Ernest Bancale

Ernest Bancale, aged 86 of Wayne passed away Thursday July 20, 2023. He was born in Union City, NJ on July 6, 1935, to Ernest Bancale and Josephine Spirig and was the third of their four children, Eugene, Marie and Philip. After living briefly in Union City, the family moved to Carlstadt when he was a teenager. It was from his immigrant parents that he learned the value of hard work, a lesson he would value his entire life and would pass on to his family. 

He was lucky enough to meet the love of his life early on and to be able to spend 65+ wonderful years with her after meeting her after a school function she had attended. On October 2, 1955 he married Johanna Bancale (nee Baradi) of Lyndhurst,NJ. For their entire marriage they could be found enjoying life together and creating memories with their family. 

After their marriage they started their family and welcomed two children, Brian and Robyn. In 1959 they decided to move to Wayne and purchased a house to turn into their forever home. Together they worked rebuilding and remodeling their new home, something both of their children would do when it came time to buy their own homes. Now their grandchildren are carrying on the tradition, the value of hardwork living on in them, passed down from their grandparents.

Outside of the home Ernie, as he was known to all, was a dedicated and hard worker. He worked for ITT and Smith Industries as a Metrology Engineer. At home he enjoyed spending time with his wife and children and later on his grandchildren and more recently his great-grandchildren. During summer vacations Ernie and Johanna would spend weekends at their camper watching their grandsons enjoy the great outdoors, taking them on trips to Maine and passing on the Italian traditions that they held so dear to their hearts. 

Ernie and Johanna also traveled the world with family. They took several family cruises, traveled to Italy, and loved trips down to Atlantic City. Their favorite thing to do though was to spend time with family. From catching crabs down the Jersey shore or making pizza fritta with the great-grandchildren they enjoyed making memories together. 

Ernest is survived by his daughter Robyn Sikder and her husband Chitta of Wayne and his son Brian and his wife Annamarie of Sussex, his three grandchildren; Mark and his wife Marissa, Cory and his wife Jessica, and Ryan; and his great-grandchildren Logan, Luke and Nina.