Andrew Michael Smakula, age 95, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2024, at home. He was in the presence of his family he loved most in this world.

'Andy' was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 1, 1928, to Andrew and Mary Sechanic Smakula. He moved to the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township with his wife Irene, in 1957, where they raised their three children.

Andy was born into that cohort now known as 'The Greatest Generation' – characterized by love of God, Family, and Nation – amidst the adversity of the Great Depression and World War II. He graduated from high school in 1945, and served in the US Navy 1945-1946. He was then employed by Western Electric in Kearny, where he met many of his lifelong friends, known as 'The Couples Club', including Irene, whom he married in 1952. Later he worked for Remington Rand, while attending Saint Peter's College, Jersey City, achieving his B.S. - Business in 1963. He then became a Labor Market Analyst for the NJ Department of Labor, retiring in 1991.

Andy was devoted to his faith and St. Andrew's Catholic Church, where he served as Eucharistic Minister and active member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, helping families in need. Along with Irene, he received the Saint Vincent de Paul Award for Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer in 2020.

From an early age, Andy was interested in aviation and history. He maintained his cherished collection of flight magazines, which he read as a youngster in the 1930s and 1940s. As an adult, he became an active member of the Woodbridge Township Chapter of the Civil War Roundtable.

After retirement, Andy enjoyed many trips with the 'Elder Hostel' program. A most treasured experience was his pilgrimage to the battlefields of Normandy, France, with Irene and son Andrew and daughter-in-law Tricia, and to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, where his young uncle is buried.

Andy will be forever remembered as a man who lived his life with true honesty and selflessness, and unceasing devotion to his family. He was the loving husband of Irene for 67 years, before her passing in 2019. He is survived, in love, by his children, Andrea Mulligan of Mickleton, NJ; Lorraine Mochnacz (Robert) of Somerset, NJ; Andrew John Smakula (Tricia O'Keefe) of Newport Beach, CA. His grandsons Daniel Mulligan of New York, NY; Patrick Mulligan (Kristina Lail) of Mickleton, NJ; and Liam Mulligan of Jackson Hole, WY. His great-grandson, Ronan Patrick Mulligan, born just days before his passing. His beloved niece Phyllis Kowal Sandrock of Fanwood, NJ; and beloved nephew Lt. Col (US Army-Ret) Peter D. Kowal, of Seattle, WA. His many Smakula family descendents in Northeastern PA. He is predeceased by his one sibling, Ann Smakula Kowal.

Our family would like to acknowledge, with gratitude, Larissa Hud, who cared tirelessly for Andy during the past two years.

Funeral services will take place on Friday, February 2, 2024, beginning with Visitation at 9:00 am at Costello-Koyen Funeral Home, 399 Avenel Street, Avenel. A Mass of Resurrection will follow at 11:00 am at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Avenel. Interment at St. Gertrude's Cemetery, Colonia.