Vesna G Sutija
Visitation:
Thursday
May 25, 2023
4 PM to 7 PM
Location:
John Krtil Funeral Home
1297 1st Ave
New York, NY 10021
Funeral Mass
May 26, 2023
10 AM
Location:
Our Lady Of Good Counsel
230 E90th St
New York, NY 10128
Visitation:
Thursday
May 25, 2023
4 PM to 7 PM
Location:
John Krtil Funeral Home
1297 1st Ave
New York, NY 10021
Funeral Mass
May 26, 2023
10 AM
Location:
Our Lady Of Good Counsel
230 E90th St
New York, NY 10128

Vesna G. Sutija, PhD
March 22, 1939 – May 14, 2023
Vesna Grudzinski Sutija passed away Sunday, May 14th, after a long illness, having been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2015.
Vesna was born in Prelog, Yugoslavia, the daughter of Dr. Alexander Grudzinski, a medical doctor and surgeon, and his wife Mathilde née Vindis. She grew up in Varazdin, where her father was head of the local children’s clinic, and was an accomplished athlete, winning third place in high jump at the 1956 Croatian Junior Track & Field championships. Together with her parents and younger sister Tanya, Vesna emigrated to the US in August 1958. Just over a year later, she matriculated at NYU and finished her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in English in 1962, the same year that she married and gave birth to her son, Davor.
She started graduate work in Psychology soon thereafter, but had a five year hiatus, while she lived in Venezuela and Chile, where her husband George Sutija worked for the Ford Foundation. In Venezuela, she did research with Gunnar Svaetichin, working on intercellular recordings from retinal neurons, a field she would pursue later in her scientific career. On returning to the US, she completed her PhD at NYU in 1975, and continued working in neurophysiology during three separate post-doctoral appointments, at Bascom-Palmer Eye Institute, the University of Miami, and at Hunter College. In 1984, Dr. Sutija was appointed Assistant Research Professor at SUNY College of Optometry and promoted to a tenure-track position in 1988.
Her passion was always vision research and she got the greatest joy out of teaching students and imbuing them with her love of the subject. After she left the field, she became Director of Research at NJ Medical Center, and for nine years at Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, a teaching hospital where she had joint appointments in the Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynechology.
Vesna had a keen interest in literature and the theatre, regularly attending readings at the 92NY’s Unterberg Poetry Center and performances at Lincoln Center Theater. She was a published poet and the author of a semi-biographical novel, Costly Illusions, which was published after her retirement. In Miami, she sang in the choral ensemble at the University of Miami, appearing with the choir at Carnegie Hall.
She loved being surrounded by her friends, family, and co-workers, and often threw dinner parties, which combined home-cooked Croatian food with stimulating intellectual discussions.
She is survived by her son Davor Sutija, her daughter-in-law Unni Byrkjeland, her sister Tanya Bruck, her niece Natasha Bruck, and three grandchildren, Karina, Astrid, and Henrik Sutija.
A viewing will be held at John Krtil Funeral Home, 1297 1st Avenue, from 4pm-7pm, on Thursday, May 25th 2023, followed by a funeral mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church, 230 E. 90th Street, at 10am on Friday May 26th, 2023.
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Obituary for Carmela Ann Nardella Celebrating a Life of Love, Family, and Faith Carmela Ann Nardella, 81, of CT, passed away on April 19th, 2026 peacefully surrounded by her family. Born on September 23, 1944, Carmela was the beloved daughter of the late Carlo and Angelina Passarelli. A devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, she cherished her family and found her greatest joy in spending time with them. Carmela was known for her warm personality, kindness, supportive nature, Italian cooking, faith, strong work ethic, and her love of the beach, where she spent time with family each summer. Most important to Carmela were family holidays, her children and grandchildren's milestones, and celebrations. Carmela found the greatest joy in her endless support for her children and family, watching her grandsons grow up, baking and cooking with them, walks on the beach, and collecting seashells. She created lasting memories with each generation, making everyone feel loved and valued. She is survived by her three children and three grandchildren: Her daughter, Carolann Nardella; her son Anthony Nardella (wife Nicole); and daughter Andrea Nardella; and grandsons, Luke, Will, and Jake Nardella. She is also survived by her sister Carol Zerbo (husband Mike), as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Tomasina Passarelli and Joan Rammairone (husband Arthur). A funeral mass will be held on May 20th at 10:30am at St. Ignatius Loyola Church at 980 Park Avenue, New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Carmela’s memory to Alzheimer's Foundation of America , Memorial Sloan Kettering, or please simply share a favorite memory with the family. Click here for the following links to: Alzheimer's Foundation of America Memorial Sloan Kettering

