Charles J. Benedek

Charles J.  Benedek , 92 formerly of Union NJ  passed away on January 9, 2025  at Overlook Hospital in Summit. 

He was a true fighter surviving through multiple bouts of pneumonia over the past few months.

Charles is survived by his daughter Michelle and her husband James Barone, granddaughter Mia Annabella, and many loving nieces and nephews.  

Charles is predeceased by his wife Ann, sister Margaret and brothers Joseph and Frankie.

Son of the late Joseph and Mary Benedek , he was born on March 26, 1932 and raised in Jersey City.  Charles was proud of his Hungarian heritage.  He was in awe of his parents' bravery of immigrating to the United States followed by carrying their family through the Great Depression.  Early on Charles worked for the American Can Company.  Following the death of his Mother Mary in 1966, Charles took a leap of faith and applied to sell life insurance for Equitable. Shortly after embarking on this career he met Ann at a local  restaurant claiming, “she intentionally spilled her drink on him.”  Ann and  Charles married  on April 26, 1969.  They moved to Union in 1973. Charles went on to have a 40 year career with Equitable  earning both his CLU and CHFC certifications.  Equitable recognized Charles with the company “Man of the Year”award in 1980.  Ann and Charles resided in Union until moving to a retirement community in 2015.

Charles was an avid investor monitoring everything about the stock market daily and took great pride in his career as a financial planner. In his later years, he enjoyed summers in Normandy Beach with Ann and Michelle. He loved food and enjoyed a well prepared meal.  Charles recognized the benefits of healthy eating and exercise before it was a trend.  He walked or lifted weights daily until his 90th birthday.
While he only had one child, his daughter Michelle, he treated her friends and his nieces and nephews as though they were his own.   He had a nickname for everyone and was affectionately known as Mr. B and Unc.

A visitation for Charles will be held on Monday, January 13th from 4:00 - 7:00pm at Galante Funeral Home located at 2800 Morris Ave in Union. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, January 14th at 10:15am at St. Michael Church located at 1212 Kelly Street in Union. Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery 340 Ridge Rd, North Arlington.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Camp Abilities Kean University at Toms River Field of Dreams would be appreciated.  

To donate by check please pay to the order of Toms River Field of Dreams/Camp Abilities Kean University, 17 Shackamaxon Drive Trenton, NJ 08690.  

Online donations can be made at https://rwjbhfieldofdreams.com/product/donate-camp-abilities/