Mario M. Vojvodich

Mario Martin Vojvodich, age 90, of Pompton Plains and formerly of Parsippany, NJ passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 while receiving the loving care of his family.

Mario was born and raised in Union City, NJ and was the ’’kid brother” of Mary and loyal son of Martin and Jaka Vojvodich.  As a young boy, Mario was interested in a variety of sports including baseball and basketball.  While in school he excelled in academics and had a fascination with the way things worked.  While he was a teenager at St Michael’s High School in Union City, Mario’s father passed away after being ill. Upon graduation from St Michael’s with the class of 1948, Mario found work quickly to help his mom and sister make ends meet.  Mario worked in the mail room of a local company and also drove a truck delivering beer.  In 1952 Mario felt the urge to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Army.  While serving in the US Army, Mario was deployed to Korea where he was assigned to the 8th Army as an ordinance Secretary.  Mario served in the US Army from 1952 until 1954 when he was honorably discharged.  He received the Korean Service Medal, two Bronze Service Stars, the ROK Presidential Citation, and the National Defense Service Medal.

Following his honorable discharge from the US Army in 1954, Mario enrolled at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ under the GI Bill.   In 1958 Mario earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.  Over the next two years, Mario worked for an engineering company in Connecticut.  In the mid 1960’s he returned to New Jersey where he accepted a position as an Electrical Engineer with Kearfott Guidance and Navigation in Wayne, NJ.  His career as an Electrical Engineer spanned more than thirty years with Kearfott until retiring in 1997.  During that time, Mario was responsible for securing a variety of Radar Patents associated with the JFK Aircraft Carrier, as well as crafts used in the Apollo program from 1968 until 1972.  Subsequent to his retirement in 1997, Mario remained a consultant for Kearfott for a few years.  Mario was truly well loved and respected by his colleagues and his peers throughout his career.

In 1971, Mario was introduced to an attractive young lady by the name of Barbara Zecca by a mutual friend. Barbara and Mario met up at the house of their mutual friend on Thanksgiving weekend and hit it off. As fate would have it, they fell in love and on October 21, 1972 Mario and Barbara became husband and wife at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Maplewood, NJ.  After getting married the newlyweds settled in Little Falls, NJ where they lived for about two years.  During that time, Mario and Barbara welcomed the birth of “their one and only”, their daughter Laura.  In 1974 the family moved to Parsippany and called it their home for the next forty-four years.  In 2018 Mario and Barbara moved to Cedar Crest Village in Pompton Plains.

Over the years Mario had a slew of different hobbies, interests, and talents. He liked to tinker, putter, take apart and build things. He could often be found working in the basement or in his ‘hobby room’ on any number of projects. Some of his interests included woodworking and photography.  Mario designed and constructed small tables, toy cars and pens from wood.  He also built a grandfather clock from scratch.  While learning and practicing the art of photography, Mario commandeered his bathroom as his photographic dark room.  Being an engineer, it came as no surprise that Mario could fix just about anything from electronics to internal combustible engines.  Mario also enjoyed hunting, as well as trap and skeet shooting.

He was a devoted husband and father.  He was also a dedicated uncle (known as ‘Unc’) to his nephews John and Joe, especially after his sister’s husband passed away.  Aside from all of Mario’s interests and hobbies, his greatest passion was for his family.   Nothing in the world meant more to Mario than providing for and spending time with his wife, daughter, nephews and grandchildren.   He and his wife Barbara have cherished fifty years of loving and loyal marriage together.  Mario was not only devoted to his family but also to his Catholic Faith.  He and his family were parishioners of St Christopher’s Church in Parsippany for many years.  

Mario was a quiet and shy man, humble yet very strong.  But when Mario got to know you or felt comfortable around you, it could be hard to get him to stop talking. Being an intellectual with many interests, Mario was able to talk to anyone about anything.  He was strong willed, patient and tenacious, and had an outstanding work ethic that began at an early age.  He was well loved in his neighborhood and would drop whatever he was doing to help his neighbors and friends fix something, find the right tool or help clear the snow.  Mario was a truly special person who touched the lives of all the people around him.  He will be sorely missed by everyone that knew him.

Mario is survived by his wife Barbara (nee Zecca) of Pompton Plains, NJ, his daughter Laura Eisen and her husband Dave and two grandchildren Ben and Olivia of Weston, MA; brother-in-law Barry Zecca of Bridgewater, NJ, nephews David Zecca and Michael Zecca and his wife Keeley and grandnephew Jackson and grandniece Brooke of Monterrey, CA; nephews Joseph Ihne of Cedar Grove, NJ and John Ihne and his wife Bernadette of Wayne, NJ, grandnephew John Ihne, Jr., and grandniece Gina Maria Fernicola, great grandnephews Jack and Nicholas and great grandniece Madison and another great grandnephew “on the way.”  Mario was predeceased by his sister Mary Ihne in 2020 and his sister in law Maryann Zecca in 2020.

In lieu of flowers, donation in Mario’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Memorials Processing 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959.