Thank you all for coming to honor my father's memory.  The loss of my father has not been easy.  Although he attained 94 years and we were blessed to have him this many years,  we feel selfish and wished he could have been with us many more years, but it was not meant to be.  Dad's life centered around work, family and church.  My father's legacy to us is the knowlege we gained from his exemplary life and interactions with us and others.

My father, the son of immigrants to the US from Slovakia, never lost the connection with his roots and their work ethic.  He did not talk much about his childhood but we did have some stories of how he worked at times in a spice distribution company, in a Kosher butcher shop, as a courier and other odd jobs when he was growing up in lower Manhattan.  He related how on hot summer days,  he and the neighborhood boys would jump off the piers into the East River near the old Fulton Fish Market that was a few blocks from where he lived.  The boys would tie ropes around their waists so the others could prevent them from being drawn out into the swift currents or whirlpools that were so dangerous.  Some summers my Grandmother sent him to a farm in upstate NY owned by a Finnish couple... a sort of working Fresh Air Fund camp.  He loved working on the farm and with the animals and even learned some Finnish.  While he was recently hospitalized after his hip fracture, we were reminiscing about this and he suddenly broke out into a loud, rousing Finnish song...the nurses rushed in to see what the commotion was and we all had a good laugh about the clarity of his recall of this song...I wished I had a tape recorder handy to preserve it. 

My Dad was always hard working.  When I was little, I remember waiting for him to come home and rushing down the Grand Concourse to meet him and hug him.  He was so handsome in his coat, suit and fedora.   I did not know at the time that his large briefcases carried papers and extra work that he would attend to long into the night.  Despite his office work and working at second jobs in the evenings at various times, he always had time to spend with us at family dinner, check our homework and play all sorts of board and card games with us.   Education was extremely important to him and he encouraged my brother and I to read and do well in school.  Good schools were one of the reasons he moved our family up to the "boulevard of dreams" in the Bronx after the War.  Although  he was a city boy, Dad was a gardner at heart... his peasant roots , no doubt.  We always had window boxes of flowers and a fire escape garden in the Bronx.  His garden days blossomed when he and Mom moved to Crestwood Village and he transformed his backyard from untamed pinelands to a Garden of Eden with flowers, shrubs, pathways and vegetable garden that produced in abundance so my Mom always had jams, jellies, pies and delicious dinners from the bounty.  Dad was a liberated man before it was a popular term.  He washed windows (hanging out of the sills of our 6th floor apartment), he vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms and helped my mom  take laundry up to the roof top lines to dry.   Dad worked for 45 years Manufacters Trust Company that later merged with the Hanover Trust ;  we were so proud when he was promoted to Regional Auditor for the bank and had his photo in the NY Times. 

My Father was a man of great faith and devotion.  He prayed daily and always went to church.  He was very active in the congregations which were his second home and always well respected.  He and my mother had their circle of friends from within these communities.  Dad was strong in his beliefs and convictions but he was also a very respectful person who never derided anyone for beliefs that differred from his own.   I never heard my father ever say a curse word or anything derogatory about any person no matter their differences.  He always told us " If you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say it" and that is how he conducted himself.   His perspective and world view changed and grew as he aged.  He believed that each person should be responsible for others and work for justice and the well being of those who are less fortunate.  He was a advocate and volunteered in his community with my mother for many years after his retirement.

Dad was kind and generous.  He was always there for his family during during any of our personal crises and we knew we could count on his love, prayers and assistance.   He never asked for anything in return.  It was his way of being and showing us what he felt was important in life.   His family is what mattered most.  His love for my mother was evident throughout their 70 years together.  Dad constently said to us that he would not have lasted this long without the loving care and attention of my mother.  His family was everything to him.  He adored his granddaughter Karen.  She was very special to him.  Karen always remembered grandpa and grandma; she called him regularly and tried to get him to share his stories and thoughts so she could preserve them in her memory and for future generations.  Dad also has three wonderful grandsons who gave him great pleasure.  He loved watching  his dear Andrew, Adam and Robert grow up and followed their soccer, swimming and surfing careers and other adventures.  Dad was proud that all his grandchildren found good mates ,"settled down" and started families of their own.    He loved the photos of all the great-grandchildren that they sent to him and Mom.   They adorn a makeshift photo gallery in the entrance to their apartment and on the doors of the refridgerator.  

