Anna Kurilec Loboda

Anna Kurilec Loboda, age 84 of Deal, NJ died at Meridian Nursing & Rehabilitation of Shrewsbury NJ on February 25, 2018. Anna was born November 27, 1933 in Svidnik, Czechoslovakia, to Mary and William Kurilec. At the age of five, Anna, her mother, and her nine-year-old brother, John set sail from Europe to join her father in the United States. They boarded the SS Athenia, on Sept. 3, 1939, but before arriving in the states were torpedoed by a German U-boat, the first hostile act at sea of World War II. While they were separated from John for several days, all three survived. But 128 other passengers aboard the Athenia were lost. Anna and her family settled in Garfield, NJ upon arriving in the United States. She graduated from Garfield High School met and married Joseph Loboda in 1957. They lived in Clifton, NJ until 1972, when they moved their family to the shore, first to Deal and then to Bay Head. Throughout the years, Anna worked for Curtiss-Wright Corp., Collegiate School in Passaic, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic and Tinas Gifts in Ocean Grove. Also through her adult life Anna and Joe were entrepreneurs, investing in various real estate endeavors. She was a fixture in Asbury Park, NJ for decades as landlord of the old Steinbach Executive Office Building, which sold in 2014 to an investor. Anna and Joe are credited for bringing in many interesting tenants to the downtown Asbury Park scene at a time when others would not give smaller businesses a chance at success. Anna was a member of the Deal Golf and Country Club, Womans Club of Asbury Park and the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce. She will be remembered for her kindness, tenacity, generosity, love and devotion to her husband and family. Anna was preceded in death by both her parents Mary and William Kurilec. She is survived by her husband of 60 years Joseph Loboda, Deal, NJ; children Cheryl Hyman (Barry), Deal, NJ, Joseph Loboda Jr., Cedar Rapids, Ia., and Drew Loboda (Becky), Kansas City, Mo.; brother, John Kurilec, Trumbull, Ct., and grandchildren Jessica Jackson, Joseph Loboda, Michael Loboda, and Anya Loboda. A memorial service will be scheduled for summer 2018. In lieu of flowers, contributions are welcome to New York Presbyterian Hospital at nyp.org Services are entrusted to Jersey Shore Cremation Service, 36 Broad Street, Manasquan, NJ.