Kersti Raimondo

Kersti Raimondo (nee Ruga) age 78, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Friday April 3, 2020 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Kersti was born in Tori, Estonia and was one of two children to Eduard and Leida Ruga.  Due to the invasion of communism in Estonia, Kersti and her family fled their homeland and were living for some time in various refugee camps in Germany.  Kersti’s father was an accomplished and acclaimed artist in Estonia.  Because of this, the family was fortunate enough to immigrate to the United States by way of sponsorship of an American artist.  The family settled in Stroudsburg, PA and also lived in the Poconos are for approximately three to four years.  Kersti and her family then moved to Paterson, NJ and then Elmwood Park where her parents spent the next fifty years.

Kersti attended Elmwood Park High School where she was Captain of the Cheerleading team and President of the Student Counsel.   Following Kersti’s graduation from high school with the class of 1960, she attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where she studied to be an Artist.  In 1964, Kersti graduated from Pratt with her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts.

During the summers, Kersti enjoyed frequenting the Jersey Shore, particularly Seaside Heights.  One summer in Seaside, Kersti caught the eye of a dark haired handsome young man named Joseph Raimondo.  The two of them hit it off great and started dating.  As fate would have it they fell in love and were married in May of 1965.  The couple settled in Haledon where they lived for a short time, then moved to the Pines Lake section Wayne where they remained for the rest of their lives together.  Kersti, after getting married, devoted herself to being a homemaker.  She was a truly dedicated wife and cared for her husband Joe tirelessly.  Kersti and Joe cherished thirty-eight years of loving and loyal marriage together until Joe’s passing in 2003.

Kersti had a genuinely deep love for animals, particularly cats.  For many years, Kersti funded and ran the Patch Animal Shelter in Pompton Lakes.  Kersti also enjoyed traveling and cruising with her husband Joe to a variety of destinations including her homeland of Estonia.  She was also an avid tennis player, participating in women’s leagues in her local area.  Kersti was the kind of person that got along with everyone.  She was generous, giving and wonderfully sympathetic.  Above all, she was honest and had integrity.  Kersti was a very special person who touched the lives of many people and will be missed by everyone that knew her.

Kersti is survived by her sister Silja Melts and her husband Riho of Glen Cove, NY, one niece Liisa Shimabukuro and her husband Carlos of Virginia, she is also survived by her dearest friend Lorry Anzaldo of Parlin, NJ; loved aunt of Bobby Raimondo and his wife Kim of Arizona.   Kersti was predeceased by her husband Joseph Raimondo in 2003.