It is never easy to say goodbye but my Dad in the last days of his life was fortuate to be able to be with Mom, my brother, Karen and Robert and their children and myself and Eddy.  He felt our love and the love of those who could not be physically present.  His friends, neighbors and Pastor visited him to support him and give him encouragement and comfort. I know he appreciated each and everyone.   I think he put up a good effort to recover and I think he tried hard as much for us as for himself.  In the end he was at peace with leaving this life and moving on to the next.   We have all been enriched by having him in our life.  We will miss him.

Memories of Grandpa

Grandpa was always a kind and caring presence in my life and someone I feel so thankful to have known, learned from and loved.

We lived in the same apartment building on Mt. Hope Place in the Bronx until I was two years old.  I have heard stories about me going out to greet Grandpa as he returned home from work.  Even after my family and I moved away from New York, we frequently visited Grandpa and Grandma wherever they were living- in the Bronx, in Little Ferry and later on, in Whiting.  I know that my parents and my grandparents all shared a common value- that family was important and that we should be there for each other.  Often we would see each other on the weekends-- just to share a meal, play some games and talk.  It was especially nice to hear stories that Grandpa would tell us about growing up in New York City (jumping into the East River!) and being in the army (lucky to have the war end just before being shipped out to the Pacific.)

Along with the regular visits were many special events and celebrations.  I remember Grandpa and Grandma teaching me how to dance the polka at the Pennsylvania weddings (my mom's cousins, Suzie and Barbara).  I remember Grandpa was an elegant dancer who led his partner, Grandma, with finesse and style.  I always enjoyed watching them dance together at all of our family's celebrations.  Grandpa and Grandma even served as dance instructors for my husband Andy and myself as we prepared for the first dance at our wedding.

Grandpa had an interest in learning and loved to visit different places in the U.S. and abroad.  I always enjoyed reading Grandpa and Grandma's letters and postcards from their many travels.  I also remember Grandpa and Grandma taking me to see various sights when I was younger-  the Top of the World restaurant in the World Trade Center, West Point, Mystic Seaport.  I am sure that Grandpa enjoyed the chance to show his granddaughter some special places.  Grandpa's belief in learning and interest in the world has been passed along to my family.

Grandpa was someone who seemed to thrive when it came to organizing, sorting, counting and calculating.  One day, Grandpa had a great idea to improve how I could display my collection of dolls from around the world (many of the dolls were from Grandpa and Grandma's travels).  He helped me to make signs for each area of the world out of cardboard and colored paper.  After we made the signs, we arranged all the dolls carefully according to where they were from.  We spent such a nice time working together. 

When I was a teenager, we held “carnivals” in our garage and yard to benefit Muscular Dystrophy each year. The carnivals were a real team effort with everyone in my family helping out in some way.  Grandpa would count out all the coins that the neighborhood kids spent to play games like Bean Bag Toss or to buy caramel apples made by Grandma.  When the carnival was over, it was good to know that Grandpa would make an accurate count of our donation.  

Grandpa worked to help others throughout his life and his commitment to community service and volunteering has been passed on to everyone in our family.  I felt proud to hear about Grandpa's work driving the CARES van or delivering Meals on Wheels.  I could tell that Grandpa felt a great deal of satisfaction knowing that he was helpful to others and I am sure that our family will continue this tradition of service.  

