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Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, April 10, 2016 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, April 11, 2016, 11:00 AM at Emergence Church, 930 Riverview Drive, Suite 500 (Totowa Business Center), Totowa, NJ.
Randall R. Rotella “Randy”, age 27 of Franklin Lakes, passed away too soon, on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
Born in Ridgewood, his first home was in Hawthorne, but the better part of his childhood was spent in Franklin Lakes where he always approached life with a peddle-to-the-metal kind of exuberance. Even as a little boy, his mom said he would play hard for twelve hours straight before crashing in bed for a well-earned nights’ sleep. In high school, Randy channeled that energy by excelling in football and hockey. He graduated from Indian Hills High School with the Class of 2006, then headed to Iona College in New Rochelle, NY where he graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in criminal justice.
Always into fitness and health, Randy got his first job at Lakeside Fitness Club in Oakland, NJ. Through diligent study he earned his certification as a personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and he really enjoyed encouraging and training his clients in their quests for health and wellness. Lakeside Fitness Club was also special to Randy because it was there that he met a sweet young lady named Samantha Phillip. They made such a great couple and Randy was so excited about their relationship. He recently told his parents, “My future is brighter with Sami!” Randy eventually moved on from employment at the fitness club by taking a position as a sales associate with General Nutrition Centers (GNC). He had worked his way up the ranks and was presently the manager of the GNC store in Ramsey.
That child-like exuberance never left Randy as he grew into adulthood. Of course he loved playing hockey and football and going skiing too, and he loved people and enjoying time spent doing things with family and friends. A day down the shore at his family’s summer home in Wildwood Crest was Randy’s definition of good times and he said he couldn’t wait to bring his girlfriend Sami down to the house for the first time this summer. The Rotella philosophy of gift-giving was that it was usually better to receive an experience as opposed to an item. Being a Rotella himself, Randy embraced this idea completely and one of his favorite experiences was catching a Giants or Army football game or a Devils hockey game, especially when a bunch of his friends or family joined him. When it was time to get away for some quiet relaxation Randy would often take a hike up to Ramapo Reservation in Mahwah with Sami and, no doubt, his two faithful canine companions – Kaya and Gracie would surely be invited to come along. He loved animals so much that after his passing, his family imagined him being greeted in heaven by his late doggy Chelsea, walking up to him at heaven’s gate and dropping a ball in front of his feet. Randy’s love of family was so great that his younger sister Jules said he was like a second father to her, in fact, Randy must have had a God-given fatherly instinct in him because he looked after all his siblings and he was so proud to be “Uncle Randy” to his new little nephew Raine.
Randy was one of the most giving and generous people you would ever meet. It was said that, if you gave him a dollar, he’d give you ninety-nine cents back. Even as he was recovering from the evils of substance addiction, Randy did his best to channel his fight by helping others with the same struggles. One way he did this was by regularly returning to Market Street Mission – a ministry in Morristown which, among other goals, helped those, like Randy himself, who struggled with addiction by living a life centered on Christ. There he would share his own experiences to those going through counseling to help them on their own personal journeys toward recovery. Randy’s disdain for the grip of substance addiction was so great that he and his friends were known to go into empty buildings in urban areas so they could physically bring heroin addicts to the Market Street Mission to be cared for.
Randy was highly devoted to his Thursday night bible study and he was extremely grateful for the group leadership of Ken Barrett. One of Randy’s favorite quotes was one from Groucho Marx who said, “Blessed are the cracked for they shall let the light in.” To Randy, that source of light was the light of God’s truth. Like any Christian parent, Matt and Kris hoped and prayed that their children were walking through life with God. Randy would give them assurance that all was ok by curling his middle finger around his index finger on his right hand, and exclaiming “Don’t worry Mom and Dad, me and Jesus are close like this.”
Everyone knows that all of us face struggles in our lives. In fact, in the bible in Ephesians 6:12, we are told the origin of those struggles when it says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. Thank God that in that same book of the bible, in Ephesians 2:8-9 it also says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”.
Randy’s family surely grieves, but they find comfort and assurance that Randy has been saved by God’s grace and, because of that, they look forward to being reunited with him in heaven at God’s appointed time.
Randy is survived by his dear parents Matthew and Kristine Rotella of Franklin Lakes; two much-loved brothers and one much-loved sister: Matthew of Marlboro, Nicholas and wife Megan of Glen Allen, VA, and Julianne Rotella of Franklin Lakes; his loving paternal grandparents: Eugene and Joyce Rotella of Franklin Lakes; cherished nephew Raine Rotella; many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins: and his adored girlfriend Samantha Phillip of Pompton Lakes. He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents: Edwin and Virtue Pankow.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Randy’s name are asked to consider Market Street Mission, 9 Market Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, or at www.marketstreet.org. The Market Street Mission assists individuals to overcome homelessness, addiction and poverty through a life centered on Christ.
