Eduardo Kalapuch

We are honored to offer the wonderful biography of Eduardo not only in English, but also followed in Spanish: Eduardo Kalapuch affectionally known as Eddie was born on October 12th 1943 to Miguel and Victoria Kalapuch. In Chaco, Argentina. His parents immigrated to South America from Europe and owned farms in the cotton region of the northern Argentina. He was the second youngest of nine children; 5 girls (Albina, Camila, Alfreda, Guelina, and Marta) and 4 boys(Pablo, Casimiro, Victor, and Eduardo) . At the age of 7 his family moved to the province of Buenos Aires, eventually settling in the community of Monte Grande. While in Buenos Aires the family business transitioned from farming to tool making. He completed his basic elementary studies and became an apprentice along side his older brothers in the family tool-making business. At the age of 17 through mutual friends Eddie was introduced to Nina Szczerba who was 15 at the time. They met at a church picnic and after four months of casual conversation Eddie mustered enough courage and asked Nina out. The two of them dated for four years and were married on October 31 1964. With the little that they had packed in two suitcases including his collection of Carlos Gardel records and their first child on the way. Eddie and his bride embarked on the life-changing journey and in June of 1965 they landed in JFK airport in NYC. Within two weeks of being in the USA Eddie found his life long passion for carpentry and full-blown construction. His love for the trade coupled with a personality that was relational enabled him to mentor many young men in the field of contracting. One of his former mentees said there was no one who knew how to read a building plan like Eddie Kalapuch. In January 7th 1966 the couple welcomed their first child Ruth Adrianne Rudko. Soon after the birth of Adrianne, Eddie and Nina became members of the Ukrainian Evangelical Assemblies of God (U.E.A.G) where he served as youth leader and was instrumental in the construction of the current sanctuary at 2208 Stanley Terrace Union, NJ. In February of 69 with great joy a son was born Edwin Fabian Kalapuch. And in July of 1971 their youngest child Karen Silvana Lucyk was welcomed to this world. In between the births of his last two children Eddie took his passion for students and together with others began organizing a Slavic camp ministry, which later became know as Christian Youth Camp Ministries (CYCM). Some noted speakers were Don Wilkerson, Ed Spinola, and a host of other brothers both Slavic and American. Many lives were impacted through this camp ministry. In his latter years in New Jersey he took on more of a role as a foreman and consultant to others in the construction industry. In 1996 they moved to Charlotte N.C. while here they adopted Eddie's long-time companion Cha-Cha the chiwawa. Even through his declining health he managed to help as a consultant and project manager to various construction companies. One of Eddie's hobbies was cooking. His family remembers being chased from the kitchen as he was creating his culinary masterpieces whether it was his famous borstch, pickled cabbage, or Asado (Argentine BBQ) lips were smacking as the morsels were devoured by those whom he loved. After a 5-month battle with cancer, on May 20 2016 Eduardo Kalapuch was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. All who knew Eddie were blessed to call him a friend, mentor, and great storyteller. He left earth a blessed man leaving behind his wife Nina of 51 years. Children; Adrianne and Jorge Rudko, Fabian and Dawn Kalapuch and Silvana and Ron Lucyk. Grand Children; Jeremy, Steven, David, Charles, Matthew, Michael, Andrew, Jacob, and Mikayla. Great Grand Children; Scarlett, Jakobi, and Azariah. Eduardo Kalapuch, a quien se lo conocía afectuosamente como Edy, nació el 12 de Octubre de 1943 en la provincia del