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February 12, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne, NJ.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 17 at 10:30AM from the funeral home then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk, Wayne where at 11:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Entombment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
Raymond G. Grocela, age eighty-six of Wayne passed away peacefully on Monday February 12, 2018 in the presence of and while receiving the loving care of his family. He was born and raised in Irvington, New Jersey to Louis and Estelle Grocela. He went to school at Sacred Heart Church in Irvington until the 8th grade, where he primarily spoke Polish. After finishing the 8th grade, Ray went to Irvington High School where he graduated with the class of 1948. After High School graduation Ray was accepted to Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey where graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1952.
Subsequent to his college graduation, Ray got the call to serve his country in the United States Army. When first entering the Armed Forces he was offered to study Russian at the Monterey School of Foreign Languages for training in espionage against the Soviet Union. Ray knew very well espionage can be a very exciting field to work in, but considering his education and background, Ray was stationed in New Mexico where he participated in Operation Castle. Operation castle was conducted as a joint venture between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The ultimate objective of the operation was to test designs for an aircraft-deliverable thermonuclear bombs of unprecedented power. Doing his time as part of Operation Castle, Ray was subjected to nuclear fallout radiation exposure. This unfortunately had short-term as well as long-term effects on his health. In 1954 Ray was honorably discharged from the United States Army and went to work for a company called Fries Brothers. There he was employed as a chemist and worked on the development and manufacturing of various flavors. Ray worked there for several years and then earned a position at the Schering Corporation located in Bloomfield. Ray spent the next forty-three years at Schering until his retirement in 1994. During his time there, Ray was a co-inventor of Gentamicin, a well-known antibiotic that has helped save millions of lives around the world, and that his son Dr. Joseph Grocela uses today for lifesaving treatments of his patients.
While working at Schering Corporation in 1959, Raymond met a young lady by the name of Sharlene Habermann, who was employed there as his boss’ secretary. They went out on their first date and had some ice cream and as fate would have it they fell in love, and a year later were married on June 5th, 1960 at the Sacred Heart Church in Irvington where Ray had gone to school as a child. Ray and Sharlene honeymooned in Miami, FL.
At first Ray and Sharlene settled in Bloomfield, where they lived for two years and then in 1964 they moved to Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the rest of their lives together and would raise their three children there. Ray and Sharlene felt they were each the other’s soulmates and cherished 57 years of loving and loyal marriage together.
Ray enjoyed woodworking and built most of the furniture in Ray and Sharlene's home. Not only did Ray build furniture but he also built grandfather clocks. Raymond also enjoyed bird watching and gardening. Particularly his flowers and tomatoes brought him many years of joy and satisfaction. Ray spent his spare time also fishing and camping. Every year Ray and his family would travel the United States visiting almost evetry national park, traveling 10,000 miles or more a year every year for fifteen years, in their RV’s. This would be the equivalent of Ray driving his family six times around the world. Raymond was also dedicated to his Catholic faith and taught CCD at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Wayne when he was a parishioner there, Ray and Sharlene were also parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne as well as Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Lakes. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. You always knew Ray's opinion about something, as he was very outspoken. He was kind, generous, and was always the first to speak up when he saw something wrong or someone doing something wrong. He was the kind of guy that would root for the underdog and stand up for the weaker side. Ray was an extraordinary person who touched lives of countless people and will be sincerely missed by his family and friends alike.
Raymond is survived by his wife Sharlene (nee Habermann) of Wayne, his son Dr. Joe Grocela and his wife Dr. Susan Ryan of Weston, MA, his two daughters, Cathi Grocela of Wayne, and Terri Grocela Rocha and her husband Gerardo of Wellesley, MA, eight grandchildren; Cory, Cayla, and Megan Bissonnette; Alicia and Julia Rocha; and Raymond, Katherine, and Michael Grocela, and one great granddaughter, Gia Rose Fornino. He was predeceased by his brother Joseph Grocela.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Raymond’s name are asked to consider donations in honor of Raymond’s Great Grandniece Aubrey Kyne at www.befierce.org
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne, NJ.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 17 at 10:30AM from the funeral home then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk, Wayne where at 11:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Entombment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
February 12, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family from 3-7PM on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the VanderMay Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Rd, Wayne, NJ.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 17 at 10:30AM from the funeral home then to Our Lady of Consolation Church, 1799 Hamburg Tpk, Wayne where at 11:30AM a funeral mass will be celebrated.