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 Sunday, April 10, 2016 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, April 11, 2016, 11:00 AM at Emergence Church, 930 Riverview Drive, Suite 500 (Totowa Business Center), Totowa, NJ.
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, April 10, 2016 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, April 11, 2016, 11:00 AM at Emergence Church, 930 Riverview Drive, Suite 500 (Totowa Business Center), Totowa, NJ.
Randall R. Rotella “Randy”, age 27 of Franklin Lakes, passed away too soon, on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
Born in Ridgewood, his first home was in Hawthorne, but the better part of his childhood was spent in Franklin Lakes where he always approached life with a peddle-to-the-metal kind of exuberance. Even as a little boy, his mom said he would play hard for twelve hours straight before crashing in bed for a well-earned nights’ sleep. In high school, Randy channeled that energy by excelling in football and hockey. He graduated from Indian Hills High School with the Class of 2006, then headed to Iona College in New Rochelle, NY where he graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in criminal justice.
Always into fitness and health, Randy got his first job at Lakeside Fitness Club in Oakland, NJ. Through diligent study he earned his certification as a personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and he really enjoyed encouraging and training his clients in their quests for health and wellness. Lakeside Fitness Club was also special to Randy because it was there that he met a sweet young lady named Samantha Phillip. They made such a great couple and Randy was so excited about their relationship. He recently told his parents, “My future is brighter with Sami!” Randy eventually moved on from employment at the fitness club by taking a position as a sales associate with General Nutrition Centers (GNC). He had worked his way up the ranks and was presently the manager of the GNC store in Ramsey.
That child-like exuberance never left Randy as he grew into adulthood. Of course he loved playing hockey and football and going skiing too, and he loved people and enjoying time spent doing things with family and friends. A day down the shore at his family’s summer home in Wildwood Crest was Randy’s definition of good times and he said he couldn’t wait to bring his girlfriend Sami down to the house for the first time this summer. The Rotella philosophy of gift-giving was that it was usually better to receive an experience as opposed to an item. Being a Rotella himself, Randy embraced this idea completely and one of his favorite experiences was catching a Giants or Army football game or a Devils hockey game, especially when a bunch of his friends or family joined him. When it was time to get away for some quiet relaxation Randy would often take a hike up to Ramapo Reservation in Mahwah with Sami and, no doubt, his two faithful canine companions – Kaya and Gracie would surely be invited to come along. He loved animals so much that after his passing, his family imagined him being greeted in heaven by his late doggy Chelsea, walking up to him at heaven’s gate and dropping a ball in front of his feet. Randy’s love of family was so great that his younger sister Jules said he was like a second father to her, in fact, Randy must have had a God-given fatherly instinct in him because he looked after all his siblings and he was so proud to be “Uncle Randy” to his new little nephew Raine.
Randy was one of the most giving and generous people you would ever meet. It was said that, if you gave him a dollar, he’d give you ninety-nine cents back. Even as he was recovering from the evils of substance addiction, Randy did his best to channel his fight by helping others with the same struggles. One way he did this was by regularly returning to Market Street Mission – a ministry in Morristown which, among other goals, helped those, like Randy himself, who struggled with addiction by living a life centered on Christ. There he would share his own experiences to those going through counseling to help them on their own personal journeys toward recovery. Randy’s disdain for the grip of substance addiction was so great that he and his friends were known to go into empty buildings in urban areas so they could physically bring heroin addicts to the Market Street Mission to be cared for.
Randy was highly devoted to his Thursday night bible study and he was extremely grateful for the group leadership of Ken Barrett. One of Randy’s favorite quotes was one from Groucho Marx who said, “Blessed are the cracked for they shall let the light in.” To Randy, that source of light was the light of God’s truth. Like any Christian parent, Matt and Kris hoped and prayed that their children were walking through life with God. Randy would give them assurance that all was ok by curling his middle finger around his index finger on his right hand, and exclaiming “Don’t worry Mom and Dad, me and Jesus are close like this.”
Everyone knows that all of us face struggles in our lives. In fact, in the bible in Ephesians 6:12, we are told the origin of those struggles when it says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”. Thank God that in that same book of the bible, in Ephesians 2:8-9 it also says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”.
Randy’s family surely grieves, but they find comfort and assurance that Randy has been saved by God’s grace and, because of that, they look forward to being reunited with him in heaven at God’s appointed time.
Randy is survived by his dear parents Matthew and Kristine Rotella of Franklin Lakes; two much-loved brothers and one much-loved sister: Matthew of Marlboro, Nicholas and wife Megan of Glen Allen, VA, and Julianne Rotella of Franklin Lakes; his loving paternal grandparents: Eugene and Joyce Rotella of Franklin Lakes; cherished nephew Raine Rotella; many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins: and his adored girlfriend Samantha Phillip of Pompton Lakes. He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents: Edwin and Virtue Pankow.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Randy’s name are asked to consider Market Street Mission, 9 Market Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, or at www.marketstreet.org. The Market Street Mission assists individuals to overcome homelessness, addiction and poverty through a life centered on Christ.
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