Ivan Vrba

Ivan Vrba, age 89, of Bethel, Connecticut passed away peacefully at home on March 11, 2023. Born in Daruvar, Yugoslavia on July 11, 1933, Ivan moved to then-Czechoslovakia when he was 14 to seek a better life. It was there that he later served in the Czech army and met his wife, Jane. Jane and Ivan fled the communist government of Czechoslovakia on November 20, 1969, arriving in the promised land of America with their young son, Tom.

The family took up residence in the South Bronx and, after a series of moves and welcoming daughter Laurie, finally settled in Bethel, where Ivan built the family home. Ivan was a longtime employee of Gilbert and Bennett, working there as an electrician/ mechanic before taking a position as an electrician at Kimberly-Clark. A hardworking family man, he was devoted to his wife and children. Everything he did, he did for the betterment of his family. He was a man of his hands and tools, constantly taking on improvement and maintenance projects large and small, relied upon by family, friends, and neighbors for his assistance, skills, and craftsmanship.

Ivan is survived by his wife Jane Vrba of Bethel, youngest brother Tomislav Vrba and youngest sister Victoria Dobric, both of Zagreb, Croatia, son and daughter-in-law Tom and Christina Vrba of New Milford, daughter and son-in-law Laurie and David Haisley of Danbury, and three grandsons, Daniel Vrba, Ezekiel Haisley, and Alex Haisley.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks to please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association or to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

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