Vasilija Vasic

Vasilija Vasic, age 88, of Paterson, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 21, 2020.

Vasilija, known to all as “Vaso”, was born in May of 1932 in Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia, in the town of Modrica. Vaso was one of Gligor and Jovanka Vasic’s four children.

As Vaso grew into adulthood, he chose construction as a life’s vocation. Along with his cousin, Vaso built homes and performed all kinds of other construction projects for his customers. With skills not limited to just one trade, he was just as much a skilled mason, working with stone, as he was a carpenter, working with wood. All the while, he worked simultaneously as a farmer, running a family farm to provide meat, milk and produce for his own wife and children while also serving as a local merchant by selling some of the fruits of his labor to the local townspeople.

Together with his dear wife Gospa, Vaso raised their five children – four sons and one daughter. In 1985, in search of the best quality of life he could provide for his family, Vaso, Gospa, and their by now adult children emigrated from Bosnia to the United States of America. Vaso’s first home was at 29 Ward Street in Paterson. From there he moved to 144 Mill Street in Paterson where he remained all these years until recently moving to Wayne.

Upon coming to America, Vaso originally worked for Three Guys Restoration (TGR) Company of Clifton, working in asbestos abatement. Shortly thereafter, he had to retire due to a back injury.

Vaso was a true outdoorsman who enjoyed nature. In his native land of Bosnia, he was an avid hunter and, when he came to the United States, he developed a real interest in going fishing. In his spare time, he especially loved spending time with his friends playing games at the Serbian Social Club on Grand Street in Paterson.    

Vaso was the beloved husband of the late Gospa Vasic who predeceased him in 2018. He was the loving father of: Stojan Vasic and wife Vidosava of Paterson, Savo Vasic and wife Duka of Slovenia, Niko Vasic and wife Joka of Clifton, Toda Simic and her late husband Branko (2019) of Bosnia, and Dragan Vasic and wife Alexandra of Kinnelon. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and predeceased by his brother Ranko, and two sisters: Durdia and Jerosima.