Americo “Rick” Malanga

Americo “Rick” Malanga, 94, of Wayne, died on Saturday, September 28, 2019, with his family gathered at his bedside.  He’s lived in Wayne since 1962.

Rick was raised in the Ironbound section of Newark on Summer Avenue.  He was the second-youngest child of ten in his family.  With much of his youth shaped by The Great Depression, he learned to get along with very little, and he found joy in the simple things, like family.  His mother owned a candy store and the small supplemental income helped to keep them all fed.  At seventeen years old, he joined the U.S. Navy and found himself sailing the Pacific Ocean before long.  He was assigned to an ocean-going tug boat and one of their primary responsibilities was to tow disabled “target” ships out to sea, which were then used as target practice by other Navy ships.  About his time in the Navy, he would often joke that he saw a lot of Hawaii, but never set foot on any of the islands.  He loved his time in the Navy and developed a passion for the water, swimming, boating and fishing.

After being discharged from the Navy, Rick moved in with his sister in Montclair.  There were some cute Italian girls living across the street and someone tried to set Rick up with one of them.  But he was more interested in her younger sister, and he asked Phyllis out.  They were married on December 5, 1948, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montclair and honeymooned in Washington D.C.  They settled in Montclair before eventually moving to Wayne in 1962.  They were inseparable, and Rick idolized his beloved wife.  Although he was among the most stubborn people you’d ever meet, he melted for his dear wife and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.  Their seventy years of marriage were defined by their deep love for one another.  His heart has been heavily burdened since she passed in June, and his grief was more than he could bear.  Surely there is peace knowing that they are together once again.

Rick was a very hard working man who operated his own service station for many years; Rick’s Highway Service Center in Paterson.  His daily routine started at about 5:30 AM every day, and he stuck to this routine well into his 90s.  He would get up at the crack of dawn to make a cup of coffee for his dear wife, and then get himself off to work.  After working a full day, he would drop twenty cents into the payphone and call home, letting it ring twice before hanging up and getting his money back.  This was Phyllis’s cue that he was on his way home, and she would get dinner on the table.  He was a hearty man who always worked hard.  It was a very rare occasion that he’d pass up a meal and there was no question that he loved to eat!  Soup was among his favorites, and he would often ask the hostess at any restaurant, “What soups do you have today?” before even getting to his table.  He was also passionate about his pepper and egg sandwiches that Phyllis would make for him when he went fishing.  One funny story his family recalls was a time when they were all fishing and suddenly Rick had a fish on the line.  His excitement level skyrocketed as the fish was pulling the line off of his reel, but he couldn’t reel in the pole because he had one of Phyllis’s pepper and egg sandwiches in his hands that he refused to let go of!  He couldn’t eat that sandwich fast enough as the fish took off with his line! He simply loved good food and his beloved Phyllis would occasionally remind him to skip dessert because his belly was getting a little too big. He also let nothing bother him, as is evident in the time he “lost” a Christmas tree.  It was his job to deliver a 9’ Christmas tree to his son’s house.  When he arrived, there was no tree to be seen on the truck.  When questioned, his response was, “Somebody must have stolen it” (on the way up the highway?!)

Rick liked having fun, too.  He enjoyed his “Morris Minor” car which he rode in for a Riverdale holiday parade dressed as Santa Clause, throwing candy canes to kids along the way!  He sponsored a bowling team, “Rick’s Highway,” for more than twenty years and bowled on the team at T-Bowl.  He loved NFL football and always rooted for the NY GIANTS.  Perhaps his most favorite pastime of all was sleeping, but he’ll tell you that he was only resting his eyes.

Rick is survived by his two children; Annette Avolio of Wayne and Richard Malanga of Riverdale; he is the cherished grandfather of Louis and his wife Marisa Avolio, Phylissa and her husband Rocco Gallotta, and Nicholas Malanga; and adored great-grandfather of Joseph, Louis, and  Michael Avolio, and Rocco and Liana Gallotta.  He was predeceased just a few months ago by his beloved wife of seventy years; Filomena “Phyllis,” on June 27, 2019.