“To know Emil was to experience joy,” his obituary on the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home reads. “Always with a Dean Martin or country song being belted out in his backyard as he mowed the lawn or getting a spontaneous visit with his big smile just because he was thinking of you.”
Emil’s story was one of love and devotion. He met his wife, Lisa, in high school at Passaic County Technical High School. The couple spent 40 years together, raising four daughters—Samara, Sydney, Alexa, and Danika. One of Emil's son-in-laws, Richard, remembered him as "truly the best girl dad."
"Sports fanatic with 4 girls who love everything but sports," he wrote in a Facebook post. "He never complained about it, not once. Instead it led to one of his favorite sayings always with a big smile, 'My girls are going to bring me all my sons, it's going to be great.' It was great Emil, being your son was more than great. He would introduce me to everyone as his Son Ricky. Never son-in-law, always son. He wanted to introduce me and my brother-in-law Jordan to everyone. He was so proud his daughters brought him his sons."
Emil’s legacy of love extended to his grandchildren, Jace, Troy, and Nolan, who brought him endless happiness, his obituary says.
Emil worked as the VP of operations for DePasquale Salon Systems for more than 35 years, the company said in a Facebook post.
"He was led by his love for his faith, family, and his friends," it reads. "There are no words to describe the impact Emil made on the people he worked with and the societal contributions he has done. We are all going to miss him dearly."
A GoFundMe launched during Emil’s fight with cancer shared how his diagnosis with spindle cell sarcoma—a rare form of cancer—came as a shock, requiring intensive treatments and full-time hospitalization.
Emil was surrounded by the unwavering support of his mother, Pina, and siblings Marilyn, Peter, and Lorianne, along with his devoted family, who were by his side throughout his fight, the GoFundMe for his family says. He was preceded in death by his father, Peter.
Services were held on Sunday, Dec. 22, with burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa.
Click here to donate to Emil's family and here to read his complete obituary.
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