Loving father, devoted family man, and dear friend to those who knew him well, Stefan was born in Bucharest to Dolly and Sandu on a cold, but happy January day. Steve (as Dolly affectionately called him) grew up in the Domenii neighborhood, close to Casin Monastery and Arcul de Triumf. He made many friends in that neighborhood – even receiving a new nickname, “Stoto”. Just like his moniker, Stefan was artistic, fun, and full of life. On numerous occasions, he played hooky from middle school just to hear Beethoven and Brahms symphonies on the radio. He collected classic rock and jazz fusion albums, imparting his love of Jimi Hendrix and Weather Report to everyone he knew. This love of music lasted throughout his life. Stefan was a budding intellectual. He spoke French, loved literature, played bridge, and finished near the top of his class at Liceul 32. Stefan studied engineering at the University of Bucharest (Facultatea de Imbunatatiri Funciare) from 1972 to 1976. One of his favorite spots during his college days was the café at the national television station; he and his friends would gather there for the best strudel, coffee, and conversation. Stefan and his friends would spend summer vacations on the beaches of the Black Sea – 2 Mai and Vama Veche. A student of Professor Sofronie, Stefan received perfect marks on his thesis on structures. Because he wanted to do construction, he opted to do his post-grad work at Tulcea on the Danube Delta (Popina Island where, in Stefan’s words, “with one more step, you’d fall off the face of the earth”). Luckily, during the devastating Vrancea earthquake of 1977, Stefan was on a ship on the Danube, reading Proust. In the 80s, Stefan was back in the capital, working at Institutul de Cercetari Hidrotechnice or ICH (the Institute for Hydraulic Research). During the Romanian Revolution in 1989, Stefan was in the streets of Bucharest, an eyewitness to history. Stefan left for the United States in hopes of seeking a better life and a better world, not (just) for himself, but for his wife and daughter. Stefan was courageous and resourceful. He worked as a taxi driver in San Francisco, learning English and carving a new path. Stefan found his way to the East Coast when he got a position with an engineering firm based in New Jersey, Key-Tech. Soon thereafter, Stefan was able to bring his wife, Gabriela, and daughter, Miruna, to America. The reunion at JFK airport was one for the books; indeed, young Miruna had saved the Beauty and the Beast heart-shaped balloon her dad had brought her that day for five years after it had deflated, taped to her bedroom closet door. Stefan took his little family on adventure after adventure, from hikes on the Appalachian trail (where he would teach Miruna how to identify plants and trees) to road-trips all the way up to Montreal (where he would make Miruna practice her French). Stefan was a truly incredible dad. He took Miruna to her piano lessons and recitals, insisting on holding the sheet music while she got ready to play, willing to be a page-turner. He encouraged a love of music and the arts. He introduced Miruna to Rossini and Verdi with tickets to the Metropolitan Opera; in fact, it became tradition that Stefan would take her and Gabriela to the opera for Miruna’s birthday. He took time to go with Miruna to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, especially when it came to special exhibitions (the “Degas and the Dance” exhibit in Philly and the “Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of Things” were two of his favorites). He never missed an opportunity of going to a see a great play on Broadway or the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey with Miruna by his side. Stefan supported Miruna with the little things and the big things. He stayed up countless nights reviewing calculus with her (the engineer in him insisted on a good grasp of mathematics). He taught Miruna how to drive stick shift when she got her permit, spending hours looping through Jersey backroads, inadvertently getting to know the Garden State. He continued the family tradition of Saturday tea with discussions of politics, history, philosophy, and the lived life. He even bought Miruna her prom dress – a white mermaid gown with black, flowery sequins – because he wanted to make sure she looked like a star. Stefan was there when she interviewed at USC, showing her the LA he remembered from when he first arrived in California. He got Miruna settled into the college life after she got into USC, building the furniture for her first apartment (he had intimated that construction was in his nature). Stefan recently retired from his position as assistant engineer at Somerset County Bridge Division, the job that gave him most satisfaction; his lunch breaks were spent eating strudel and drinking coffee at the Dessert Place down the street from his office.

Stefan was a hard-working, inspiring, caring, giving, loving man. He will be dearly missed.