Dr. Mario Verna died on Dec. 3, 2018, following a long illness. Since 2013, he resided at Sunrise Cresskill, having earlier lived for more than 30 years in Tenafly and distinguished himself as a surgeon at Hackensack Medical Center. Dr. Verna was born in 1937 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where as a youth he was active in the Catholic Action movement alongside Jorge Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis. Dr. Verna studied medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, graduating in 1961. Two years later, he married Ana Estela Blanc, a native of Mendoza, Argentina, and the two emigrated to the U.S., settling in Bergen County. Dr. Verna began his medical career at Hackensack, and he and Mrs. Verna had three children from 1964 through 1969. In 1970, the family moved back to Argentina, but following the political upheaval that led to the country’s Dirty War in the mid-’70s, they returned to NJ. Dr. Verna went back to work at Hackensack and eventually developed a specialty in breast surgery. In 1993, he founded the facility’s Institute for Breast Care and served as its director until he retired in 2008. Following his medical career, Dr. Verna indulged his lifelong passion for poetry by collecting his works in the self-published anthology “Poesias.” He was an avid storyteller who loved to regale friends and relatives with jokes, anecdotes, and reflections gleaned from a life that spanned continents, cultures, generations, and world-changing events. He was a regular attendee of the New York City Opera and Ballet, and he had a deep appreciation for Argentine soccer, which he regarded as more of an art form than a sport. He will be remembered for his acute sense of humor, his generosity, and his openness toward all who crossed his threshold. Pope Francis expressed his sympathies and personal remembrances of Dr. Verna in a phone call to the family. He fondly recalled his time with Mario (“El Flaco”) when they were young and said he would pray for him at the next mass. The Pope added: “This is the age when we are called back.” Dr. Verna is predeceased by his wife, Ana Verna, who died in 1994. He is survived by his sister, Nelly Verna, three children and their spouses, and six grandchildren. Visitation was Friday at Barrett Funeral Home 148 Dean Dr., Tenafly. Funeral service was Saturday at the funeral home. Interment Brookside Cemetery, Englewood. In lieu of flowers, the Verna family kindly requests donations to Alzheimer’s New Jersey. For more information visit www.barrettfuneralhome.net.
