Obituary for Amelia Rugala (Krell)
Amelia Rugala, age 95, of East Brunswick passed away Wednesday, December 18, 2019.
Amelia was born May 9, 1924 in Hudson, PA to Jacob and Justine (Mirowsky) Krell. When she was fifteen, her family moved to Singac, NJ. She completed her last two years of high school at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, graduating in 1942. One high school experience that stood out was an after-school roller skating party that led to her joining the skating club where she learned to ballroom dance on roller skates.
Following high school, she started her first job as a financial secretary at the Jenkins Real Estate and Insurance Company in Cedar Grove. She later worked as an executive secretary at Watson Flag Machine Company and then Zester and Company, both in Paterson.
In 1951, Amelia married Victor A. Rugala, Sr. and moved to New Brunswick where she undertook one of her biggest challenges, working alongside her husband building their own house in nearby East Brunswick. During this time, she also was a private secretary to one of the directors at Johnson and Johnson Products in New Brunswick and later worked at Johnson and Johnson Research in North Brunswick. She was offered a supervisory position in the newly formed Baby Products Division, which she declined in order to raise her family.
She was a devoted mother and was active in the lives of her children. She worked at Memorial Elementary School as a volunteer and helped establish and run a much-needed library. She was active in the PTA, holding positions of President, Secretary, and Treasurer and often chaperoned class trips.
She was a gifted seamstress and tailor, proficient at making clothes, drapes, and slipcovers and often took classes to improve her skills. Always learning, she took swimming classes at the YMCA in New Brunswick, including classes for water safety instruction.
Amelia loved music. She was the first one in her family to take piano lessons, starting at age 12. For over forty years, she was a first soprano in the Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in South River and sang with the choir in the NJ Pavillion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. She was an original member of the Imperial Music Chorus and an active member of Imperial Music Center in South River. With the Imperial Chorus, she had the opportunity to travel and perform concerts in Ireland and Poland.
She was the last surviving sibling to nine brothers and sisters including Peter, Mary, Michael, Eva, Joseph, Adam, Joakim, Justine, and Anastasia.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Victor A. Rugala, Sr. Surviving are her daughter Laura Jean Rugala of Annapolis, MD, her son Victor A. Rugala, Jr. of East Brunswick, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Monday 9:30 a.m. from the M.A. Maliszewski Funeral Home, 218 Whitehead Avenue, South River with a 10:00 a.m. service at Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 76 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Burial will follow at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery.
Calling hours at the funeral home will be Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm, with a Panihida scheduled at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Amelia’s name to Sts. Peter and Paul R.O. Church Handicap Access Fund.
Letters of condolence, directions and completed arrangements may be found by visiting www.maliszewskifuneralhome.com.
Amelia was born May 9, 1924 in Hudson, PA to Jacob and Justine (Mirowsky) Krell. When she was fifteen, her family moved to Singac, NJ. She completed her last two years of high school at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, graduating in 1942. One high school experience that stood out was an after-school roller skating party that led to her joining the skating club where she learned to ballroom dance on roller skates.
Following high school, she started her first job as a financial secretary at the Jenkins Real Estate and Insurance Company in Cedar Grove. She later worked as an executive secretary at Watson Flag Machine Company and then Zester and Company, both in Paterson.
In 1951, Amelia married Victor A. Rugala, Sr. and moved to New Brunswick where she undertook one of her biggest challenges, working alongside her husband building their own house in nearby East Brunswick. During this time, she also was a private secretary to one of the directors at Johnson and Johnson Products in New Brunswick and later worked at Johnson and Johnson Research in North Brunswick. She was offered a supervisory position in the newly formed Baby Products Division, which she declined in order to raise her family.
She was a devoted mother and was active in the lives of her children. She worked at Memorial Elementary School as a volunteer and helped establish and run a much-needed library. She was active in the PTA, holding positions of President, Secretary, and Treasurer and often chaperoned class trips.
She was a gifted seamstress and tailor, proficient at making clothes, drapes, and slipcovers and often took classes to improve her skills. Always learning, she took swimming classes at the YMCA in New Brunswick, including classes for water safety instruction.
Amelia loved music. She was the first one in her family to take piano lessons, starting at age 12. For over forty years, she was a first soprano in the Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in South River and sang with the choir in the NJ Pavillion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. She was an original member of the Imperial Music Chorus and an active member of Imperial Music Center in South River. With the Imperial Chorus, she had the opportunity to travel and perform concerts in Ireland and Poland.
She was the last surviving sibling to nine brothers and sisters including Peter, Mary, Michael, Eva, Joseph, Adam, Joakim, Justine, and Anastasia.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Victor A. Rugala, Sr. Surviving are her daughter Laura Jean Rugala of Annapolis, MD, her son Victor A. Rugala, Jr. of East Brunswick, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Monday 9:30 a.m. from the M.A. Maliszewski Funeral Home, 218 Whitehead Avenue, South River with a 10:00 a.m. service at Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 76 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Burial will follow at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery.
Calling hours at the funeral home will be Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm, with a Panihida scheduled at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Amelia’s name to Sts. Peter and Paul R.O. Church Handicap Access Fund.
Letters of condolence, directions and completed arrangements may be found by visiting www.maliszewskifuneralhome.com.