Felix A. Rendina

Felix A. Rendina, age 93, of Wayne, passed away on Thursday, April 28, 2022.

The eighth child of Nicola and Maria (Corrado) Rendina’s ten children, Felix was born and raised in Paterson.

Following graduation from Eastside High School with the Class of 1947, Felix served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was assigned to the Special Category of the Army with the Air Force (SCARWAF) in the Aviation Battalion. He served in Germany while his brother Nick concurrently served in Korea. This was standard operating procedure for U.S. forces in the effort to alleviate the chances that a family would potentially lose two children in the same battle. Felix served proudly and, upon his return to civilian life, he soon joined Paterson’s Riverside Veterans where he remained a faithful member throughout his life.

While in Germany, Felix attended school where he learned the carpentry trade. It would become his life’s occupation. Upon returning from military service, he got a job as a union carpenter with Carpenters’ and Millwrights’ Local 124, in Totowa. He worked his whole career in the trade until retirement in 1990 and was involved in notable projects including the construction of Willowbrook Mall and Wayne Valley High School as well as the building of many of the overpasses on Route 80 and also the restoration of the historical Rogers Mill in Paterson which today is a museum.

In 1963, just after returning home from the war, Felix met a young lady named Elaine Fiorillo. It was a blind date, set up by Felix’s sister who worked for Dr. Bonjiorno and Elaine’s mother Rose who was a patient of Dr. Bonjiorno. The date consisted of a movie and then a trip into New York City for a bit of dancing in the Hawaiian Room at the Hotel Lexington. Elaine got a great impression of Felix and, from that day on, his phone never stopped ringing! Eventually Felix proposed marriage to Elaine at her parent’s home and a short time later, on Sunday, September 27, 1964, the loving couple married at St. Gerard’s Church in Paterson. After a reception at the Rustic Lodge on Route 46 and a honeymoon in Florida at the Hotel Carillon, Mr. and Mrs. Rendina settled into their first home together which they purchased on 264 Sherwood Avenue in the Hillcrest section of Paterson. They remained in that home where they raised their two daughters, Maria and Lisa, until 1998 when they moved to Wayne.

Felix’s profession came in handy at home too. He used his skills to make beautiful curio cabinets in the house on Sherwood Ave. Of course, when family and friends came to visit, they admired the craftsmanship and soon Felix was getting requests for cabinets from many of those visitors. He made other furniture like a coffee table, he and Elaine’s head and footboard for their bed, and he surprised each of his four granddaughters with a custom made rocking horse. In his spare time Felix enjoyed summer evenings on his porch to look at the stars while strumming on his guitar. He also played a lot of golf at the Preakness Valley Golf Course and loved the game so much that he frequented LPGA and PGA golf tournaments. His love of golf was matched closely by his love of baseball and the New York Yankees were always his team. He was even watching the game on the night of his passing.  

Felix was a truly family-oriented father who did his best to teach his daughters good old-fashioned values like the virtue of hard work and doing your best. As a young family, his daughters loved the Friday night tradition when Felix took them out for a night at the Willowbrook Mall. It was especially special because they could usually count on an ice cream treat and coming home with a 45 record from a store called Harmony Hut with a recording from one of their favorite artists to play on the family record player. As the girls grew older, the tradition changed a bit. While Elaine and the girls would head to the mall for a day of shopping, Felix would hit the golf course. Retirement afforded even more free time and Felix and Elaine enjoyed some wonderful times traveling together with highlights being trips to Florida, some luxury cruises, and a visit to the Smokey Mountains where they got to see the luxurious Biltmore estate. Of course, there were also many good times spent as an ever expanding family, now with the blessing of four beautiful granddaughters, down the shore at Wildwood Crest and Long Beach Island (LBI). These shore trips were another special summer tradition that dated back to when Felix and Elaine were raising their own family and they continued to the present.

Felix was a faithful parishioner of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary R.C. Church in Wayne. His faith in God was foundational in his life and it guided him in how he lived and treated others. One of his favorite ministries to support was the Salesian Sisters of North Haledon. Although a relatively quiet man, he easily made friends with strangers and was loved by everyone he met.

Felix was the beloved husband of Elaine (nee Fiorillo), blessed in marriage 52 years until her passing in 2017; loving father of Maria (Sal) Rafanelli of Wayne, and Lisa Rendina (Potter Earle) of Churchville, PA; cherished grandfather of Danielle, Gianna, Celeste, and Maggie; dear uncle of numerous nieces and nephews. Felix was predeceased by all nine of his siblings including: Francis Rendina, Vivian Van Lenten, Peter Rendina, Teresa Richman, Angelina Pezzuti, Mary Smith, Nick Rendina, Joseph Rendina, and Anna Ferraro.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Felix’s name are asked to consider Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516.