A look at some of the iconic leaders in industry and politics who passed away this year:
Bob Donnelly
Bob Donnelly was in his element, regaling an audience of NAIOP New Jersey industry insiders and power players while accepting its highest honor, the Charles Klatskin Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2023.
After Donnelly was done talking about how much he loved his job — how much he loved hunting for deals and then closing them — he looked out at the audience of hundreds and told them how he really felt:
“The best part of it all are the people,” he said. “The brokers, the developers, the lawyers, the architects, all of you in this audience, literally create what I think is the most exciting industry, certainly in the state, maybe in the world. So, thank you for this honor.”
Donnelly, a veteran of New Jersey commercial real estate and an icon within Cushman & Wakefield, passed away earlier in December at the age of 79.
Brian Hughes
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A longtime public servant and advocate for Mercer County residents, former Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes was 68 when he passed away.
Hughes, the son of former New Jersey Gov. Richard Hughes, served two terms on the Mercer County Board of Commissioners beginning in 1997. In 2003, he was elected Mercer County executive, a post he held until his retirement in 2024.
During Hughes’ tenure, he spearheaded the Terminal Replacement Project at Trenton-Mercer Airport, supported reforms to make Mercer County more responsive and accountable to its residents, and oversaw the construction of the new Mercer County Courthouse.
Gerry Lipkin
Gerry Lipkin was a legendary leader and beloved member of the Valley Bank team.
Current Valley CEO Ira Robbins said Lipkin was more than the former chairman, CEO and president of Valley.
“He was the architect of our culture, the embodiment of relationship banking and a mentor whose legacy is deeply etched into the DNA of our organization,” Robbins said.
Lipkin joined Valley in 1975 after a successful career with the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency and became chairman and CEO in 1989. Under his leadership, Valley grew from an eight-branch community bank into a multistate regional institution with over 200 locations.
Modesto Medina
Being in charge of the news morgue and photo library at the New York Times — the part of the newsroom that stored all of its old clippings and photographs — came with quite a few brushes with celebrities back in the pre-internet world.
After all, the morgue was more than just the library of the most expansive media empire in the world, and it was an unequaled research center for historians, politicians, entertainers, business leaders, authors and more.
It’s how Modesto “Bob” Medina, in his more than four decades of work at the Times, found himself in conversations with a cross-section of notables, including Ted and Caroline Kennedy, labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, historian and filmmaker William Miles, playwright Arthur Miller — and his young bride, Marilyn Monroe.
“My dad was Google before there was Google,” Carlos Medina said.
Bill Murray
Bill Murray, the longtime executive at MikeWorldWide, was known for being a pro’s pro in the industry and a hall-of-fame human.
The news of his death sent shockwaves through the professional and political worlds in which he worked. Few knew he was battling cancer.
Murray worked at MWW for the past 35 years — serving as its national director of public affairs since 2007. But he was so much more than that.
Murray was an incredible mentor, both with his clients and colleagues, guiding them through any situation with grace and insights.
Jeffrey Wiener
Jeffrey Wiener, a former president at the Kislak Co., passed away at 75.
Wiener joined Kislak in 1973 and was president for over 11 years.
During his time at Kislak, Wiener had the designation of having sold more apartment buildings in New Jersey than any other broker. He was also Kislak’s top salesperson and remains one of the most successful brokers of multifamily properties in New Jersey. After stepping down from the presidency, he remained active in the business he loved for many years. Those who knew him at Kislak said they will remember him as a fun, generous and eccentric friend and colleague.
A beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, he passed away after a long battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. He was born in Passaic on June 12, 1950, and was a lifelong resident of New Jersey.
Ray Zardetto
May we all be so lucky as Ray Zardetto.
May we all be so fortunate that, on our inevitable passing, people don’t talk about the terrific companies and organizations we worked at (and there were plenty), the successes we had there (and there were plenty) or the co-workers we inspired (and there were plenty).
Instead, they talk about how great a human we were.
