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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, April 15, 2016 from 4-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, April 16 at 9:30AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
August Pairo, Jr., “Augie”, age 66 of Wayne, passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 after a three-year battle with lung cancer.
Augie was born in Passaic and raised in East Rutherford until he was eleven. Then his family moved to Wayne. He was blessed with a great boyhood marked by participation in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts where he quickly moved up the ranks. When he reached his early teens, Augie and his life-long buddy Ronnie Ossi began tinkering with mini-bikes and go-carts, and when they turned seventeen, they got their driver’s licenses, bought a couple of 57 Chevys and turned them into hot-rods. Then, along with Augie’s father, they took those cars and raced them at the race tracks in Englishtown and Pine Brook.
Suddenly, Augie was all grown up and he and his classmates found themselves graduating with the distinction of being the first class to graduate from the newly completed Wayne Hills High School, Class of 1968. The following February, he promptly enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During the next four years, he proudly served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a bosun mate – on the USS Bell Knap – the Navy’s lead ship in her class of guided missile cruisers. For his valor and bravery, Augie was the recipient of numerous medals and commendations including the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Letter of Commendation. Augie was a proud American who had a sincere love for his country so, upon completion of his time in the Navy, he joined the U.S. Army National Guard where he served for the next 22 years.
Elaine Garafalo was Augie’s one and only true love! It’s interesting to note that the day Augie was born was the same day that Elaine came to the U.S.A. from Germany. Augie had no recollection of the day they met because Elaine was only three years old and he was still in diapers. You see, Elaine’s family and Augie’s aunts and uncles lived on the same street – Mitchell Street in Lodi. Maybe you could say that their “first date” was when Elaine took Augie for a ride, pushing him around in his stroller. The second date wouldn’t take place until 25 years later when Augie would return home from Vietnam and his Aunt Eleanor and Elaine’s mom would set them up for a real date. They went to the movies and afterwards out for a drink at a country western bar in Wayne. The date was good enough for them both to go on another date…..and another…..and another, until “like” grew into “love”. Then one day, Augie hurt his finger in a vice at work. He received medical attention, then got a prescription to manage the pain. From there he went to meet Elaine where she worked. By the time they got home to Elaine’s mother’s house, thanks to the drugs, Augie was feeling no pain. During the course of ensuing conversation, he held up his hand and said something to the effect of” getting married.” Elaine then turned to her mom and said, “Did Augie just ask me to marry him?” She then turned to Augie to ask him the same question but, before the words could come out of her mouth, he passed out. Six months later and a week after her birthday, he bought Elaine a ring. They married on Sunday, April 11, 1976 at Most Holy Name Church in Garfield. A gala reception followed at The Princess in Lodi, then a honeymoon in Aruba. Forty awesome years later, their wedding anniversary was the day before Augie passed away. The other morning when Elaine came to visit him, she wished him a happy anniversary. Lying there, with little energy left, he puckered his lips to kiss his beloved bride for one of the last times. Elaine described their loving marriage of forty years as exceptional!
During those 40 years, they initially lived in an apartment in Lodi for seven years. In 1983 they bought their first house in Lodi. That was home until 1995 and during those years they joyously welcomed their son Michael into their lives. They moved to Wayne where they’ve lived for the past 21 years.
After four years in the Navy, Augie settled back into civilian life. He worked some odd jobs until his mom suggested that he pursue full-time work at William Paterson College. He began work there in 1973, transferred for a short time to another government job in a mechanic pool in Newark, then returned to William Paterson College where he ultimately became a facilities supervisor and logged a total of 39 years before retiring in 2012. During that time, the college name was changed to William Paterson University. Augie was well-respected by his co-workers and loved his work.
