Manuel Calderon

Manuel Calderon

AGE: 87 • Morristown

Manuel Calderon, 87, of Morristown, passed away after a long illness at Arden Courts of Whippany on Monday, January 19, 2015, with his loving daughter, Isabel Calderon, and family members at his bedside. Manuel Calderon was born on May 18, 1927, in Lima, Peru. He grew up in Lima as the youngest in a family of eleven children before entering the Peruvian Navy as a young man, serving his country with distinction. After his discharge from the Navy, Manuel met and fell in love with his wife, Indalecia Zelaya, of Corongo, Peru.

The couple married and immigrated to the United States with their toddler daughter in 1961, seeking the best opportunities for their new family. They settled in Morristown, where Manuel worked for more than 28 years as a Chemical Compound Operator at the Mennen Company, manufacturing a broad range of personal care products. Throughout the course of his many years at Mennen Company, Manuel distinguished himself as a tireless and meticulous professional, leading the production team to rely on him in training new workers to his exacting standards. To all who knew him, Manuel's tremendous work ethic, relentless energy, and uncompromising adherence to the highest quality standard in everything he did was, and remains, a genuine inspiration. Possessed of a kind and generous spirit, he was always happy to lend a hand to any friend or family member with a project in need of hard work.

At home, Manuel had a wide range of interests that he actively enjoyed, including a large collection of Peruvian music, a beautifully tended garden, enjoyment of Peruvian cuisine, regular extended visits from and travels to visit with family members in Peru, hosting of countless happy gatherings at his home in Morristown, and most of all, spending time with his family. Among the many blessings of his life, Manuel was proudest of the accomplishments of his only child and daughter, Isabel, and the opportunities he created for his family in deciding to immigrate to the United States.

Manuel Calderon is predeceased by his wife, Indalecia Zelaya Calderon, who passed away in 2010, and is survived by his daughter, Isabel D. Calderon, his son-in-law, Robert Winter, of Morristown, N.J., his sister-in-law, Erlinda Zelaya Pinedo, of Point Pleasant, N.J., his grandchildren, Sam and Nina Slowinski, his former son-in-law, Andrew Slowinski, and many cousins, nieces and nephews in Peru.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Church of the Assumption, Morristown on Thursday, 22 January at 10:00 AM. Interment at Holy Rood Cemetery. Visitation at the Doyle Funeral Home, 106 Maple Ave., Morristown on THURSDAY prior to funeral mass beginning at 9:00AM. Questions call Kathleen 973-214-8382. In lieu of flowers, please forward donations to Alzheimer's Foundation of America.