In Loving Memory of Julianna Benton-Kammer

Julianna passed away peacefully the morning of December 30, 2020 in her home due to natural causes. Her wish was to be cremated and due to our current environment, there will be no visitation. When it is possible, a celebration of her life will be held in her honor.

Julianna was born in November 1930 in Kolocsa, Hungary and was never afraid to search for love. She married three times and, because she was also strong enough to face her problems directly, she divorced three times. She was a hard worker and was passionate about art and antiques. She taught us what unconditional love means. She recently turned 90 and lived a happy, full life, and we are grateful she did not suffer much in the end.

She grew up in the countryside of a small city famous for its paprika and Catholic church. She loved climbing trees and eating fruit and loved going to school. After graduating, she left for the big city, Budapest, and studied drafting in a technical school, and found work in that field. She met her first husband while they were practicing their sports; she was on the national handball team and he was a soccer player. They had one son, Gabor, but things did not work out for them and she escaped from Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 against Soviet control with who would become her second husband in search of a brighter future in the US. It was difficult to leave her world behind, especially without being able to speak any English. Shortly after arriving in New York City, she was lucky to find work as a draftsperson with the experience she had at an engineering firm, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.  After getting remarried shortly after coming to New York, her new job enabled them to start a family. They soon had Roger, and in a few years they bought their home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she got to practice her gardening skills, and a year after they had their second son Peter. She enjoyed her work and company immensely. As their first female draftsperson who later broke the glass ceiling again to become the first woman to make their 25 Year Club, she won many awards for her drafting designs in what was a boys' club. She retired after 35 years and lived in that house for the rest of her life. In her "retirement", she made her lifelong hobby and passion of collecting art and antiques into her fulltime work. She was an antique dealer at Morristown Antique Center and later at Summit Antique Center, and loved to share her knowledge with coworkers and customers. Aware of her limitations, she finally retired in 2018. One of her greatest joys in her life was that her sons graduated from college, she loved school that much. One of her favorite sayings was, "Those who feast at the table of life must also drink from the cup of death." She bravely did just that.

Julianna was predeceased by her sister Margaret, brother Frank, and grandson Marlon. She is survived by her three sons, Gabor, Roger, and Peter, daughters-in-law Gaby, Laura, and Rosy, four grandchildren Zsa Zsa, Sandor, Brianna, and Sophia, and her great grandson Luca. May her soul rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity in her memory.