Mr. Bruno J. Castellano, 88, of Caldwell, NJ, passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2019 surrounded by his loving family.  

Bruno was born in Newark, NJ (1931), to the late Nicola and Raffaela (Scrivo) Castellano.  He lived most of his life in Verona and moved to Caldwell 17 years ago.

He proudly served his Country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1952-54).  He was a photographer for the Army filming historical events and combat, including the signing of the Peace Treaty ending the fighting.  Photography remained a passion throughout his life.  He was a photographer for the Italian Tribune for many years.

Bruno graduated from Barringer High School (1948) and the New York School of Interior Design (1949).  In 1950, he founded Castle Decorators, Newark, NJ which evolved into Castleton Furniture and Design, eventually moving to Bloomfield, NJ in 1976.  With a reputation for excellent quality and superior service, Castleton Furniture provided beautiful home furnishings to loyal customers for over 55 years.

Bruno’s passion for travel resulted in the formation of Gemini Travel Agency, co-owned with his brother Peter.  The travel industry allowed him to see the World, traveling to over 100 countries with Italy being his favorite destination. 

Bruno served as President of the New Jersey Home Furnishings Association.  He was also a member of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and a founding member of  SKÅL Northern New Jersey.  

Bruno’s Charities include, Past President of the Columbian Foundation whose main purpose was to award scholarships, St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, Memphis TN, and President of the Teora Earthquake Relief Fund.  This fund was organized to raise money for his father’s hometown in Italy which was destroyed by a 1980 earthquake.

Bruno received numerous business and humanitarian awards throughout his life including the Medallion Award in 1981 by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. But his most cherished possession was his family.  His happiest time was when he was surrounded by his family and friends.

A true gentleman who was well-respected and always neatly dressed, he liked good food, good wine and a clean car.

Bruno never forgot his roots and ran his business and his life with honesty, integrity and loyalty. 

Born in Bayonne, NJ Joe attended the University of Buffalo before entering the Army Air Force during World War II.  He served in Greensboro, NC and returned home to marry his high school sweetheart, Reba Crystal and work in the family butcher business.

Joe became interested in travel when his brother-in-law, Martin Elfenbein opened Timely Travel in West Caldwell. He then worked as a commissioned salesman and took advantage of fam trips to learn the travel business. He quickly decided that travel was more appealing than the meat business and opened Bayonne Travel in a small shop next to the local movie theater. Active in his synagogue and the community, he grew his business and soon moved to a large store front hiring four full time agents. Soon expanding with a branch office in Elizabeth (Elmora Travel).

Along with Bill Blythe, Dick Mitchell, Al Frumkin, Marvin Rosmarin, Howie Pollack and other future skalleagues, he helped form a consortium of agencies called Travel Agents Co-op which eventually became Associated Travel.  They were the first of its kind to band a group of agencies together for more buying power and higher commissions. They also set up their own tour company, Fun Time Vacations. Many of the member agencies later became American Express representative offices and Joe then served on the AmEx Representative board of directors for several years.

As Atlantic City started to prosper, Joe partnered with Domenico Tours to provide daily bus routes from various cities to AC. This ultimately grew to become a major business.

Along with his business, Joe became interested in industry affairs and joined New Jersey ASTA where he ran conventions and later became the chapter president.

Bayonne Travel Center opened in 1955 and Joe retired in 1995 selling to Dave Chandler, another Skalleague.

Joe is now retired and lives in Hollywood, Florida with his wife of 73 years, Reba. He and Reba are the proud parents of three children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- Robert Long, the founder of Travelong, died here of pneumonia. He was 90.

Travelong opened in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1933 and sold seven-day tours to the Chicago World's Fair for $49, including roundtrip train travel and hotel.

The agency closed during World War II and reopened in Elizabeth in the late 1940s, where it remained in business until the 1970s. Travelong later opened branches in Union and Westfield, N.J.

For many years, Travelong specialized in leisure travel, tour groups and extended cruises on ships such as the Caronia, Stockholm, Brazil and Santa Paula. Long also escorted numerous tour groups to Europe, Africa, South America, the Orient and all over the U.S.

Travelong handled corporate travel in the days when the telephone and Official Airline Guide were used heavily. But the agency also was the first to install Sabre in New Jersey.

Ultimately, the Union and Westfield branches were closed, and the agency shifted operations to Morristown and Summit, N.J. These offices are run today by Long's sons, Robert Long Jr., and Walter Long.

Long was elected president of the New Jersey ASTA chapter in 1953 and president of the Skal Club of New Jersey in 1977.