Chaco, República Argentina. Sus padres Miguel y Victoria, inmigrantes Europeos a Sudamérica, se establecieron originalmente en la región algodonera del país. De los nueve hermanos que eran, compuestos de cinco hermanas (Albina, Camila, Alfreda, Guelina y Marta) y cuatro hermanos (Pablo, Casimiro y Victor) a Eduardo le toco la posición numero ocho. A la edad de siete años, su familia se muda a la provincia de Buenos Aires, donde se radica en la comunidad de Monte Grande. Mientras tanto, el negocio familiar se transfiere del campo a la tornería. Después de completar sus estudios primarios, Eduardo comienza a trabajar como aprendiz junto a sus hermanos en el nuevo gremio. Cuando cumple 17 anos y a través de un amigo mutuo para ambos, Edy conoce a Nina Szczerba, quien en ese momento contaba con solamente 15 anos de edad. Se conocieron en un picnic organizado por la iglesia y cuatro meses mas tarde, Eduardo acumula suficiente coraje para invitar a Nina a ser su novia. Por los próximos cuatro anos salen como pareja y finalmente contraen enlace matrimonial el 31 de Octubre de 1964. Con lo poco que tenían, llenaron dos valijas incluyendo una colección de discos de Carlos Gardel y con su primer embarazo se embarcaron hacia los Estados Unidos y en Junio de 1965 aterrizan en el aeropuerto JFK en NYC. A las dos semanas de su arribo, Edy descubre su pasión por la carpintería y la construcción en general. Su dedicación a la profesión se une a la personalidad relacional de la cual era un propietario natural, esta permitió que se convirtiera en un gran mentor del oficio para muchos jóvenes varones. Uno de sus estudiantes confeso que no existía otra persona que podía leer los planos de construcción como lo hacia Edy Kalapuch. El 7 de Enero de 1966 le dan la bienvenida a su primogénita Ruth Adrianne. Luego del nacimiento de su primer hija, Edy y Nina se hacen miembros de la Iglesia Evangélica Ucraniana Asambleas de Dios donde Eduardo actúa como líder de jóvenes y es instrumental en la construcción del actual santuario, ubicado en el 2208 de Stanley Terrace en Union, NJ. En febrero de 1969 y con gran gozo reciben el nacimiento de Fabián Edwin, y en Julio de 1971 Karen Silvana es bienvenida a este mundo. Entre medio del nacimiento de sus dos últimos hijos, Edy se apasiona por los estudiantes y junto a otros comienza a organizar el Ministerio de Campamento Eslavo, el cual mas tarde es reconocido como el Ministerio de Campamento Cristiano Juvenil donde muchas vidas fueron impactadas a través de este ministerio. Mas adelante, mientras aun en NJ, Edy asume la responsabilidad como capataz y consultor en la industria de la construcción. En 1996, el y su esposa se mudan a Charlotte, NC, donde adoptan un compañero de por vida Cha-Cha the chiwawa, y aunque su salud comienza a deteriorarse invierte su tiempo como consultor y gerente de proyectos en varias compañías de construcción. Uno de sus hobbies era cocinar, su familia recuerda cuando eran expulsados de la cocina mientras Edy ejecutaba una de sus obras maestras culinarias, como por ejemplo su famoso borstch, el repollo cuajado, o el famoso asado argentino. Después de cinco meses de luchar contra el cáncer, el 20 de Mayo de 2016, Eduardo Kalapuch es recibido en los brazos de Jesús. Todos los que lo conocían a Edy fueron bendecidos llamándolo amigo, mentor y un gran relator de historias. El dejo este mundo como un hombre bendecido dejando a su esposa de 51 anos. Sus hijos; Adrianne and Jorge Rudko, Fabián and Dawn Kalapuch and Silvana and Ron Lucyk. Nietos; Jeremy, Steven, David, Charles, Matthew, Michael, Andrew, Jacob, and Mikayla. Bisnietos; Scarlett, Jakobi, and Azariah. -

Visitation Details

Monday, May 23rd, 2016 6:00pm - 7:00pm, Hickory Grove Baptist Church- Latin American Campus

Service Information

Monday, May 23rd, 2016 7:00pm, Hickory Grove Baptist Church- Latin American Campus

Interment Details

Sunset Memory Gardens