Srimati Vijaya Sadalge (nèe Kudchikar), 71, of Clifton, NJ passed away on December 14, 2023 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Vijaya Sadalge was born in Mumbai, India as the second daughter of Deoosheth (Devendra) and Ratnabai Kudchikar. Her formative years were marked by poverty and her unfulfilled desire to pursue higher learning. This drove her to encourage her children and grandchildren to strive to learn as much as possible.

In 1972, Vijaya married Subhash Sadalge and went on to have three children: Arati (Kreibich), Sanket, and Sandesh. Vijaya and her family then crossed the oceans to Queens, New York in 1986. The initial culture shock gave way to success through sacrifice, strong work ethic, and an uncommon tenacity that helped Vijaya and Subhash purchase their home in Clifton, NJ.  A former home-maker who learned English in adulthood, Vijaya landed a job at Bank of Baroda, where she stayed for 33 years and retired last year.

Vijaya had a presence that could light up any soul. She was  selfless, kind-hearted,  and caring with an uncanny talent to make strangers comfortable, usually with her delicious cooking and her radiant warmth. Vijaya was a shining example of unconditional love and the epitome of stalwart resilience, always persevering through obstacles and challenges with fierce tenacity. Her love for cooking was only equal to her commitment to seeing others well-fed.  Vijaya's nightly routine involved watching Jeopardy, delighting in her correct answers, in addition to Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank. During baseball season, she would invariably be found watching the New York Yankees on television (despite spending so much of her life in Queens).

Vijaya is survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Subhash, her three children, son-in-law (Thomas Kreibich), daughter-in-law (Maya Sadalge), three grandchildren (Neil and Jay Kreibich, Mya Sadalge),  and two grand-dogs: Bailey and Penny, in addition to  two younger sisters, and many nieces and nephew in India.

Visiting and funeral service, Saturday 9-11 AM at the Shook Funeral Home, 639 Van Houten Ave., Clifton. Cremation, East Ridgelawn Cemetery, Clifton.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the CUMAC Food Pantry, Paterson NJ in honor of Vijaya Sadalge.