Anela Kasyanenko

We announce with deep sadness that Anela Kasyanenko of Maplewood, NJ passed away on January 3, 2023 at the age of 76.

Anela was born in Ellwangen, Germany in 1946 to the late Peter and Maria Szkwarko. She emigrated to the United States with her parents in 1950, initially settling in Herkimer, New York. She attended Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey and is a graduate of Montclair State University, where she obtained her BA and MA in music education. After graduation, Anela worked as an instrumental music teacher in Irvington, NJ’s public schools for 42 years. She also performed with multiple musical ensembles and orchestras throughout her career.

More important than her work, Anela was an incredible woman, mother, wife, and friend. She was vibrant and full of joy and cheer. She loved to dance and to sing with her friends and family and was always willing for a spontaneous jam session. Anela had a strong, royal-like presence, yet was down to earth and very approachable. She was loyal to friends and family and quick to sacrifice for the well-being of the people she loved. Anela was a woman of God and her faith had played an important role in her life. She enjoyed having the entire family together, particularly around the holidays. Her kindness broke barriers, her laugh was infectious, her jokes were terribly good, her beauty (inside and out) was endless, her nurturing spirit was boundless and her presence will be missed dearly by all.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Steve Kasyanenko; her sister, Natalie Babiak; her children, Stephen (and wife Melliena), John, and Peter (and wife Rachelle); and her grandchildren, Judah, Jael, Zechary, Viktoriya, and Lucia.

Visitation on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Union Funeral Home - Lytwyn & Grillo, 1600 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ.   Cremation will take place privately.