Ion Nelu Stefanescu

Ion '"Nelu" Stefanescu was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people, as if he wanted to share all of their experiences and celebrate their discoveries. Ion was born on February 11, 1941 at home in the village of Colacu (Romania). He was the son of a beloved village priest, Ilie and his kind and sensitive mother, Ana. He was raised on a small ranch near Bucharest along with eight siblings; he had five older brothers and three older sisters, including his fraternal twin sister Elena. As a young boy, he liked to invent and fix things of all kinds. Nelu had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity and especially so when caring for their many farm animals - as if they were all his pets. More recently, his family included his favorite black and white kitty that still lives in Colacu.

Nelu was very sociable and was welcomed into any social group. Being always cheerful and outgoing, Nelu was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many friends. Nelu did well at technical college in Bucharest. As a result of his comfort level with learning new principles and his love for hands-on experimentation, he earned his medical equipment technician certification with ease. His problem solving skills and thirst for knowledge guaranteed success in every task.

While growing up, his best friends were his brothers and sisters but later in life, he became close friends with several workmates, Anca, Cornelia and Tutzi who later introduced him to Camelia Radulescu. In 1967 Ion and Camelia wed in a simple but sincere civic ceremony in Bucharest. Nelu's sensitive and caring nature played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was very caring towards Camelia's needs, always showing concern and fondness for her. Nelu's tenderhearted qualities served him well in helping to nurture his family. For Nelu, parenting was very enjoyable and perhaps the greatest pleasurable of his life. Ion was a natural and creative parent who was able to provide his son all sorts of new and interesting experiences. Nelu took a special interest in his son's dreams and aspirations, and was sure to offer wisdom, encouragement, and sometimes a helping hand to help him succeed.

In 1979, Nelu and Camelia decided to immigrate to America and together with their son were successful in establishing a new life and home in San Jose. Their new life together uplifted Ion with new ideas and exciting life possibilities. His primary occupation in the new world was that of a superbly accomplished electro-mechanical technician. He was employed for 25 years by the Currie Machinery Company in Santa Clara, California. Nelu was an enterprising and inventive person that always met production deadlines - allowing the company and his workmates to depend on him greatly. Nelu had the uncanny ability to come up with creative solutions to just about any problem. His fellow coworkers saw him as a great mentor.

Nelu has numerous pursuits, first among them was building and repairing all kinds of things for friends and family as his ever-present concern for others always took precedence. In other respects, Nelu was passionately opinionated; he was undoubtedly a conservative that had a great disdain for political corruption; yet at the same time, he harbored a genuine compassion for the plight of those less fortunate. When Nelu's retirement finally came in 2005, Nelu handled it the way he usually did. He adapted and, like everything in his life, made it satisfying. His new life involved staying close to family in San Jose but he also found pleasure in taking summertime vacations and keeping busy with home improvement projects in his home village of Colacu. Even in retirement, Nelu continued to stay in touch with many his old friends visiting them and even attending class reunions.

Nelu Stefanescu passed away suddenly on the afternoon of December 23, 2014 at home in San Jose on a beautiful, sunny day tending to his backyard garden. He is survived by his son, Daniel and his two grandchildren, Katerina and Claudia. Services were held at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose, California. Ion was laid to rest at Oak Hill Memorial Park.

Ion was cheerful, dynamic and self-expressive and was forever wanting to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to him for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Nelu was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his many friends and loved ones.