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September 26, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7 on Sunday September 30, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held on Monday 9:30AM at the Funeral Home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Rd, Wayne where at 10:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Cross cemetery, North Arlington.
Stanley Joseph Kopacz, age 98 of Wayne passed away peacefully on Wednesday September 26, 2018 while receiving the loving care of his family.
Stanley was born and raised in Bayonne, NJ and was one of eight children to Walter and Anna Kopacz. Stanley was part of a group in our society that has become known of late as “The Greatest Generation.” People of the Greatest Generation are people who grew up during the deprivation of the Great Depression and later as young adults bore witness to, fought in, and worked the country through the Second World War.
After graduating from high school with the class of 1938, Stanley worked for a couple of different companies over a period of a year or so. Stanley then got a lead on a job at Western Electric in Kearny. He landed a position there as a sheet metal worker and worked his way up to the title of foreman over his career there. Stanley did not serve in the US Armed forces during the Second World War because of the work his company (Western Electric) was doing in coordination with US Military. Stanley worked at Western Electric for more than the next forty-five years until his retirement in 1984.
During the early days of his career, Stanley would ask around his neighborhood about anyone knowing a nice Polish girl who would be interested in meeting a nice young Polish man. Eventually, one of Stanley’s friends introduced him to a young, attractive woman named Caroline. Stanley and Caroline dated only for a short time and as fate would have it they fell in love and were married on May 3, 1940 at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church. After getting married Stanley and Caroline settled in Bayonne where four of their ten children were born. They then moved to Staten Island and lived there until 1969 when they moved to Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the rest of their lives together. Stanley and Caroline cherished more than fifty-six years of loving and loyal marriage together until Caroline’s passing in February of 1997.
Stanley had an amazing work ethic throughout his entire life. He was much too busy with his work and providing for his family to dedicate his time to any clubs or organizations. This was something that Stanley took great pride in. One thing in particular that Stanley was also proud of over the years was something that one of his High School teachers told his fellow classmates. This teacher said, “If you want to know the answer to anything, just ask Stanley Kopacz!” Stanley had a reputation for reading, educating himself, and figuring things out on his own. Stanley enjoyed photography and had a dedicated “Dark Room” constructed in his home. During the time he lived in Staten Island, Stanley also raised Parakeets. He was a longtime parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church in Wayne. Stanley was an extraordinary man who touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone who knew him.
Stanley is survived by eight daughters; Joan Deodato and her husband Guy of Pequannock, Patricia Decker and her husband Richard of Staten Island, Nancy Salzer and her husband Kenneth of Flemington, Deborah Dilkes of Carlstadt, Annette Smith of Denver, CO, Margaret Papageorge and her husband Nicholas of Lake Hopatcong, Janet Holland and her husband Kenneth of Flemington, and Jacqueline Collins and her husband David of Sparta, thirty three grandchildren; Audra Deodato, Nicole Deodato, Christine Foster, Wayne Cameron, Heather Cameron, Rachel Waymen, Jonathon Cameron, Kevin Decker, Michael Decker, Michele Hogan, Andrew Decker, Scott Decker, Deborah Kopacz, Stanley Kopacz, Kenneth Salzer, Steven Salzer, Daniel Salzer, Eric Salzer, Austin Dilkes, Kendall Smith, Nolan Doyle, Ava Papageorge, Katelyn Domingues-Santo, Erika Domingues, Cory Holland, Jenna Holland, Caleigh Holland, Christa Holland, Tyler Collins, Justine Collins, Ethan Collins, Mallory Collins, fourteen great-grandchildren; Sophie Foster, Julia Foster, Kaleb Cameron, Victoria Decker, Corinne Hogan, Andrew Decker, Katelyn Decker, Makayla Decker, Jesse Decker, Ian Bryce Kopacz, Tobin Oliver Kopacz, Avery Salzer, and Natalie Salzer, and one sister Regina Plahita. Stanley was predeceased by his wife Caroline in 1997, his son Stanley Kopacz in 2011, his daughter Carol Kopacz in 2013 and his grandson Richard Decker, Jr. in 2013, as well as his brothers John and Theodore Kopacz, and his sisters; Stephanie Yurek, Mary Dziedzic, Adele Najdzin, and Sophie Zebrowski.
In lieu of Flowers friend may make donations to American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312. www.diabetes.org/donate
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7 on Sunday September 30, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held on Monday 9:30AM at the Funeral Home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Rd, Wayne where at 10:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Cross cemetery, North Arlington.
