Obituary for Louis A Silva
South River
Louis “Lou” Silva passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Care One Assisted Living and Memory Care in East Brunswick, with his only child by his side. He was 90.
Lou was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he enjoyed the simple life of a poor kid growing up on the streets, playing stickball and scaling apartment buildings with guys from the neighborhood. He proudly served his country from 1951 to 1955 as a Signalman in the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, aboard heavy cruisers USS Des Moines and USS Newport News in the Mediterranean Sea. He had an affable personality that led to a career in Manhattan’s Garment District, selling ladies loungewear to department stores Bamberger’s, Lord & Taylor, Wanamaker’s, and Strawbridge and Clothier. In 1963, he met a beautiful, yet aloof, young woman at Eastover Resort, a singles hotspot in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. They married in 1964 and built their life together in her hometown of South River, where Lou easily assimilated to life in “the country,” commuting to Manhattan every day for work. He loved Broadway musicals, classic movies, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, just as much as he did combing the beach for Cape May diamonds and testing out the latest electronics at home. He was fun to be around, hard-working, and generous, and wouldn’t hesitate to drop what he was doing when asked for help. Lou was a gentleman that cherished his family, mixed the perfect Rusty Nail, and never forgot the humble beginnings from which he came.
He was predeceased by his mother, Anna Quintos; his wife of 56 years, Nadya (Zawadsky) Silva; and his fellow South River Lions Club and Ss. Peter and Paul Men’s Club members, friendships he deeply treasured.
He is survived by his small but mighty family: his sweet, 18-year-old grand-dog, Bailey; his devoted son-in-law, Dave Bell; and his beloved best friend and daughter, Kim, his “pride and joy,” who, in recent years, became his tenacious and unwavering advocate, whose soul knows no greater anguish than the inoperable void her father leaves with his passing.
Friends and relatives are invited to pay their respects Tuesday, April 4, 4pm-7pm at Maliszewski Funeral Home, 218 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 5, 10am at Ss. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 76 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Interment will take place at Ss. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cemetery, South River.
Louis “Lou” Silva passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Care One Assisted Living and Memory Care in East Brunswick, with his only child by his side. He was 90.
Lou was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where he enjoyed the simple life of a poor kid growing up on the streets, playing stickball and scaling apartment buildings with guys from the neighborhood. He proudly served his country from 1951 to 1955 as a Signalman in the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, aboard heavy cruisers USS Des Moines and USS Newport News in the Mediterranean Sea. He had an affable personality that led to a career in Manhattan’s Garment District, selling ladies loungewear to department stores Bamberger’s, Lord & Taylor, Wanamaker’s, and Strawbridge and Clothier. In 1963, he met a beautiful, yet aloof, young woman at Eastover Resort, a singles hotspot in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. They married in 1964 and built their life together in her hometown of South River, where Lou easily assimilated to life in “the country,” commuting to Manhattan every day for work. He loved Broadway musicals, classic movies, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, just as much as he did combing the beach for Cape May diamonds and testing out the latest electronics at home. He was fun to be around, hard-working, and generous, and wouldn’t hesitate to drop what he was doing when asked for help. Lou was a gentleman that cherished his family, mixed the perfect Rusty Nail, and never forgot the humble beginnings from which he came.
He was predeceased by his mother, Anna Quintos; his wife of 56 years, Nadya (Zawadsky) Silva; and his fellow South River Lions Club and Ss. Peter and Paul Men’s Club members, friendships he deeply treasured.
He is survived by his small but mighty family: his sweet, 18-year-old grand-dog, Bailey; his devoted son-in-law, Dave Bell; and his beloved best friend and daughter, Kim, his “pride and joy,” who, in recent years, became his tenacious and unwavering advocate, whose soul knows no greater anguish than the inoperable void her father leaves with his passing.
Friends and relatives are invited to pay their respects Tuesday, April 4, 4pm-7pm at Maliszewski Funeral Home, 218 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 5, 10am at Ss. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 76 Whitehead Avenue, South River. Interment will take place at Ss. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cemetery, South River.