Anna Pancel passed away on Thursday, March 30, 2017 peacefully at her home in the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township. She was 91 years old.

She was born in the little village of Drenje, Croatia to her parents Mijo and Antonia Flam Brandafi in 1925. She always had good grades and attended the equivalent of medical school during World War II to become a midwife like her grandmother, Franka Flam. She became a widow after only 10 months of marriage when her husband, Ivan Vrtaric, perished at the end of the War. She climbed over the Karawanken Alps into Austria to make a better life for her and her son in America. In September of 1958, she landed in the United States to her Uncle Gabor's farm in Bucks County. Anna worked at a tie factory in Bethlehem and various other jobs until she met and married Ernest Pancel at St. Joseph's Church. They lived happily together for 37 years in their home in Avenel, New Jersey until his sudden passing in 1999.

Anna lived her life as a simple, honest and humble homemaker with a strong sense of faith in God and family. She could always be found in her garden tending to her flowers, hand crocheting lace or in her kitchen baking European pastries and delicacies. Everyone was cured by her bowls of chicken soup.

She loved nature and animals. Her favorite and loyal cat Harry stayed by her side until the end along with her dog Max.

Mrs. Pancel was a communicant of Saint Andrew Catholic Church in Avenel.

Anna traveled the world with her daughter crossing several continents. Her religious pilgrimages with St. Andrew's and Father David were inspirational. Her trip to the Holy Land where she walked in the footsteps of Jesus gave her immeasurable strength. Every summer she visited her homeland in Croatia to spread her love to family and friends and even touched the shores of Australia to visit with her three godchildren.

Anna was the matriarch of the family and the seed of her family's beginnings in America. Her legacy is marked on the Immigrant Wall of Honor on Ellis Island. She was keen on genealogy and passed this history on to the next generation. Her wisdom was beyond her years. She was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was the heart and anchor of our home. Anna was larger than life in her devotion to her family and God which are examples for all to live by. This was her living testament.

Surviving are a daughter, Antonia Pancel-Cipric and her husband, Marijan, of Avenel; a son, John Vrtaric and Lorraine Brooks, of Woodbridge; a brother, Emil Brandafi, and his wife, Katharina, of Perth Amboy; three grandchildren, Evan Vrtaric, Kevin Vrtaric and Christine Vrtaric-Mora; three great-grandchildren, Connor, Luke and Austin Mora; and a nephew, Emil Brandafi, Jr.

Funeral services will take place on Monday, April 3, 2017 at 8:45 a.m. from Costello-Koyen Funeral Home ( www.costello-koyen.com ), 399 Avenel Street, Avenel. A Mass of Resurrection will follow at 9:30 a.m. at Saint Andrew Catholic Church, Avenel. Interment will be in Saint Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia. Visiting hours will be on Sunday 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in Anna's memory to Saint Andrew Catholic Church, 244 Avenel Street, Avenel, NJ 07001 would be greatly appreciated by the family.