Jerry Some

[Editor]

Jerome S. Some, owner of Some's Uniforms in Hackensack, struck and killed by car
Tuesday, October 8, 2013    Last updated: Tuesday October 8, 2013, 11:09 PM
BY  HANNAN ADELY AND ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

HACKENSACK — The owner and founder of Some’s Uniforms, widely known as a friend of law enforcement and for his contributions to charity and the city, was struck and killed by a car Tuesday night near where he lived, authorities said.


Jerome S. Some in 2001.
RECORD FILE PHOTO
Jerome S. Some in 2001. Jerome S. Some, 87, was killed while crossing Prospect Avenue at 7:30 p.m., said the city’s police director, Michael Mordaga. The director said that Some had crossed in the middle of the street, and not at an intersection. No charges have been filed against the driver, and the investigation is continuing, Mordaga said.

Some’s Uniforms has been a staple on Main Street for more than a decade after it moved from Paramus. Its customers include the United Nations and Hollywood movie production companies along with police and fire departments.

Mordaga broke the news about Some’s death to city council members as they gathered behind closed doors just before an 8 p.m. meeting. Even before they emerged, word had spread quickly through the council chambers.

Mayor John Labrosse started the meeting by acknowledging that “a very good friend of the City of Hackensack” had been struck by a car and killed. Some is listed as a board member of the city’s Upper Main Street Alliance.

“He has been a pillar of this community and part of the Main Street Alliance and a benefactor to the city,” Labrosse said. “Unfortunately, he was hit while crossing the street on Prospect Avenue coming from his home.”

During a moment of silence, the only sound that could be heard was a woman crying in the hallway outside the council’s chambers. Residents and officials who were at the meeting said they were shocked by the news.

Emil Canestrino, a retired city police officer who attended the meeting, said Some had been an important backer of a proposal to redevelop Main Street, and was a generous man who contributed to charities.

“If you needed support, he would write you a check,” Canestrino said.

The city clerk, Debra Heck, called Some “Mr. Hackensack,” and said she used to order police badges from him when she was secretary to the police chief. “Everybody loves him,” she said. “Everybody knows him and respects him.”

Allan Recarte, a city resident, said that Some donated shirts to a program for at-risk children at the police youth academy. “He was a community friend,” Recarte said. “He was very generous and very approachable.”

Some’s business supplies uniforms to the State Police, the Bergen County Police and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, according to its website. He was known for finding items that were sometimes not readily available, said Chief Brian Higgins of the county police.

“He was a supporter of ours, a true professional,” Higgins said. “He grew his business on customer service.”

Some, whose father owned an Army-Navy store in Bayonne, started a uniform business with $500 he received as pay when he mustered out of the Army, according to a story published in The Record in 2001. The company website says that he was a veteran of World War II.

He began selling uniforms in Jersey City and later moved his business to Route 17 in Paramus. He incorporated the business in 1956, according to its website. Some is listed as the company president on the website and his son, Heschel, is listed as chief financial officer.

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Some’s business scrambled to fill orders from law enforcement and rescue departments that sought dress uniforms for funerals of those killed at Ground Zero.

The Port Authority asked him to restore numbers that had melted on the badge of an agency police officer who was killed in the attacks. He finished the job in time for the officer’s funeral.

He told The Record in 2001 that he was planning to move his business to Hackensack because of the heavy traffic on Route 17. His company, which had more than a dozen employees and annual revenues of $8 million at the time, designed uniforms that were made in factories in the South, he said.

His clients included television shows such as “Law & Order” and “All My Children” along with movie studios, Broadway shows and the Metropolitan Opera. He said that “Saturday Night Live” once made a last-minute request for a police uniform to be worn in a skit by actor John Goodman.

“He takes a size 56,” Some told The Record.

Email: adely@northjersey.com; koloff@northjersey.com

[just watching]

A good man, an honest businessperson, and a strong supporter and believer in Hackensack. And especially in the future of Main Street.  It's a terrible loss.