Linda Jo Calloway, one of the first women to earn a doctorate in information technology, died in February at Morningside at Mount Sainai hospital from medical complications of a broken femur and hip in a fall at her Carnegie Hill residence in Manhattan. She had retired in 2021 after nearly 30 years on the faculty of Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. She is survived by her brother, Larry Calloway, and her niece, Maia Calloway. Dr. Calloway began her productive career at the birth of the U.S. manned space program. Her first jobs after graduation from Colorado University Boulder were with NASA subcontractors at Cape Canaveral including ITT’s Apolo launch data system. She pursued her graduate degrees later at New York University while working with all-male faculties at Hofstra and Fordham Universities. Her patience paid off eventually. She was awarded the NYU Stern School of Information Systems PhD in 1989 and received tenure at Pace University nine years later. During her Pace career she was influential in the field of information systems theory. She published articles in leading international journals including the Oxford University Journal of Information Technology, Information Systems Journal, Blackwell Scientific Publications, and Journal of College Teaching and Learning. One of her most topical studies of interest to business investigated crisis management. It opened with the statement, “When crisis strikes, fast response management depends upon quickly configuring and employing information and communications.” Her papers, some with Pace students, were early investigations if issues that became relevant years later with the popular press – such as China’s ability to continue growing its economy if it cannot continue to attract multinational IT corporations. Another described the surprise result of a controlled survey of student groups that revealed a general use of “emotional language” in their relationship to software engineering tools – an issue predominant now in AI discussions. Perhaps because of the early novelty of a women working in information technology – not unusual now – Dr. Calloway was academically welcomed in other countries when she was young. She was a research fellow at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, a visiting scholar at Fudan University in Shanghai and a teacher at the Irish Management Institute in Dublin. Her non-academic interests were as diverse as her many friends. One of her most intensive preoccupations was nature photography, which she practiced on her frequent walks in Central Park. She loved the wild creatures– birds, squirrels, racoons – and she knew where some always nested, and she gave them names. She also had a creative interest in the city’s puddles. They are many, and they can be dirty. But her focus was what they framed – pure reflections of life. She published photos and poetic attachments in her little book called “As Clear As If I Saw It.” She loved music, voice in particular. For many summers she sang in the chorus the Verdi productions in the park by New York Grand Opera. She joined the American Federation of broadcast performers, which would have delighted her maternal grandmother, who had been a labor organizer for auto workers in Detroit. And friends and colleagues were surprised to see her in a bit part in at least one “Law and Order” show on television. In the Sixties she met Ray Rauth in the Cape Canaveral community theater. They were married and eventually moved to New York City, perhaps with acting in mind. They lived together for ten years until different interests led to their divorce. Just before their breakup they had found a spacious ground-level apartment on the Upper Eastside. She lived in it fifty years, until the morning last June when she tripped and fell while going to the lobby of her building to look for mail.

Connor–Anne B Stellwagen. On March 29th 2026. Mrs. Connor was born on September 27, 1930 to Esther M. and Herbert P. Stellwagen of Bryn Mawr, PA. After graduating from The Baldwin School, she received her BA from Pembroke College at Brown University, where she produced and ran several radio shows at WBRU. Upon moving to NYC, Mrs. Connor produced live television shows for Blair Entertainment and met and married her husband, Timothy J Connor, in 1957. They welcomed an only daughter in 1967. Mrs. Connor reentered the workforce in 1980 as a seminar planner, organizing trade shows across the country. Though she achieved much in her business life, Mrs. Connor’s true passion lay in service to others. She joined Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1958, joining the choir, serving as Deacon and Elder, and was instrumental in the founding of the St. Andrew Music Society in 1965. Mrs. Connor began work as a lay Chaplain for the Hospital Chaplaincy, where she visited patients at Lenox Hill Hospital on a bi-weekly basis for over 40 years. She served on the the Board of the James Lenox House Association from 1971 until her death. During that time, as a member of the Board of Health Advocates for Older People, she chaired the committee which designed services for Carnegie East House–the first non profit enriched housing residence in Manhattan for older adults. Mrs. Connor also served on the Board of Trustees for the Hewitt School and as President of the Board of Directors of 103 East 75th Street. She is survived by her daughter, Margaret Foley Connor and two grandsons, Timothy and Owen Johnson, one niece, one nephew and a great nephew. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Madison Avenue Presbyterian or James Lenox House Association, Inc.

Rosalie Lipton Scal passed away peacefully on the evening of January 27, 2026, just a few days before her 96th birthday. Rosalie was born February 9, 1930 and was a lifelong resident of New York City, growing up in Queens. She was the beloved daughter of Victor Lipton and Pauline Pasternak Lipton, and taught high school mathematics in the New York City Public School System. Rosalie was the loving wife of David Scal, M.D. a proud member of the staff of Beth Israel, who died in 2017. Rosalie and David made their home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for many years. A memorial service for Rosalie will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 10:30 am at John Krtil Funeral Home, 1297 First Avenue, New York, New York 10021. Interment to follow Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Glendale, NY. Donations may be made in Rosalie’s name to Williams College, Williamstown, MA. click here.

Loeva Bernard passed away peacefully on February 21, 2026, at the age of 96. She was born in Cottonwood Falls Kansas on September 12, 1929. She was preceded in death by her husband Arther Bernard and her brother, Charles F. Klamm and his wife Carol J. Klamm and a nephew Daniel E. Klamm. She is survived by her nephews David L. (Regina) Klamm and Kenneth G. (Trish) Klamm and her niece Kaylene S. (Charles) Campbell, plus many great nieces and nephews. She was a dearly loved friend of Lee Wolpert. She will be deeply missed and remembered fondly by all those who knew her.



