Ewhen Werner

August 5, 1929 ~ November 9, 2025
Ewhen (Eugene, or "Gene") Werner, age 96, passed away peacefully on November 9, 2025, near his home in Staten Island, New York.
Ewhen was born on August 5, 1929, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to Elizabeth and Alexander Werner. He had one older brother, Alexander, and many beloved aunts and uncles. In 1938, when Ewhen was nine, his father was arrested, an early shadow of the turbulent years that would follow. During World War II, he and his mother fled their home and lived in several relocation camps throughout Europe. It was there that Ewhen first learned car mechanics, sparking a lifelong fascination with automobiles.
In 1950, Ewhen immigrated with his mother and stepfather, Alexander Colobenca, to Australia while waiting for their U.S. immigration quota. He worked as a mechanic and took on various odd jobs, enjoying time with his cousin George and other family members who had also settled there.
Four years later, in 1954, the family immigrated to the United States, settling first in Brooklyn before moving to Westerleigh, Staten Island, in 1964. After working a range of jobs, Ewhen built a long and steady career with the Department of Environmental Protection at Staten Island's Sewage Treatment Plant, where he worked until his retirement in December 1994.
In 1984, through an introduction arranged by their mothers, Ewhen married Helena Kreinik. They welcomed their daughter, Irena, on December 5, 1988. Family was always at the center of Ewhen's life. He loved spending holidays with loved ones, watching war movies, attending car shows, and reading history books about faraway countries, cultures, and conflicts. A natural conversationalist, Ewhen could make a friend out of any stranger he met.
Ewhen was preceded in death by his wife, Helena K. Werner; his brother, Alexander Werner; his cousin, Lydia Nikolsky Small, and her husband, Walter Small; and his nephew, Victor Small.
He is survived by his daughter, Irena Werner-Buoninfante, and son-in-law Carlo Buoninfante; cousin Edward Nikolsky and wife JoAnn; nephew Ewhen Werner and wife Marina Werner; godson and nephew Mark Nikolsky and wife Genevieve; niece Valentina Shatalova and husband Vasily; great-niece Alexandra Shatalova Prior and husband Richard; great-nephew Andrei Shatalov and wife Larissa Shatalova; great-niece Katerina Shatalova; and great-great-nephew Nicholas Prior. He is also survived by sister-in-law Ida Friedlander and husband Arthur Friedlander, nephew Mark Friedlander, and many nieces and nephews residing in Australia and in Russia.
Viewings will be held at Cherubini McInerney Funeral Home
1289 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302
Thursday, November 13, 2025 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Burial
Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery
100 Smith Rd., Nanuet, NY 10954
Friday, November 14, 2025 11:30 a.m.