Yvonne Matesic (nee: Picinic), aged 72, of Cliffside Park, passed peacefully surrounded by her family on August 13, 2023 after a long battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Born in Susak, Croatia on May 11, 1951 to Ivan and Nikolina Picinic (nee: Morin). She came to the United States in 1961 to Seattle, then moved to Hoboken in 1965, Fairview in 1978, and Cliffside Park in 1996. A model mother, wife, and sister, whose first priority was her family.

It would be wrong to say that Yvonne lost her battle because she never stopped fighting. No matter how sick she was, she was always determined. When anyone else would have broken, Yvonne stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like. There was no quit in Yvonne. Just because she is no longer here, it doesn’t mean she lost her fight.

Yvonne was a devout Catholic and will be remembered for her strong faith in God. She was a homemaker and loved spending time with her family and friends. Yvonne loved to cook and bake, creating elaborate spreads at parties, especially at Christmas time. Yvonne was an amazing seamstress, creating beautiful and ornate dolls that embraced her Croatian culture. She was always available to help others out. She never turned down a trip to Atlantic City, playing Bingo, or playing poker with her family.

Preceded in death is her husband, Zdenko (2018) to whom she was married for 45 years. She is survived by her children: Leslie (Don), Josephine, Nicholas, and Danny (Jenny); 4 grandchildren, Lucas, Juliette, Victoria, and Viviana; sisters Matea (late Bruno) Matesic and Juliana (late Ivan) Hroncich; and several nieces and nephews. Yvonne will be fondly remembered and missed by all.

Visiting Hours on Thursday, August 17, 2023 from 4 to 8 pm at Konopka Funeral Home 9046 Palisade Ave, North Bergen, NJ. Funeral Mass on Friday, August 18, 2023 at 9:30 AM at Epiphany Church, 247 Knox Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ. Interment to follow at Fairview Cemetery, Fairview, NJ.