WESTWOOD, N.J.-–Natalie Lopac, 14, of Westwood and Emerson, passed away after her four-year battle with cancer on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Natalie is survived by her parents, Boris Lopac and Celeste Connors; her brother, Nick; her dog, Chewie; her grandparents, Vladimir Lopac and Rosalie Connors; her aunts, Celine and Cynthia; and many cousins and her family of stuffed bears.
She is predeceased by her grandparents Dinka Lopac and Raymond Connors.
Just after word of her passing reached school officials, they informed the public at Thursday night’s Westwood Regional Board of Education meeting.
Frank Connelly, her principal from grades 6–10, reported that he, along with all of her teachers and many friends and supporters, had learned much from Natalie.
“Things like courage, happiness, character, respect, living life to the fullest, and the importance of family and friends,” he said.
He added: “Her positive attitude, energy, enthusiasm, zest for life, her fight and drive, and most importantly that smile will stay with me and my family for the rest of my life.”
Connelly also thanked the school’s crisis team and school staff for “their professionalism, empathy, dedication, and support of our students through this very difficult time.”
Natalie played clarinet in the high school band and ukelele in her free time. She is recalled as having “a compassionate heart for all animals, especially dogs, polar bears, and giraffes.”
She was stricken with cancer in infancy. In recent years she struggled with osteosarcoma, a cancer of the bone.
Diagnosed in September 2013, she would endure surgeries to replace an infected knee, chemotherapy, and a recurrence in the lungs, brain, and other parts of the body.
Many of her treatments were far from home, and supporters raised tens of thousands of dollars to help her get care.
Her GoFundMe page features a wealth of photos of her life. In each picture, she’s smiling:
• At the 2013 Relay For Life, less than a year before her second cancer.
• Walking laps in the hospital after her lung surgery in 2015.
• With her idol, comedian, actress, singer, and YouTube personality Colleen Ballinger in 2016.
• With her best friend, Jaiden, in Central Park, 2015.
• With her brother Nick, cousins Eric and Ethan, and grandmother Roro, in 2013.
• Afternoon tea at the Plaza with aunts Celine and Cynthia, in 2013.
The family will receive guests at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, on Monday, Sept. 18 from 2 to 8 p.m. A Mass celebrating Natalie’s life and faith will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at St. Andrew R.C. Church in Westwood at 10 a.m.
— Pascack Press staff report
(Photo courtesy https://www.gofundme.com/ubernat)
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