David Lobato, Jr.

David Lobato, Jr., age 54, of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 21, 2022.

Dave was born in Jersey City and raised in Union City. After graduating from Emerson High School with the Class of 1985, he and his father started their own residential and commercial carpet installation business which they fittingly called Lobato Carpet. When his father ultimately retired, Dave pursued a new opportunity with the opening of Northern Janitorial Services. He and his beloved wife Oneida began the business together and very much enjoyed working side-by-side building it up into the prosperous enterprise that it has become.

David met Oneida through one of his cousins. For him it was love at first sight but for Oneida it……….well let’s just say that he tried for six months to get a date before she accepted. They went to the movies but, when asked what movie that saw, Oneida smiled and said she doesn’t remember because they weren’t really watching. After the movie they went to Bahama Mama where they had drinks (Oneida can tell you the names of some of the drinks they enjoyed). That winter night in December, 1997, a loving and devoted relationship began that only grew more tender and dearer as the years went on. In hind sight Oneida’s only regret is that she didn’t say “yes” to that first date sooner. When it came to David and Oneida the saying that “opposites attract” could not have been truer because their love for one another was solid as a rock. They were soul mates who loved to be together. Dave was so mad about Oneida, he’d do anything to be with her, even accompany her on mundane tasks like grocery shopping.

In 2000, David and Oneida were blessed with their firstborn, David Lobato, III, and two years later, they welcomed their second born, Emily Lobato. Around that time, they moved from Union City to Wayne and have been Wayne residents for the past seventeen years.

In his spare time, David found various ways to unwind. He loved food and so he was always up for a trip with family or friends for a nice meal. He especially liked going to Chilis and Bahama Breeze and to the Pompton Queen Diner for breakfast. At home, he enjoyed cooking and everyone loved a nice sandwich custom made by Dave. He could fix anything and there was no job around the house that he couldn’t handle on his own. He could do literally anything from the small fix-it project to a large full-scale renovation. His house was always in tip top shape and his cars were the cleanest around. He was so proud of his Dodge Durango SRT and especially his black 1995 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Like his father before him, Dave enjoyed dabbling in the stock market and he and his father and his cousins Cito and Jesus were always comparing notes on the best stock moves to make.

Above all else, David’s family was the most cherished and important blessing in his whole life. For years the family enjoyed vacations together to the blue waters and beautiful sands of Riviera Maya, trips to Disney when the kids were little and to the Jersey shore in Brick where they stayed on David’s twenty-seven-foot Baja speedboat which he affectionately named Emily. He enjoyed one-on-one time with Dave, III teaching him how to play golf, going fishing, and following the school bus to all of his band concerts to proudly watch him play the bass drum. Exclusive special times were also spent with Emily, teaching her how to play golf, cheering for her at all of her soccer games, and just being silly with her.

Though there is tremendous sadness in David’s passing, his family and friends give thanks for his life. He was a very loving soul who possessed a sharp wit and was one of the most loving, caring, and selfless people one could ever find.      

Dave was the most beloved wife Oneida Gonzalez. He was the loving father of David Lobato, III and Emily Lobato, both of Wayne; dearly loved son of his father David Lobato, Sr. and wife Doris of Wayne, and dearly loved son of Zenaida Moro of Union City; brother of John Lobato of Cliffside Park, and Natally Lobato and her partner Matthew of North Bergen; and cousin of Cito, Jesus, Danny, and Madeline.

Because David was once blessed to be the recipient of a kidney transplant himself, those planning an expression of sympathy in David’s name are asked to consider:

National Kidney Foundation
30 East 33rd Street
New York, NY  10016
You can also donate online by clicking here (www.kidney.org)