Obituary of Taylor L. Barta

Taylor Lee Barta, age 8, died on Sunday, March 20, 2016 at the Bristol Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ after a long and hard fought battle with cancer. Taylor was born in New Brunswick NJ on November 8, 2007 to parents Les and Laura Barta of Monroe Twp., NJ. Two months after his sixth birthday, Taylor was diagnosed with Stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma with a very rare gene mutation. Taylor valiantly fought the battle with an ever present beautiful smile and inspired so many people with his zest for life. While enduring 18 months of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, Taylor didn't let any of it stand in his way and refused to give up. He returned to school, attended birthday parties, and even played a full season of soccer after a surgery that took much of his leg muscle. He also became a cub scout which was his proudest accomplishment. Taylor was a vibrant and energetic child that lit up every room that he entered; he enjoyed playing outside and used his amazing imagination to hold safari trips in the back yard, rescued animals, and loved to be on Oma and Pop Pop's farm with the animals. He was an avid collector of geological rocks, souvenirs, and just about anything else. Additionally, he was an astonishing artist who loved to draw and color with crayons and build complex Lego sets. Taylor is survived by his parents, Les and Laura, his younger brother Ryan, and his younger sister Sarah; his paternal grandparents, Laszlo Barta of Bridgewater, NJ and Eszter Barta of Bridgewater, NJ; his maternal grandparents, Karen and Robert D. Balz of Monroe Twp, NJ; his aunt and uncle Robert M. and Jessica Balz, his cousins RJ and David Balz all of Monroe Twp, NJ and his maternal great grandfather, John M. Harbig of Concord, NC along with many other family members. Taylor will be remembered by the thousands of people who knew him, followed his journey and supported him through Facebook as a loving, courageous warrior with a heart of gold. He touched so many lives and brought smiles to everyone who met him with his enduring strength and resilience, encouraging many to face their own challenges also. The family would like to thank the thousands of people who supported them during Taylor's journey, especially Dr. Susan Murphy at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), the amazing nurses and staff at CINJ, particularly Dawn Yuhas and Angela Warne and the remarkable nurses and staff at The Bristol Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, too numerous to count, as well as the doctors and staff at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Abramson Cancer Center at CHOP, Penn Medicine, the Embrace Kids Foundation and the brothers of the Chi Psi Fraternity at Rutgers University for all they have done for Taylor and our family. A memorial celebration will be held on Sunday April 3, 2016 at the Monroe Township High School. There will be a gathering for relatives and friends from 2:00pm to 4:00pm with a special tribute beginning at 4:00pm. Those who attend may enter through the main entrance of the High School. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made directly to the family or through www.youcaring.com to help the Barta family with expenses and support childhood cancer research in Taylor's memory to help other children still continuing the fight, specifically against rhabdomyosarcoma.