Mrs. Caroline Edith Kirbas, age 93, passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Monday, March 13, 2023.

Mama (aka Caroline ) was born on September 19, 1929 in West Orange NJ. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Emuel Paul Kirbas " Popop "; daughter Bonnie and sons Bryan, Paul, Kevin and Chris; grandkids Kristen, Corey, Brandon, Jeff, Brad, Taylor, Nicole, Tassy, Nicholas, and Sarah; and great grandbaby Teegan. She was preceded in death by her son Joseph.

Mama was the youngest of 11 children and although she lost her parents at a young age, she and her siblings were raised by a loving and caring woman known as Aunt Jesse. Under the guidance of Aunt Jesse, she ultimately made her way through childhood and was working as a switchboard operator when she met a strapping young man from the other side of the Orange NJ tracks. This inevitable meeting took place in, of all places, a "Gin Mill".  And although another gentleman had brought her as his date that night, it was Popop that she happened to call the next day! And that, as Popop says, was history. We say it was victory.

A marriage - a house - a degree - 6 kids - 2 station wagons - a camper and 2 cats later, a foundation of a lifetime was successfully laid. One of our fondest childhood memories is going camping. Herding this crowd for the car rides to the campsites at Lake Harris and other fun places was no easy task, but they managed to persevere with the occasional stops at McDonalds for extra-large bags of cheeseburgers and fries. Camping was always a welcomed get-a-way except - of course - for the occasional black bear visits. Mama frowned on that sort of thing. But even so, the bears were usually fun to watch at the dump and from the safety of her car.

This life journey then made its way to mid-state Maine, where she continued to raise her brood in the wilderness. Being the "prudent" person she was, mama didn't much care for things like planes, or elevators, or cars, or small locked places. Even so, she did at one point muster enough courage to ride a snowmobile! Of course, this courage was probably fleeting as on a fateful night when she ended up flying through the air after being thrown off the seat due to Popop's stunt driving. We can only imagine the thoughts running through her mind as she climbed back up the hill in the frozen snow.

From there she landed in Georgia where she spent countless years, watching her kids go through school, college, jobs, boyfriends, girlfriends and all the wonderful highs and lows of everyday life - each child building their own foundations based on the examples she set. 6 kids + 10 grandkids + 1 great grandbaby later, the days and photo albums were overflowing with excitement, happiness, and love.

After spending a few years retired in Florida, out-fishing Popop on the pier and helping run the rummage sales at the church, she made her way back to Georgia to be closer to family action and here she would remain until this day.

She is a MOM, in every translation and sense of the word. Always there, always on, always ready.

She is a Grandma and a Great-Grandma, the Matriarch of generations.

She is a loving wife, sharing over 65 years of life with the man she chose from all others.

She is a woman of faith, knowing and trusting God in all things.

So, as she happily spent her years watching all of the fruits that this amazing life had produced, each day would end with a light dinner by single candlelight, a small glass of sweet wine in hand, the perfect music playing lightly in the background, and a strapping young man from the wrong side of the tracks.

A Graveside Service will be held Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 2:00pm from Georgia National Cemetery with Rev. Dennis Bellamy officiating. Interment to follow at the cemetery.