Joseph Mazujian

Joseph Mazujian, age 96, of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 2, 2020.

Joseph, known as Joe, was born in Newark and lived in Belleville, Kearny and Clifton before moving to Wayne in 2000.

Joe spent his youthful years in Belleville and received his formal education at Belleville High School, graduating with the Class of 1941. He went on for further study of chemistry at Seton Hall University.

As he was continuing his education Joseph and his brother Edward made a decision to partner and succeed their father in the family dry cleaning and tailoring business. Their enterprise was located in Kearny and was fittingly named Kearny Cleaners. Joe’s original plan was to work days and continue college at night, however the hard work and dedication during the day changed his plans to stay with the family business full time. After graduating from the National Institute of Dry Cleaning in Silver Spring, MD, he and his brother ran Kearny Cleaners for twenty-six years until 1974. Joe then went to work for the International Division of the United States Postal Service in Jersey City, ultimately retiring in 1992.

Joseph served as a member and Past President of the Kearny Optimist Club and was a member of the parish, and member of the Vestry at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Passaic. He was most recently a member of Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church in Wayne. He was also a member of the Copestone-Ophir Mason Lodge #108 in Kearny and reached the 32nd degree.

Joe proudly served in the United States Air Force during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He was a radio operator and gunner on a B-24 Bomber serving as a Staff Sergeant for the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron and 317th Troop Carrier Group. As Joe described it, his final orders were to fly his B-24 from the Motobu Airstrip on Northern Okinawa with the sole purpose of bombing the southern island of Kyushu – prior to the invasion of Japan. After the atomic bomb was dropped his orders were changed as he was given the mission of transporting allied prisoners in Japan to the Philippines, to be transported to their final destinations. For the last five months he flew on C-46’s and C-47’s transporting service personnel and supplies from Korea and Japan down to the Philippines. His detail objective was to keep radio contact with all the bases en-route. During his life, Joe often expressed his particular joy of flying and aviation and his utmost love and patriotism for his country. For his service Joe was the recipient of the American Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal.

Joe enjoyed such hobbies as playing bridge and poker, backgammon (teaching both his sons), collecting and studying antiques, and reading books, especially those about history/American history. He was also an active member of the Widows and Widowers Travel Club (WTC) in Passaic County and traveled often to Aruba and many US destinations.

Joseph and his beloved wife Ann (nee Broojian) had thirty-seven years of “a marriage made in heaven” before Ann’s passing in 1994. Joe is survived by his dear son David Aram Mazujian of East Hampton. He was predeceased by his son Stephen Edward Mazujian in 2014, and by two siblings: his brother Edward Mazujian in 1988 and his sister Sara Iskendarian in 1992. Joseph enjoyed spending time with his loving family including his many cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Armenian Missionary Association of America, 31 W. Century Road, Paramus, NJ  07652 (www.amaa.org).