Samuel E. Battista Jr.

Samuel E. Battista, Jr, 78, of East Hanover, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 in Livingston, NJ. Samuel was born in Orange, NJ to the late Samuel and Josephine Battista. He began his career with the Orange Police Department in the motorcycle patrol division. He worked in various departments throughout his career, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant after almost 34 years. Before his career as a decorated police officer, Sam earned his barber license at 18 years old, and almost sixty years later he was still cutting his three grandson's and his great nephew, AJ's hair.

Outside of work, Samuel enjoyed spending time with his beloved family, especially his grandchildren. He could regularly be found cheering them on at their sporting events. He also enjoyed taking care of his pool and garden, where he was known to keep everything extremely meticulous, and watching his favorite sports teams, the NY Giants and Yankees.

Samuel is survived by his beloved wife of 28 years, Barbara; his loving daughters Natalie Nicotra (Gene) and Jackie Palmieri (Anthony); his cherished grandchildren Anthony Jr. and Michael Palmieri and Joey Nicotra; his step-daughters, Kimberly Conyers (Chris), Amanda Kopera (Josh), Lindsay Pearson (Matt). He also leaves behind his 7 step-grandchildren, his siblings Maryann Barilla (Diego), Robert Battista (Shirley), and Anthony Battista (Fran), as well as many loving nieces, nephews, and extended family members and friends.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 18 from 4-8 PM at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home. Livingston, NJ. Funeral mass will be offered on Friday, May 19 at 10:30 AM at St. Philomena’s Church, Livingston, with entombment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Samuel's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.quinnhoppingfuneral.com for the Battista family.