Entombment will be in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ.
Raymond G. Grocela, age eighty-six of Wayne passed away peacefully on Monday February 12, 2018 in the presence of and while receiving the loving care of his family. He was born and raised in Irvington, New Jersey to Louis and Estelle Grocela. He went to school at Sacred Heart Church in Irvington until the 8th grade, where he primarily spoke Polish. After finishing the 8th grade, Ray went to Irvington High School where he graduated with the class of 1948. After High School graduation Ray was accepted to Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey where graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in 1952.
Subsequent to his college graduation, Ray got the call to serve his country in the United States Army. When first entering the Armed Forces he was offered to study Russian at the Monterey School of Foreign Languages for training in espionage against the Soviet Union. Ray knew very well espionage can be a very exciting field to work in, but considering his education and background, Ray was stationed in New Mexico where he participated in Operation Castle. Operation castle was conducted as a joint venture between the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Defense (DoD). The ultimate objective of the operation was to test designs for an aircraft-deliverable thermonuclear bombs of unprecedented power. Doing his time as part of Operation Castle, Ray was subjected to nuclear fallout radiation exposure. This unfortunately had short-term as well as long-term effects on his health. In 1954 Ray was honorably discharged from the United States Army and went to work for a company called Fries Brothers. There he was employed as a chemist and worked on the development and manufacturing of various flavors. Ray worked there for several years and then earned a position at the Schering Corporation located in Bloomfield. Ray spent the next forty-three years at Schering until his retirement in 1994. During his time there, Ray was a co-inventor of Gentamicin, a well-known antibiotic that has helped save millions of lives around the world, and that his son Dr. Joseph Grocela uses today for lifesaving treatments of his patients.
While working at Schering Corporation in 1959, Raymond met a young lady by the name of Sharlene Habermann, who was employed there as his boss’ secretary. They went out on their first date and had some ice cream and as fate would have it they fell in love, and a year later were married on June 5th, 1960 at the Sacred Heart Church in Irvington where Ray had gone to school as a child. Ray and Sharlene honeymooned in Miami, FL.
At first Ray and Sharlene settled in Bloomfield, where they lived for two years and then in 1964 they moved to Wayne. They would call Wayne their home for the rest of their lives together and would raise their three children there. Ray and Sharlene felt they were each the other’s soulmates and cherished 57 years of loving and loyal marriage together.
Ray enjoyed woodworking and built most of the furniture in Ray and Sharlene's home. Not only did Ray build furniture but he also built grandfather clocks. Raymond also enjoyed bird watching and gardening. Particularly his flowers and tomatoes brought him many years of joy and satisfaction. Ray spent his spare time also fishing and camping. Every year Ray and his family would travel the United States visiting almost evetry national park, traveling 10,000 miles or more a year every year for fifteen years, in their RV’s. This would be the equivalent of Ray driving his family six times around the world. Raymond was also dedicated to his Catholic faith and taught CCD at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in Wayne when he was a parishioner there, Ray and Sharlene were also parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne as well as Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Pompton Lakes. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. You always knew Ray's opinion about something, as he was very outspoken. He was kind, generous, and was always the first to speak up when he saw something wrong or someone doing something wrong. He was the kind of guy that would root for the underdog and stand up for the weaker side. Ray was an extraordinary person who touched lives of countless people and will be sincerely missed by his family and friends alike.
Raymond is survived by his wife Sharlene (nee Habermann) of Wayne, his son Dr. Joe Grocela and his wife Dr. Susan Ryan of Weston, MA, his two daughters, Cathi Grocela of Wayne, and Terri Grocela Rocha and her husband Gerardo of Wellesley, MA, eight grandchildren; Cory, Cayla, and Megan Bissonnette; Alicia and Julia Rocha; and Raymond, Katherine, and Michael Grocela, and one great granddaughter, Gia Rose Fornino. He was predeceased by his brother Joseph Grocela.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Raymond’s name are asked to consider donations in honor of Raymond’s Great Grandniece Aubrey Kyne at www.befierce.org
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