Vincent Ortelio

Vincent Ortelio passed into eternal life on October 8, 2023.  He was 77.  

The funeral will be conducted from the Mulligan Funeral Home, 331 Cleveland Ave, Harrison, NJ 07029 on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 10:00am.   A funeral mass will be celebrated at Queen of Peace Church, North Arlington at 11:00am.    Friends and relatives may visit on Friday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturday morning after 9:15 am.   His entombment will be held at Holy Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mulliganfh.com.

He was predeceased by his father, Francesco Ortelio, his mother Rosa Schiariti, his sister-in law-Elisa Ortelio, his niece Maria Ortelio, his nephew Fred Ortelio, his brothers Frank and Antonio Ortelio.

He is survived by his loving wife Aida, adoring daughters, Rosemary and Lidia, his sons-in-law, Patrick Lewczak and Manuel Lago, his grandchildren Emily, Patrick, Lorenzo, Nicholas, and Gigi. He is also survived by his sister Ipolita (Tina), his brother Domenico (Mimmo), by his niece Karen, her husband David Ernst, their children Daniel, Madelyn, and Ryan. He is also survived by cousins, nieces and nephews in the U.S., Italy, and Argentina. 

He was born on November 11, 1945, in Ricadi, Calabria. He attended seminary, college and served in the Italian Navy.  He immigrated to the United States in the mid 60s where he lived in the Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey. It was there where he met his wife, Aida and where they started their beautiful family. Vincent, also affectionately known as Vinny by all who knew and loved him. He was a true family man who adored his wife Aida with whom he was blessed to share 54 years of marriage with.  He worked for many years in the car rental business. He was the city manager for Hertz, later he was the Distribution Manager for National, and ultimately retired from Enterprise. He and his wife also owned Ortelio Jewelers for many years in the Ironbound section of Newark, later opening a second store in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Vinny was an avid fisherman who loved fishing in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. He also loved to teach his family how to fish and even bought the children their first fishing poles. He loved spending time at the beach with his family, sometimes taking them to Wildwood and Cape May.  In his earlier years he enjoyed taking his family on road trips to his favorite Key, Isla Morada, Key West, Miami and Sarasota, Florida.  He had a true love of nature and gardening that included a grape vine, fig tree, hydrangeas and a butterfly bush.  He was a huge soccer enthusiast, who was an ardent fan of Inter-Milan. He liked cooking and coming up with his very own creations. His grandchildren especially loved "Nonno's rice" and his delicious soup. Vinny really enjoyed his coffee and was well-versed in world history and politics.  He enjoyed sharing his adventurous and joyful memories of his childhood and young adulthood in various parts of Italy.  

He will be greatly missed.

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