[Editor]

Driver who fatally struck Some's Uniforms founder in Hackensack had been drinking, authorities say
Wednesday October 9, 2013, 10:36 PM
BY  ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER
The Record

HACKENSACK -The motorist who struck and killed Jerome S. Some, the founder of a uniform store that has been a Bergen County staple for decades, was intoxicated when the accident occurred, police said Wednesday night.

The 63-year-old woman, whose name was not immediately released, failed a field sobriety test and was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated, said the city's police director, Mike Mordaga.

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said on Wednesday night that his office has taken over the investigation and will determine whether criminal charges will be filed.

Some, 87, a World War II veteran and the owner of Some’s Uniforms on Main Street in Hackensack, was struck and killed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as he crossed Prospect Avenue near where he lived, police said.

The woman struck Some with her car as she was travelling south and he was crossing a section of Prospect Avenue that was not near an intersection, Mordaga said. He said the summons was issued following the field sobriety test and that police are waiting for a toxicology report. No other information was available Wednesday night about the accident.

“At this point, any further charges will be determined by the Bergen County prosecutor,” Mordaga said.

Some was a board member of the city’s Upper Main Street Alliance and had been a booster of a proposal to redevelop Main Street. He was known as a friend to members of the law enforcement community and for his contributions to charity.

Some’s Uniforms was incorporated in 1956 and moved from Route 17 in Paramus to Hackensack more than 10 years ago. Some said at the time that increasingly heavy traffic on the highway had driven his decision to move.

His customers have included the United Nations, Hollywood movie production companies, television shows and Broadway plays, along with police and fire departments.

He was remembered on Wednesday by colleagues as a generous man who donated clothes to the homeless and hired those in need of help through a county program that helps people re-enter the work force.

“Jerry hired individuals who needed help,” Jerome Lombardo, the chairman of the Upper Main Street Alliance, said in a statement on the organization’s website. “He did this silently and from the heart.”

On Tuesday night, as news of Some’s death spread, the City Council honored him during a meeting with a moment of silence.

Mayor John Labrosse called Some a “pillar of this community” and the city clerk, Debra Heck, referred to him as “Mr. Hackensack.”

Email: koloff@northjersey.com

[Editor]

Family of respected Hackensack merchant praise him as tireless, creative
Friday, October 11, 2013
BY  JEFF GREEN AND MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

HACKENSACK — Tuesday started off like any other day for Jerome S. Some, plugging away in the office of his uniform business on Main Street.

And it ended with a walk he frequently made across the street from his apartment building on Prospect Avenue to the Bel Posto Italian restaurant, running late this time for a shareholder meeting of the building's co-op board.

Only a few steps off the curb, the 87-year-old Bergen County legend — founder of Some's Uniforms and a World War II veteran — was struck and killed by a car driven by a woman who police said was intoxicated.

Authorities on Thursday identified the driver as Kathleen Gehm, 63, of River Vale.

Police said on Wednesday that Gehm hit Some with her car as he was crossing a section of the street that was not near an intersection. She was issued a summons for driving while intoxicated after failing a field sobriety test and ticketed for reckless driving.

Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli, whose office has taken over the investigation, said investigators are awaiting a toxicology report before deciding whether to charge Gehm.

"That could be weeks," Molinelli said.

Public records show Gehm was a registered nurse through 2009. A woman who answered the phone at her home Thursday declined to comment.

In interviews Thursday, Some's three children said they were focused on honoring their father and would reserve judgment until all the facts are known.

"We lost a great man and right now I want to remember him," said his son Jason, 23. "The facts are the facts and they will eventually come out."

But his daughter, Andrea Some, 55, said she hopes the tragic accident will trigger action on part of the city.

"The traffic is unbelievable, lighting is not enough and there should be a crosswalk," she said. "Hackensack needs to take notice and make sure it doesn't happen to someone else."

Some's children described him as a family man and a workhorse.

His business career started after he returned from service after World War II, using a war bond to start a small business selling overalls. He eventually used the profits to launch Some's Uniforms in Paramus in 1956.

The company moved to Hackensack in 2002.

