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Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, August 29, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
There will be a gathering at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Vander May Funeral Home followed by the funeral Mass at 10:30 AM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Juan Toscano, Jr., left fascist Spain and overcame countless obstacles to become the Chief Financial Officer of Diamond Shamrock and establish a devoted family in the United States, dies at 90.
Juan Toscano, Jr., born in Newark, NJ, raised in Cambados, Spain, returned to New Jersey leaving Franco controlled fascist Spain shortly after his marriage to Maria Luisa (Marisa) Montero died on August 25, 2016. He was 90.
Juan was born in Newark, NJ, to Juan Toscano Nunez, a veteran of the merchant marine serving honorably during WWI, and Encarnacion Garcia Losada. He moved to Cambados, Spain in 1930. He studied accounting at the Escuela de Comercio in Vigo, Spain. He met and fell in love with his childhood sweetheart, Marisa Montero of Cambados. The couple married on October 22, 1949 in Spain. As an American citizen, Juan was not allowed to work in post-revolutionary fascist Spain forcing the newlywed couple to immigrate to America in 1950 only to find that his degree was not recognized in the United States. With characteristic determination, he simultaneously began work at a manufacturing plant and the US post office, both full time, while matriculating at Rutgers University. He was famous for the enormity of his lunches while at the manufacturing plant where he would regularly consume 4 sandwiches out of his lunch box. A nod to the traditional Spanish mid-day meal, la comida, which is traditionally the largest. However there was no siesta to follow for Juan, just an unwavering commitment to better himself and provide for his growing family. He graduated with high honors from Rutgers in 1958.
With his new degree he was again free to pursue his accounting career. He started as a staff accountant at the Diamond Shamrock Corporation where he rose to the position of Chief Financial Officer. His arithmetic ability was legendary. He often recalls a day when a salesperson came to the office with a new “calculating machine”, an early mechanical adding machine, claiming a 100 % increase in productivity. Ever the skeptic, Juan challenged the salesperson and his machine to a contest. They each took a column of accounting calculations dozens of numbers in length. To the surprise of no one in the office except the salesperson, Juan easily bested the machine, but with characteristic humanitarian charity he encouraged the young man to return when it was at least as fast and accurate as an “average” human. Not one to ever be satisfied with only one job, Juan opened a private accounting practice and became the “go to” accountant for many of the newly immigrated Spanish and Portuguese shopkeepers, businesses, and restaurant owners also making new lives for their families in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. Perhaps the proudest moment of his professional career came with his election to President of The New Jersey Association of Public Accountants.
Juan realized the economic power of real estate soon after his return from Spain. Shortly after arriving back in the United States, with his first son on the way, he purchased a two family home. He and his growing family occupied the smaller unit, while renting out the larger fully covering his mortgage. This incredible financial discipline and real estate savvy found him the eventual owner of 7 income producing properties as well as his primary residence in Wayne and vacation homes in Ortley Beach, NJ and Cancun, Mexico.
The “shore house” in Ortley beach allowed Juan and his family a welcome return to the sea. Cambados is an ocean side town of people who live off the sea; it was at the shore that Juan and his family were truly at home. Every summer the entire extended family would gather in Ortley to share dinners which would include charcoal broiled sardines and fresh Jersey corn, bringing together the best that Spain and New Jersey had to offer presided over by a man who was the embodiment of that notion.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marisa Toscano; devoted father of 7 children: John (Linda) Toscano of Cedar Grove, Maria Ackerman of Edison, Raymond Toscano, MD, of Tampa, FL, James Toscano of Wayne, Luis (Flo) Toscano of Clifton, Rose Marie (Jock, MD) McCullough of Hanover, NH, and Joe (Tammy) Toscano of Sparta; cherished grandfather of 17 grandchildren: Jennifer Brockman, Chris Ackerman, Matthew Toscano, Melissa Toscano, Brian Ackerman, Cathy Alcalde, Marisa Ackerman, Noelle Griffis, Robert Toscano, Ray Toscano, Marisa Lee McCullough, Alex McCullough, Tomas McCullough, Jessica Toscano, Samantha Toscano, Benjamin Toscano, Cristina McCullough and 12 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Rosario Pouso.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Juan’s memory are asked to consider a donation to www.gofundme.com/InMemoryofDad. All donations to this fund will be forwarded to St. Teresa De Avila Order of Carmelite Nuns, Pontevedra, Spain.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, August 29, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
There will be a gathering at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Vander May Funeral Home followed by the funeral Mass at 10:30 AM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 4-8 PM on Monday, August 29, 2016 at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
There will be a gathering at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Vander May Funeral Home followed by the funeral Mass at 10:30 AM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne.