September 26, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7 on Sunday September 30, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne. Funeral services will be held on Monday 9:30AM at the Funeral Home then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Rd, Wayne where at 10:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Interment will be in Holy Cross cemetery, North Arlington.
Stanley Joseph Kopacz, age 98 of Wayne passed away peacefully on Wednesday September 26, 2018 while receiving the loving care of his family.
Stanley was born and raised in Bayonne, NJ and was one of eight children to Walter and Anna Kopacz. Stanley was part of a group in our society that has become known of late as “The Greatest Generation.” People of the Greatest Generation are people who grew up during the deprivation of the Great Depression and later as young adults bore witness to, fought in, and worked the country through the Second World War.
After graduating from high school with the class of 1938, Stanley worked for a couple of different companies over a period of a year or so. Stanley then got a lead on a job at Western Electric in Kearny. He landed a position there as a sheet metal worker and worked his way up to the title of foreman over his career there. Stanley did not serve in the US Armed forces during the Second World War because of the work his company (Western Electric) was doing in coordination with US Military. Stanley worked at Western Electric for more than the next forty-five years until his retirement in 1984.
During the early days of his career, Stanley would ask around his neighborhood about anyone knowing a nice Polish girl who would be interested in meeting a nice young Polish man. Eventually, one of Stanley’s friends introduced him to a young, attractive woman named Caroline. Stanley and Caroline dated only for a short time and as fate would have it they fell in love and were married on May 3, 1940 at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church. After getting married Stanley and Caroline settled in Bayonne where four of their ten children were born. They then moved to Staten Island and lived there until 1969 when they moved to Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the rest of their lives together. Stanley and Caroline cherished more than fifty-six years of loving and loyal marriage together until Caroline’s passing in February of 1997.
Stanley had an amazing work ethic throughout his entire life. He was much too busy with his work and providing for his family to dedicate his time to any clubs or organizations. This was something that Stanley took great pride in. One thing in particular that Stanley was also proud of over the years was something that one of his High School teachers told his fellow classmates. This teacher said, “If you want to know the answer to anything, just ask Stanley Kopacz!” Stanley had a reputation for reading, educating himself, and figuring things out on his own. Stanley enjoyed photography and had a dedicated “Dark Room” constructed in his home. During the time he lived in Staten Island, Stanley also raised Parakeets. He was a longtime parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church in Wayne. Stanley was an extraordinary man who touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone who knew him.
Stanley is survived by eight daughters; Joan Deodato and her husband Guy of Pequannock, Patricia Decker and her husband Richard of Staten Island, Nancy Salzer and her husband Kenneth of Flemington, Deborah Dilkes of Carlstadt, Annette Smith of Denver, CO, Margaret Papageorge and her husband Nicholas of Lake Hopatcong, Janet Holland and her husband Kenneth of Flemington, and Jacqueline Collins and her husband David of Sparta, thirty three grandchildren; Audra Deodato, Nicole Deodato, Christine Foster, Wayne Cameron, Heather Cameron, Rachel Waymen, Jonathon Cameron, Kevin Decker, Michael Decker, Michele Hogan, Andrew Decker, Scott Decker, Deborah Kopacz, Stanley Kopacz, Kenneth Salzer, Steven Salzer, Daniel Salzer, Eric Salzer, Austin Dilkes, Kendall Smith, Nolan Doyle, Ava Papageorge, Katelyn Domingues-Santo, Erika Domingues, Cory Holland, Jenna Holland, Caleigh Holland, Christa Holland, Tyler Collins, Justine Collins, Ethan Collins, Mallory Collins, fourteen great-grandchildren; Sophie Foster, Julia Foster, Kaleb Cameron, Victoria Decker, Corinne Hogan, Andrew Decker, Katelyn Decker, Makayla Decker, Jesse Decker, Ian Bryce Kopacz, Tobin Oliver Kopacz, Avery Salzer, and Natalie Salzer, and one sister Regina Plahita. Stanley was predeceased by his wife Caroline in 1997, his son Stanley Kopacz in 2011, his daughter Carol Kopacz in 2013 and his grandson Richard Decker, Jr. in 2013, as well as his brothers John and Theodore Kopacz, and his sisters; Stephanie Yurek, Mary Dziedzic, Adele Najdzin, and Sophie Zebrowski.
In lieu of Flowers friend may make donations to American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312. www.diabetes.org/donate
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