Mourners gathered Monday at United Reformed Church in Somerville to pay their respects to Pete Biondi, the Hillsborough resident known for loving his town.

Biondi died Thursday after a bout with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, just two days after winning his re-election bid to the state assembly's 16th district. He was 69, having been born in Newark June 23, 1942. He was raised in Union and lived in Hillsborough for 35 years, according to the funeral program.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, his son and daughter, Peter and Jennifer and two grandchildren.

His passion for politics and for Hillsborough led him to run for the Township Committee in 1983, and serve as mayor from 1986 to 1993. He is remembered for helping to construct the Hillsborough Municipal Complex, Ann Van Middlesworth Park

“When you say, 'Peter Biondi' and community service, they are synonymous,” Deputy Mayor Carl Suraci said in an interview Friday. “He worked tirelessly for his community.”

“It’s going to be very different going forward,” Suraci added. “He was a big part of Hillsborough.”

In lieu of flowers, the Biondi family requests donations to the Resource Center of Somerset