Frank Ascione, a former River Vale councilman, passed away on December 25. He was 79.
An All-State basketball player at Cliffside Park High School, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent 35 years with the Ford Motor Company.
Ascione, a Republican, was elected to the River Vale Township Council in 1980, defeating incumbent Democratic councilwoman Susan Gold. Two Democratic incumbents were re-elected.
In 1983, Ascione resigned from the council because Ford had transferred him to Tennessee.