Augie was a man who possessed a wide and varied array of interests. He was extremely gifted with his hands. His wife Elaine described that talent by saying “Augie had gold in his hands.” That love he had for working on engines didn’t fade away with his childhood. In fact, quite the opposite happened as he got more serious about building and racing go carts well into his adult life. These were serious go-carts that could attain speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. It seemed Augie could do anything. Whether it was designing the kitchen in his home or creating a beautiful landscape scene for his front yard, he accomplished much in his quest to satisfy his creative hunger. When his son Michael was attending school at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church it was Augie who was called upon to create a spaceship-themed promotion to help increase enrollment at the school. When Michael got to high school and started playing for the football team, it was Augie who came up with the design for truly creative and innovative refrigerator magnets with the Wayne Hills Patriots name and logo. His artistic talents were used for other applications too, like collaborating with Michael on a tattoo design in memory of Elaine’s father and, on the lighter side, he was a cartoonist who especially enjoyed creating cartoons of ugly monsters – the uglier the better!
Work or play makes everyone tire and Augie was no exception, so when he was too tired to create but not tired enough to sleep, he liked to jump on his 1980 Harley Davidson Sportster 1000 and go for a ride or hop aboard his 16-foot boat, which was primarily kept at the summer home in LBI, and go for a cruise. When he and Elaine celebrated their tenth anniversary in 1986, he surprised her with a trip back to their honeymoon destination in Aruba. They loved it so much that they bought a time-share there and returned annually for the next 26 consecutive years. Augie loved to escape there enjoying Aruba’s ocean, peace and calmness, as well as the food, casinos and many friends who also visited the same week every year.
Throughout his illness, it was his faith that sustained he and his loved ones and so his life will be celebrated and remembered with a mass at his home parish – Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wayne. Surely he will be missed but will be remembered for his great sense of humor, zest for life, service to others and love and devotion to his family and friends. Until we meet again, God’s blessing Augie!
Augie is survived by his beloved wife Elaine; his dear son Michael of Wayne; his sister Linda Tolerico (Pairo) and husband Joseph of Wayne; his sister-in-law Marietta Garofalo of Lodi; nephews: Joey, Jimmy, Steven, and Michael; his best buddy of 55 years: Ronnie Ossi of Vernon; and his cousins: Marylou, Dwayne, Beth, Arlene, Dean, Bev, Michael, Irene, and Bill.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Augie’s memory are asked to consider The American Lung Association, 1031 Route 22 West, Suite 203, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, April 15, 2016 from 4-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, April 16 at 9:30AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Friday, April 15, 2016 from 4-9 PM.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, April 16 at 9:30AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne, where at 10:30AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.
August Pairo, Jr., “Augie”, age 66 of Wayne, passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 after a three-year battle with lung cancer.
Augie was born in Passaic and raised in East Rutherford until he was eleven. Then his family moved to Wayne. He was blessed with a great boyhood marked by participation in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts where he quickly moved up the ranks. When he reached his early teens, Augie and his life-long buddy Ronnie Ossi began tinkering with mini-bikes and go-carts, and when they turned seventeen, they got their driver’s licenses, bought a couple of 57 Chevys and turned them into hot-rods. Then, along with Augie’s father, they took those cars and raced them at the race tracks in Englishtown and Pine Brook.
Suddenly, Augie was all grown up and he and his classmates found themselves graduating with the distinction of being the first class to graduate from the newly completed Wayne Hills High School, Class of 1968. The following February, he promptly enlisted in the U.S. Navy. During the next four years, he proudly served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a bosun mate – on the USS Bell Knap – the Navy’s lead ship in her class of guided missile cruisers. For his valor and bravery, Augie was the recipient of numerous medals and commendations including the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Letter of Commendation. Augie was a proud American who had a sincere love for his country so, upon completion of his time in the Navy, he joined the U.S. Army National Guard where he served for the next 22 years.
