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December 23, 2007
Services
Funeral services will be held Friday, December 28, 2007 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4, 7-9 PM.
Interment will be in Laurel Grove Memorial Park in Totowa.
Ilija Barbu age 81 of Wayne died Sunday, December 23, 2007 at the Bergen Regional Hospital in Paramus. His passing was peaceful.
He was born in Mramorak, Yugoslavia and spent his formative and early marriage years there. He later lived in Italy before moving to the United States in 1969 first settling in Paterson later moving to Wayne six years ago.
He was a member of Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Paterson.
Ilija was unfortunately living under the communist regime in Yugoslavia. He gathered his wife and two children and managed to work his way to Italy where he eventually immigrated to America. In 1969 he made his move to Paterson, NJ. In this day of challenged immigration people do not realize how traumatic and oppressive other political cultures can be. Our present citizenʼs ancestors escaped extremely hard times so that their children and future generations can have good lives. In America we enjoy unprecedented freedoms that others seek. We are a country of great opportunity and our ancestors had hardships and the individual courage to make dramatic moves for our betterment. We as a nation should applaud them. Ilija Barbu is one of those people who made a difference. He was indeed a wonderful American. So much so, that he became a proud member of the Republican Party and was an avid supporter of both Presidents Reagan and Bush.
He was employed at Crown Roll Leaf Company in Paterson as a Machine Operator for many years before his retirement in 1991. Prior to that, he worked many years as a textile worker.
One of his favorite pastimes was fishing at the Haledon Reservoir and the Passaic River. He enjoyed showing off his catch and often gave them away to those in need.
Ilija and Sabina (nee Pelcl) Barbu had a loving and devoted marriage together for 21 years until Sabina passed away due to cancer in 1976.
It is interesting to note that when his wife died he was left with two children Lidia age 11 and her younger brother Jovan. Lidia took over at that point as the Matriarch of the family cooking, cleaning and making sure that Jovan went to school. The Barbu family truly loved and cared about each other and went through very difficult times together.
Ilija was very devoted to his family and was very strict but the bottom line was he loved and cared about his family and wanted them to love and care for each other. He was a success.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Funeral services will be held Friday, December 28, 2007 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4, 7-9 PM.
Interment will be in Laurel Grove Memorial Park in Totowa.
December 23, 2007
Services
Funeral services will be held Friday, December 28, 2007 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4, 7-9 PM.
Interment will be in Laurel Grove Memorial Park in Totowa.
Ilija Barbu age 81 of Wayne died Sunday, December 23, 2007 at the Bergen Regional Hospital in Paramus. His passing was peaceful.
He was born in Mramorak, Yugoslavia and spent his formative and early marriage years there. He later lived in Italy before moving to the United States in 1969 first settling in Paterson later moving to Wayne six years ago.
He was a member of Saint John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Paterson.
Ilija was unfortunately living under the communist regime in Yugoslavia. He gathered his wife and two children and managed to work his way to Italy where he eventually immigrated to America. In 1969 he made his move to Paterson, NJ. In this day of challenged immigration people do not realize how traumatic and oppressive other political cultures can be. Our present citizenʼs ancestors escaped extremely hard times so that their children and future generations can have good lives. In America we enjoy unprecedented freedoms that others seek. We are a country of great opportunity and our ancestors had hardships and the individual courage to make dramatic moves for our betterment. We as a nation should applaud them. Ilija Barbu is one of those people who made a difference. He was indeed a wonderful American. So much so, that he became a proud member of the Republican Party and was an avid supporter of both Presidents Reagan and Bush.
He was employed at Crown Roll Leaf Company in Paterson as a Machine Operator for many years before his retirement in 1991. Prior to that, he worked many years as a textile worker.
One of his favorite pastimes was fishing at the Haledon Reservoir and the Passaic River. He enjoyed showing off his catch and often gave them away to those in need.
Ilija and Sabina (nee Pelcl) Barbu had a loving and devoted marriage together for 21 years until Sabina passed away due to cancer in 1976.
It is interesting to note that when his wife died he was left with two children Lidia age 11 and her younger brother Jovan. Lidia took over at that point as the Matriarch of the family cooking, cleaning and making sure that Jovan went to school. The Barbu family truly loved and cared about each other and went through very difficult times together.
Ilija was very devoted to his family and was very strict but the bottom line was he loved and cared about his family and wanted them to love and care for each other. He was a success.
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