Julia Labowsky (nee Sveda), age 102 years, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Wednesday February 7, 2018 in the presence of and while receiving loving care from her family.

Julia was born and raised in Wallington, NJ to Joseph and Julia Sveda. Julia was never registered for public school, instead she one day at the age of four followed a group of children to a local grammar school and started first grade on her own. When she came home from her first day of school, her parents asked her where she had been all day. She replied, “I’m going to school now.” Starting grade school at a young age allowed her to graduate from high school when she was only sixteen years old, and she did so in 1932 from East Rutherford High School. Unfortunately, Julia’s parents both passed away at a very young age (18 when her father died, 21 when her mother died) and Julia was out on her own quite early in life. She started life with just $300, her share from the sale of her parent's home, making her a very independent person with great perseverance.

Immediately after graduating from high school, Julia went to work for US Rubber located in Passaic, NJ. She worked there in the billing department for nearly sixteen years. As the country mobilized for World War II, Julia began working seven days a week for the duration of the War as US Rubber produced jeep, truck, and airplane tires, high-pressure hoses, and the rubber soled boots used by soldiers and Marines in tropical and jungle environments. This was her contribution to the war effort. US Rubber was a major contractor for the Navy Department and she often worked closely with senior Navy personnel.

After the war, Julia’s brother John Sveda introduced her to a young man who had just returned from the Navy overseas. The young man’s name was Paul Labowsky. They were introduced and their first date was at a family gathering in a park in New York. After only their third date, Paul proposed to Julia, which was not uncommon in those days. Julia said she needed a little more time to get to know him, but as fate would have it, they fell in love and a few years later were married on a snowy January 24 in 1948. Their marriage ceremony was held at St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church in Passaic, and they honeymooned in Miami, FL for two weeks.

Following their marriage, Julia and Paul settled in Wayne where they lived with Paul’s younger sister Rose Baron and her husband, Paul. Paul Labowsky decided that he would start his own business as a plumber with Julia doing the books for him. In 1949, Julia and Paul welcomed their first child and it was then that Julia decided to become a homemaker, devoting her life to caring and nurturing her family. Paul and Julia decided that they would stay in Wayne and build their home there. They picked their home from a catalog and through numerous barter arrangements with other contractors, built their home and moved in on January 1, 1952. They would call Wayne their home for the rest of their lives together and would raise their two children there.

As Julia’s children were growing up, she was always there for them as a class parent, in Cub Scouts, and in Girl Scouts. She was quite an athlete and was always conscience of nutrition and healthy foods for her and her family. Julia enjoyed playing tennis, golf, and played for the basketball team in high school. She always made sure that supper was on the table and hot when her husband and children arrived home from work or school. She was the kind of person that could time things perfectly. She was a great cook and baker and never used a recipe book, everything was from scratch and by memory. In 1992, Julia’s husband Paul suffered a stroke and was never the same. She devoted herself to being his full-time care giver even though she was in her late seventies and on into age 90. Paul and Julia cherished fifty-eight years of loving and loyal marriage until Paul’s passing in February of 2006.

During the middle 1960s, Julia wasn’t very happy with the car she was driving and needed something with a little more “pick-up.” She and Paul went out to buy a new car in 1967 and Julia decided it would be a new Pontiac GTO with a 400 cubic inch, 335 horsepower engine. Needless to say this car fulfilled Julia’s need for acceleration and also had all of the teenagers in the neighborhood salivating over it. Other young drivers often wanted to challenge her to a drag race from stoplights. She and Paul drove the GTO for ten years.

Julia was quite a card player, particularly poker, and would sit in on games with her husband’s friends whenever they got together. She also enjoyed trips to various casinos including Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos. She was an avid pinochle player and played against other neighborhood couples with Paul as her partner. Julia was longtime baseball fan, most recently of the New York Mets. She enjoyed betting with her son, Don, whenever the Mets played the Philadelphia Phillies (Don's home team). For years they bet $1/game, $5 for a sweep. Once the Phillies started going downhill, she pressed the bet to $2/game, $10 for a sweep, and won handily every year. When asked about regularly taking money from her son on these baseball bets, she always said she did it to teach Don a lesson not to gamble.

Julia was part of a group in our society that has become known as the “Greatest Generation.” The Greatest Generation are people who grew up during the deprivation of the Great Depression and later as young adults, worked and fought for the country during World War II. Julia lived through eighteen presidents, saw women gain the right to vote, saw the establishment of commercial air transportation, and the practical implementation of the automobile. She was blessed with longevity and good health. Julia lived through some of the most extraordinary, darkest, and controversial times in human history. She often took care of aging relatives, touched the lives of countless people, and will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew her.

Julia is survived by her daughter Dr. Christine Labowsky of Cincinnati, OH, son Don Paul Labowsky and his wife Bonnie of Chalfont, PA, grandson Alex Tepe and his wife Jessica of Cincinnati, OH, grandson Andrew Tepe and his fiancée Kendra Cozzens of Morrow, OH, grandson Nick Labowsky and his longtime girlfriend Stefanie Belding of East Norriton, PA, and great-grandson Ethan Tepe (Alex and Jessica's son). She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, and had a special relationship with her niece Barbara Rusinik. She was predeceased by her two brothers Joseph and John Sveda and her two sisters Mary Stoppy and Anne Rossi. She was a 70-year member of St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church in Passaic, NJ. At the time of her passing, Julia lived a near independent life at home, was on no medications, and did all of her own cooking, cleaning, and bill paying.

In lieu of flowers those planning to make a donation in Julia’s name are asked to consider St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105-9959 or St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church, 170 Lexington Ave, Passaic, NJ 07055.