Elaine Garafalo was Augie’s one and only true love! It’s interesting to note that the day Augie was born was the same day that Elaine came to the U.S.A. from Germany. Augie had no recollection of the day they met because Elaine was only three years old and he was still in diapers. You see, Elaine’s family and Augie’s aunts and uncles lived on the same street – Mitchell Street in Lodi. Maybe you could say that their “first date” was when Elaine took Augie for a ride, pushing him around in his stroller. The second date wouldn’t take place until 25 years later when Augie would return home from Vietnam and his Aunt Eleanor and Elaine’s mom would set them up for a real date. They went to the movies and afterwards out for a drink at a country western bar in Wayne. The date was good enough for them both to go on another date…..and another…..and another, until “like” grew into “love”. Then one day, Augie hurt his finger in a vice at work. He received medical attention, then got a prescription to manage the pain. From there he went to meet Elaine where she worked. By the time they got home to Elaine’s mother’s house, thanks to the drugs, Augie was feeling no pain. During the course of ensuing conversation, he held up his hand and said something to the effect of” getting married.” Elaine then turned to her mom and said, “Did Augie just ask me to marry him?” She then turned to Augie to ask him the same question but, before the words could come out of her mouth, he passed out. Six months later and a week after her birthday, he bought Elaine a ring. They married on Sunday, April 11, 1976 at Most Holy Name Church in Garfield. A gala reception followed at The Princess in Lodi, then a honeymoon in Aruba. Forty awesome years later, their wedding anniversary was the day before Augie passed away. The other morning when Elaine came to visit him, she wished him a happy anniversary. Lying there, with little energy left, he puckered his lips to kiss his beloved bride for one of the last times. Elaine described their loving marriage of forty years as exceptional!
During those 40 years, they initially lived in an apartment in Lodi for seven years. In 1983 they bought their first house in Lodi. That was home until 1995 and during those years they joyously welcomed their son Michael into their lives. They moved to Wayne where they’ve lived for the past 21 years.
After four years in the Navy, Augie settled back into civilian life. He worked some odd jobs until his mom suggested that he pursue full-time work at William Paterson College. He began work there in 1973, transferred for a short time to another government job in a mechanic pool in Newark, then returned to William Paterson College where he ultimately became a facilities supervisor and logged a total of 39 years before retiring in 2012. During that time, the college name was changed to William Paterson University. Augie was well-respected by his co-workers and loved his work.
Augie was a man who possessed a wide and varied array of interests. He was extremely gifted with his hands. His wife Elaine described that talent by saying “Augie had gold in his hands.” That love he had for working on engines didn’t fade away with his childhood. In fact, quite the opposite happened as he got more serious about building and racing go carts well into his adult life. These were serious go-carts that could attain speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. It seemed Augie could do anything. Whether it was designing the kitchen in his home or creating a beautiful landscape scene for his front yard, he accomplished much in his quest to satisfy his creative hunger. When his son Michael was attending school at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church it was Augie who was called upon to create a spaceship-themed promotion to help increase enrollment at the school. When Michael got to high school and started playing for the football team, it was Augie who came up with the design for truly creative and innovative refrigerator magnets with the Wayne Hills Patriots name and logo. His artistic talents were used for other applications too, like collaborating with Michael on a tattoo design in memory of Elaine’s father and, on the lighter side, he was a cartoonist who especially enjoyed creating cartoons of ugly monsters – the uglier the better!
Work or play makes everyone tire and Augie was no exception, so when he was too tired to create but not tired enough to sleep, he liked to jump on his 1980 Harley Davidson Sportster 1000 and go for a ride or hop aboard his 16-foot boat, which was primarily kept at the summer home in LBI, and go for a cruise. When he and Elaine celebrated their tenth anniversary in 1986, he surprised her with a trip back to their honeymoon destination in Aruba. They loved it so much that they bought a time-share there and returned annually for the next 26 consecutive years. Augie loved to escape there enjoying Aruba’s ocean, peace and calmness, as well as the food, casinos and many friends who also visited the same week every year.
Throughout his illness, it was his faith that sustained he and his loved ones and so his life will be celebrated and remembered with a mass at his home parish – Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wayne. Surely he will be missed but will be remembered for his great sense of humor, zest for life, service to others and love and devotion to his family and friends. Until we meet again, God’s blessing Augie!
Augie is survived by his beloved wife Elaine; his dear son Michael of Wayne; his sister Linda Tolerico (Pairo) and husband Joseph of Wayne; his sister-in-law Marietta Garofalo of Lodi; nephews: Joey, Jimmy, Steven, and Michael; his best buddy of 55 years: Ronnie Ossi of Vernon; and his cousins: Marylou, Dwayne, Beth, Arlene, Dean, Bev, Michael, Irene, and Bill.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Augie’s memory are asked to consider The American Lung Association, 1031 Route 22 West, Suite 203, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
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