57Β°
Visitation for the family of Belina Lim Ang will be from 10 a.m. to noon at St. Gabriel the Archangel Roman Catholic Church on East Saddle River Road in Saddle River on Feb. 9. The Mass follows.
In an exquisite tribute, Ang's husband Takis and their children Daphne and George describe her as a "tiny bundle of happiness" with a "tenacity and strength of will matched only by her undeniable charm and infectious joy."
Ang, 56, was crossing Hackensack Street in East Rutherford when she was struck by a 2008 Toyota Tacoma at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30.
The driver, a 33-year-old Carlstadt man, had begun heading north on Hackensack Street after making a left turn from Union Avenue when the truck hit Ang, according to East Rutherford Police Capt. Jeff Yannacone.
She was brought to Hackensack University Medical Center, where doctors declared her brain dead.
No charges were immediately filed nor summonses issued to the driver, police said.
Ang worked as a financial engineer in IT Securities for The Fed. Her son had just graduated Mahwah High School last year and is attending the U.S. Naval Academy, friends said.
Ang's husband and children "made the decision to donate some of her organs," Mahwah Councilwoman Michelle Crowe-Paz wrote in a public Facebook post and in a GoFundMe campaign that she organized for them.
YOU CAN HELP: Emergency Fund For Kalkanis Family (Go Fund Me)
In their tribute, Ang's husband and children wrote that she was "born with an insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge" and "was known from the very beginning as the most studious person one could ever dream of being.
"Her commitment to education set the foundation for a life devoted to constant self-improvement and the betterment of those around her," they added.
Ang extended her heart, time and effort to the community at large, as Crowe-Paz noted.
As her children grew, she became heavily involved in Mahwah Youth Tennis, the Boy Scouts of America Mahwah Troop 258 and the Mahway Marching Thunderbirds, the councilwoman said.
At Thunderbirds camp Ang "served food and water to keep the students nourished and hydrated as they practiced," Crowe-Paz said, and on particularly hot days "was seen on the field hosing the kids down to keep them cool[.]"
Takis and the kids say they're taking strength from a "treasury of sayings" that Daphne has memorized by heart. These include:
"Take it one step at a time and don't cry too much; what good would come from that? We must remember to keep going and work hard because that is what good people do."
In their tribute, they called Ang a "a pillar of strength but also the kindest, tiniest, and most huggable lady that the world was blessed with.
"May her spirit of kindness, resilience, and practical wisdom continue to inspire us all," they added. "We are happy that you finally get to rest with peace and quiet."
READ THE ENTIRE OBITUARY HERE: Belina Lim Ang-Kalkanis (Vander Plaat Funeral Home)
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Valley and receive free news updates.
