John Basarab, Jr.

Born on September 1, 1925, in Rahway, New Jersey, John Basarab, Jr. was one of six children born to John Basarab, Sr. and Anna Slivka, both immigrants from Eastern Europe. Like so many families of the time, they struggled to support their children during the Great Depression.

At the age of four, John was conscripted into “playing school” with his two older sisters, who taught him to read and write at an early age. As a result, he skipped kindergarten and graduated from high school early, in 1942. Too young for the draft, he enrolled in an aviation correspondence course and attended an aviation mechanic school, which led to employment with American Export Airways (AEA), maintaining commercial flying boats commandeered by the U.S. Navy for the war effort.

Although he could have remained at AEA and avoided military service, John instead chose to enter the draft. When the Army learned that he was an aircraft mechanic, he was offered the opportunity to serve in the United States Army Air Forces, where he became an aerial engineer and crew chief.

During World War II, John served in the 10th Air Force, 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, in the often-overlooked China–Burma–India (CBI) Theater. He flew supply missions in vulnerable C-47 and C-46 cargo aircraft over the Himalayas—known as “The Hump”—supporting Allied forces fighting the Japanese.

Discharged from service in 1946, John returned to the United States and attended Newark College of Engineering (NCE), now the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering.

In 1952, he married Christine Giordano, the sister of a friend he met during basic training. The couple settled in Clark, New Jersey, and John returned to NCE to earn a master’s degree in electrical engineering.

In 1962, John and Christine welcomed one son, Douglas.

Over the course of his career, John worked for several engineering firms, most notably Lockheed Electronics (now Lockheed Martin), where he worked on U.S. Navy ballistic missile systems. In 1967, he left Lockheed to become a federal employee, working at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, for the U.S. Army on helicopter instrument landing systems. He retired in 1995.

After Christine passed away in 2007, John spent his retirement years living with his son in Newark, Delaware. A natural “MacGyver,” John could fix nearly anything and took great pleasure in devising creative solutions to problems. He loved aviation and especially enjoyed discussing it with others—most of all with his son.

Determined to reach his hundredth birthday, John achieved that milestone and passed away on January 30, 2026. He is survived by his brother, Steve Basarab, and his son, Douglas.

The family has chosen to hold a private service and burial.