Petru J.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the unexpected passing of Petru Jurj, a beloved father and grandfather, who died on December 20, 2024 at home. The service was held on Saturday, January 4, 2025 from 2-3pm with a memorial service at 3pm at Miller Funeral Home, 3200 Golansky Blvd., Woodbridge, VA 22192. A little about Petru: Growing up in poverty in a small village in western Romania, by the time he turned 18, he longed to see more of the world and dreamed of opportunities beyond his circumstances. He risked all and with just the shirt on his back, he left on foot across the border into former Yugoslavia, ultimately arriving in the small border town of Nova Gorica (now Slovenia) where he crossed the train tracks, undetected, into Italy. After having to spend around six months working in a labor camp in Italy, through what seemed like a miracle, his dream of coming to America finally came true. In 1968, my father arrived in New York City — a place he would proudly call home until September 2023. He lived most of his life working in the restaurant industry, mostly in Italian-owned restaurants in NYC, Brooklyn and Queens. Aside from his native language of Romanian, he spoke fluent English, Italian and Spanish, and could easily hold conversations in Serbian and a little Russian. For the past year and a half, due to a decline in his physical health caused by several issues including heart disease, melanoma, diabetes and a new cancer diagnosis, we welcomed my father and his beloved kitty "Ci?u" in our home in Virginia, so he can live a better life with our family and watch his pride and joy, his grand-daughter Madeleine, grow up. He was surrounded by nature, birds, love, good food, and continued doing the things he loved most: fishing on the lake, cooking (mostly Italian food, and it was amazing), telling stories, playing with his granddaughter and people-watching while sitting out on our porch for hours at a time. We will miss him dearly, yet find comfort in knowing he is with God and no longer in pain. We ask that in lieu of flowers or other gifts, donations be made to a charity organization of your choice or to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/.

Tributes

Petru J.

December 20, 2024