Jason Some recounted a family story in which his father one Sunday walked three miles to work at the Paramus store through a heavy snowstorm. His vigor did not decline as he aged; even in recent years, Some tinkered with his favorite project, the company's catalogue, late into the night.

"His engine just kept going," Jason Some said. "He just stayed and worked, with a cigar in his mouth, watching old classic movies, doing what he loved."

Lee Some, 60, his eldest son, said he was a "creative genius" whose legacy the family will now try to carry on.

Some had a knack for creative design, said Heschel Some, Lee Some's son and chief financial officer of the business. He enjoyed creating unique trims and badges for honor guard uniforms and piecing together complete looks. Local departments Some designed for include the Bergen County Sheriff's Department and Hackensack and Paramus police departments.

"It made him proud to uniform his community," Jason Some said.

During the last few days, Jason Some said he has heard from many people who respected him not only as a business leader but also for his community service. Some helped the homeless and unemployed through Hackensack Collaborative Outreach and Recovery 4 Jersey. He also was a board member of the city's Upper Main Street Alliance and had supported the proposal to redevelop Main Street.

"I don't think there is anybody that had a heart like him," said Lily Nolasco, Some's secretary for 18 years. "His heart was for the needy. He saw the best in everybody and believed they had a better way to live and they had a chance to achieve."

Services for Some will be held today at 11:30 a.m. at Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors at 402 Park St.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be sent to the Jerome S. Some Memorial Fund, Bergen County Housing Health and Human Services Center, 120 S. River St., Hackensack, NJ 07601.

Email: greenj@northjersey.com and parkm@northjersey.com

- See more at:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/227339531_Family_of_respected_Hackensack_merchant_praise_him_as_tireless__creative_in_Hackensack_fatality.html?page=all#sthash.DYDakShm.dpuf

[itsmetoo]

I offer condolence to the family and will keep them in prayer.

[Editor]

Funeral for beloved Hackensack merchant Jerome S. Some is colored by humor
Saturday, October 12, 2013    Last updated: Saturday October 12, 2013, 4:29 PM
BY  JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

HACKENSACK — Family and friends celebrated Jerome S. Some's life with flourishes of humor during his funeral service Friday, recalling the beloved Main Street merchant's tough-love management style and the aura of cigar smoke that followed him everywhere.


Diane Some, carrying an American flag, being escorted into a car after the funeral for her husband, Jerome S. Some. The service Friday morning began with military honors presented by three New Jersey Honor Guard police officers and three members of the U.S. Air Force, with whom Some served during World War II.
CARMINE GALASSO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER 

Many in the standing-room-only crowd sobbed while two of the service members stood on either side of Some's flag-draped coffin and the other sounded taps. Rabbi Randi Musnitsky said the people who loved him were "truly pained by the instantaneous and unexpected loss of a vibrant, healthy, strong and seemingly invincible personality."

But the service also was marked by laughter as Some's children brought out his idiosyncrasies in their eulogies. His youngest son, Jason, 23, imitated how his father would have reacted to the Air Force tribute.

"He's probably up there saying, 'Those uniforms, they look good, but come down to the store and I'll put you in a better one,' " Jason Some said, assuming his father's gruff voice.

His daughter, Andrea, recounted how friends would visit and spend hours with her father, playing cards and "absorbing his sage words."

Lee Some, his eldest son, talked about his passion for the uniform business — "To him, work was play" — as well as his undying love of the Yankees and cigars.

"I wish I could smell that cigar smoke again," he said.

Some, 87, founder of Some's Uniforms, a World War II veteran and a steadfast member of the Hackensack business community, died Tuesday night while crossing the street from his apartment building on Prospect Avenue on his way to a meeting. Authorities say Kathleen Gehm, 63, of River Vale, was driving south when her vehicle struck and killed him.

Police issued Gehm a summons for driving while intoxicated after she failed a field sobriety test. But the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, which took over the investigation, has issued no charges in the case as it awaits results of toxicology tests.

