A funeral mass was celebrated April 24 at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church for Thomas A. Breheney, 71, of Jersey City. He passed away at Christ Hospital on April 17. A true native son of Jersey City, Thomas or “Monk” as he was known, was a graduate of Snyder High School where he excelled in football and gymnastics. After graduating from Snyder, he worked at Maxwell House in Hoboken while putting himself through St. Peter’s College. He was a Social Studies Teacher for Dickinson High School in the Adult Night School and at Ferris High School and was awarded the Teacher of the Year by the Jersey Journal in 1991. The true definition of “teacher”, Thomas would remain at Ferris High School after his classes had finished and help students improve their English. He had an enormous impact on his students as a result of his generosity, kindness and dedication.
Thomas was predeceased by his brothers, Michael, James, Martin, John, Bernard, Edward and Peter Breheney and sisters, Margaret Barden and Helen Cataldi. He is survived by his wife Nelsa (Soto); son, John, brother, Daniel and sister-in-law, Loretta; stepchildren, Gigi, Robert, Vanessa and Nicole; grandchildren, Nicholas and Jillian and Sophia and Adam, his student family, Michelle, Wayne and Grace Cho and Betty Wong and a host of nieces, nephews, friends and former students too numerous to mention, but all very to him. Services arranged by the McLaughlin Funeral Home, Jersey City.