Martin and Irene divorced, he became a single father, raising his daughters in California. He has been there for the past 20 years. (more…)

Dec 21, 2013

John Lasica’s remembrances

From left, Walter Wojcik, Emil Lasica, his mother ("Babci"), John Lasica, George Maciag and his son Gregory, circa 1951.

From left, Walter Wojcik, Emil Lasica, his mother (“Babci”), John Lasica, George Maciag and his son Gregory, circa 1951.

John Lasica died in Port Richey, Fla., on June 30, 2010, at age 91. In his late 80s, he wrote this short bio and remembrance:

My father Wojciech (George) Lasica was born on Oct. 9, 1892, in Galicia, Austria. His parents were Jacob Lasica and Maryann Dul from Spiech, Austria (now Spie, Poland). My father had two sisters. [Actually, he had three sisters and two brothers.] My mother was born on Nov. 3, 1890, in Galicia, Austria. Her parents were Andrew Delenta and Honorato Zak in Kamien, Austria. She had two brothers, Luke and Joseph. Austria was part of Poland and after the war it was taken over by Poland.

My mother came to Warren, Rhode Island, where he brothers lived and met my father there, and at an early age, 21, they were married in Warren, R.I. Shortly they moved to New Jersey, where my father worked in a bakery. After a few years of working, he had enough money and bought a bakery in Garfield, NJ. My sister Violet was born on Sept. 17, 1916, and my sister Jean was born March 21, 1917. I was born on June 23, 1919, and my brother Emil was born on Aug. 14, 1920. My sister Sophie (Tory) was born on July 3, 1926. We were born very close because my father wanted us to be a close family. (more…)