Juan Toscano, Jr., left fascist Spain and overcame countless obstacles to become the Chief Financial Officer of Diamond Shamrock and establish a devoted family in the United States, dies at 90.
Juan Toscano, Jr., born in Newark, NJ, raised in Cambados, Spain, returned to New Jersey leaving Franco controlled fascist Spain shortly after his marriage to Maria Luisa (Marisa) Montero died on August 25, 2016. He was 90.
Juan was born in Newark, NJ, to Juan Toscano Nunez, a veteran of the merchant marine serving honorably during WWI, and Encarnacion Garcia Losada. He moved to Cambados, Spain in 1930. He studied accounting at the Escuela de Comercio in Vigo, Spain. He met and fell in love with his childhood sweetheart, Marisa Montero of Cambados. The couple married on October 22, 1949 in Spain. As an American citizen, Juan was not allowed to work in post-revolutionary fascist Spain forcing the newlywed couple to immigrate to America in 1950 only to find that his degree was not recognized in the United States. With characteristic determination, he simultaneously began work at a manufacturing plant and the US post office, both full time, while matriculating at Rutgers University. He was famous for the enormity of his lunches while at the manufacturing plant where he would regularly consume 4 sandwiches out of his lunch box. A nod to the traditional Spanish mid-day meal, la comida, which is traditionally the largest. However there was no siesta to follow for Juan, just an unwavering commitment to better himself and provide for his growing family. He graduated with high honors from Rutgers in 1958.
With his new degree he was again free to pursue his accounting career. He started as a staff accountant at the Diamond Shamrock Corporation where he rose to the position of Chief Financial Officer. His arithmetic ability was legendary. He often recalls a day when a salesperson came to the office with a new “calculating machine”, an early mechanical adding machine, claiming a 100 % increase in productivity. Ever the skeptic, Juan challenged the salesperson and his machine to a contest. They each took a column of accounting calculations dozens of numbers in length. To the surprise of no one in the office except the salesperson, Juan easily bested the machine, but with characteristic humanitarian charity he encouraged the young man to return when it was at least as fast and accurate as an “average” human. Not one to ever be satisfied with only one job, Juan opened a private accounting practice and became the “go to” accountant for many of the newly immigrated Spanish and Portuguese shopkeepers, businesses, and restaurant owners also making new lives for their families in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. Perhaps the proudest moment of his professional career came with his election to President of The New Jersey Association of Public Accountants.
Juan realized the economic power of real estate soon after his return from Spain. Shortly after arriving back in the United States, with his first son on the way, he purchased a two family home. He and his growing family occupied the smaller unit, while renting out the larger fully covering his mortgage. This incredible financial discipline and real estate savvy found him the eventual owner of 7 income producing properties as well as his primary residence in Wayne and vacation homes in Ortley Beach, NJ and Cancun, Mexico.
The “shore house” in Ortley beach allowed Juan and his family a welcome return to the sea. Cambados is an ocean side town of people who live off the sea; it was at the shore that Juan and his family were truly at home. Every summer the entire extended family would gather in Ortley to share dinners which would include charcoal broiled sardines and fresh Jersey corn, bringing together the best that Spain and New Jersey had to offer presided over by a man who was the embodiment of that notion.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marisa Toscano; devoted father of 7 children: John (Linda) Toscano of Cedar Grove, Maria Ackerman of Edison, Raymond Toscano, MD, of Tampa, FL, James Toscano of Wayne, Luis (Flo) Toscano of Clifton, Rose Marie (Jock, MD) McCullough of Hanover, NH, and Joe (Tammy) Toscano of Sparta; cherished grandfather of 17 grandchildren: Jennifer Brockman, Chris Ackerman, Matthew Toscano, Melissa Toscano, Brian Ackerman, Cathy Alcalde, Marisa Ackerman, Noelle Griffis, Robert Toscano, Ray Toscano, Marisa Lee McCullough, Alex McCullough, Tomas McCullough, Jessica Toscano, Samantha Toscano, Benjamin Toscano, Cristina McCullough and 12 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Rosario Pouso.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in Juan’s memory are asked to consider a donation to www.gofundme.com/InMemoryofDad. All donations to this fund will be forwarded to St. Teresa De Avila Order of Carmelite Nuns, Pontevedra, Spain.
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