As Some was laid to rest Friday, Gehm's attorney blasted authorities for their handling of the case and insisted she did nothing wrong.

The lawyer, Matthew T. Priore, said Friday that police made a mistake by not giving her a breath test, which would have "immediately cleared her name." He also criticized the police for "prematurely" releasing a statement that she was intoxicated without any toxicology test results.

"I could see if there was a [breath test] and a reading, or blood-alcohol sample and a reading," Priore said. "Why they come to a conclusion she was intoxicated is beyond comprehension."

He said his client "wasn't talking on the phone, wasn't speeding, wasn't doing anything inappropriate. Once the toxicology reports come back from the lab, she'll be fully exonerated."

The lawyer said he had not seen the field sobriety test or any police reports, but Gehm was "extremely shaken up at the time."

Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli referred all questions about the decision to issue summonses but not give Gehm a breath test to Hackensack Police Director Michael Mordaga, who could not be reached for comment Friday.

Priore said Gehm, a nurse for 43 years, was devastated by the accident and has cooperated with investigators. He said her heart goes out to the family.

"It appears he took a couple of steps into traffic, and I assume he didn't see her and she didn't see him until it was too late," Priore said.

Police said Some did not cross near an intersection as he headed to a meeting of his apartment building's co-op board at the Bel Posto Italian restaurant. His family has called on the city to add a crosswalk and improve lighting on the street.

Aside from his high regard as a business leader, Some was known for helping the homeless and unemployed and supported a proposal to redevelop Main Street as a board member of the Main Street Alliance.

The three police officers who participated in Some's service at Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors were wearing uniforms that he designed. Capt. Bob Kneer of the Fair Lawn Police Department and commander of the New Jersey Honor Guard said Some fit him in his uniform in 1973.

"I'm wearing it the whole day today," Kneer said. "I'm not taking it off."

Kneer said that Some gained the respect of law enforcement by working hard and speaking with authority.

"He was such a small man but so powerful," Kneer said. "He had a command presence."

Email: greenj@northjersey.com

[Editor]

As an Alliance board member, Jerry and I worked together for many years. He was one Main Street's greatest champions. He saw tremendous potential in the downtown and always pushed for progress.  He chaired the Public Relations committee, one of whose functions it is to address "homelessness".  He immersed himself in this task until he understood the nature and depth of the problem in all its complexity. He recruited partners along the way and never shied away from the heavy lifting,- like hiring people who really needed a break.  I will remember Jerry for his "can do" attitude, perseverance and compassion. I'm only realizing now how much of a mentor he was for me.     

[Editor]

Lawyer: Toxicology test clears woman accused of fatally hitting Some's Uniforms founder in Hackensack
Wednesday December 18, 2013, 8:04 PM
BY  JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

HACKENSACK - A woman accused of driving while intoxicated after her vehicle struck and killed well-known business owner Jerome Some has been cleared by the results of a toxicology test, her lawyer said Wednesday.

- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Lawyer_Toxicology_test_clears_woman_accused_of_fatally_hitting_well-known_Hackensack_business.html?page=all#sthash.t4CSNfJk.dpuf

[Editor]

River Vale motorist cleared of wrongdoing in fatal Hackensack car-pedestrian accident
March 12, 2014, 10:04 PM
By JEFF GREEN
staff writer
The Record

HACKENSACK — City prosecutors have dropped two summonses filed against a woman whose vehicle struck and killed well-known business owner Jerome Some, clearing her of all wrongdoing in the case, her lawyer said Wednesday.

Hackensack Municipal Prosecutor Frank Catania Jr. filed a motion to dismiss Kathleen Gehm’s DWI and reckless driving tickets. In December, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office decided it wouldn’t pursue criminal charges against her, because a toxicology report revealed Gehm had no drugs or alcohol in her system after the Oct. 8 crash.

Gehm’s lawyer, Matthew T. Priore, said she is relieved that the five months of legal proceedings are over and that her reputation can be restored.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/river-vale-motorist-cleared-of-wrongdoing-in-fatal-hackensack-car-pedestrian-accident-1.740153