My husband, Andy, formed a strong bond with Grandpa over the years.  They often would sit out in the yard at my parents' house and chat about baseball, politics, and what life was like when Grandpa was younger.  Grandpa (or Dedo, as they called him) was a part of our children's lives.  Maya, Sammy and Evan have been so lucky to really know their great-grandparents.  They enjoyed Thanksgiving meals with Dedo's prayer always reminding us about how “…the food we were about to eat should strengthen us both physically and spiritually.”  They were happy to receive letters from Dedo and Grandma in the mail.  They always looked forward to playing board games with Dedo whenever we came down to New Jersey.

When I think of Grandpa, I think of someone who had a love of the simple things in life:  playing games with the family, tending his garden, enjoying some of Grandma's delicious soup and a slice of bread.  These are the types of things that really matter.  I am so thankful for these life lessons and for all of the good memories I've had with Grandpa.  I am also thankful that we all were able to enjoy so many years with him.  I love him and know that this love will continue through time.

I was saddened to hear of John's passing.  Sabah used to tell me wonderful stories of how John helped him buy furniture from Gimbles, change layers upon layers of flooring in the kitchen at Mt Hope Place.  He will be missed but definitely remembered fondly...Marie Shamoon

We love you Dedo and will miss you.  We are grateful for all the good times we spent together.  We will cherish these memories forever.  Love,

We love you Dedo and will miss you.   We are blessed to have known you and to have spent so many good times together.  We will cherish these memories forever.

My father in law was a kind and gentle man who helped me greatly when I
needed encouragement and moral support even though I was a person of a different culture and faith. He believed in the true meaning of religion which is to help and respect your fellow human beings. I have been blessed to have him at our side for the past 48 years. He was a wonderful influence on our children and grand-children. He was a brave and funny guy even when he was suffering in 
the hospital.  We will miss him greatly and remember him with great admiration and love.
Edward Shashoua

Mr Kress was my Sunday School teacher in High School at St.Paul's Lutheran Church,Bronx and was a greeat influence for me going into the miinistry. I remember in the 8th grade he showed me how to set up my first typewriter (setting up a page,etc.).  His leadership roll in the church was greatly appreciated.  He will always be remembered as a man who walked with God.
Rev, John Smolik,Pottstown,Pa.

I remember when Liz, Karen, Robert made and created beautiful cards for  Aunt Sue.  Here is one back for your beautiful father/grandfather.  You know he was always very special to us.  May you always cherish the special times you shared with him.  Uncle John was a very special person and we loved him.
Ken & Rene Kunda

John was a good and gentle man who lived a good life.  He will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Mr. Kress was a gentleman and a gentle man. Growing up in the St. Pauls community I remember him as a leader of the church and the power of example that his faith set for others. Marion and I express our condolence and love to his entire family. Marion and Steven Kucerak

We love you Dedo Kress.  We are grateful for our time with you and the joy we could share with each other.  These are such great photos and we will carry the loving memories with us.

Andrew, Jennifer, and Henry

Liz, I was so sorry to hear of the loss of your dad; my sincere condolences to you and your family, Louise Schneider RWJUHR.

I was so sorry to hear that Uncle John had passed away.  My heart is full of wonderful memories of summers spent in the Bronx!   Our trips to Coney Island and Jones Beach were truly amazing for little Gizzy from the farm in PA.  Uncle John was a gentle person and a true gentleman.  I will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.  God Bless.  Gracie Mikylychak Keller

Grandpa, we loved you and we will miss you.  We cherish the memories of our time spent with you and celebrate your life.

I will truly miss Uncle John.  As my godfather, he held a special place in my heart. I remember he & Aunt Madeline taking me to Gillespie Jewelers in Northamtpon for a special gift of an onyx ring & earrings in honor of my confirmation.  What a wonderful memory. I will never forget him. May he rest in peace.

I am so sorry for your loss.  You were a model to your children in your Christian faith & devotion to one another.  I've been so fortunate to be a part of your family.  I will cherish the memories of the wonderful times we had together.

Love, 
Anne

OBITUARY

John Kress

June 22, 1918 – July 6, 2012

Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home

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