Roger Mauiri, 85, of Forked River, formerly of Wayne and Sparta, passed Sunday, October 28, 2018. He was born in Paterson and raised in the family home that was above Angelo’s Market (his brother’s market) on 3rd Avenue in Paterson. Roger married and moved a half a block away to River Street in Paterson. He and his wife Rachel later lived in Prospect Park, Wayne for twelve years, and Sparta for nineteen years, before moving to Forked River twenty-two years ago.

As a young man who graduated from Eastside High School in Paterson he found work as a laborer at the Passaic County Golf Club in Wayne.  His first job would lead to a lifelong love of turf management and working outdoors. Roger worked his way from laborer to superintendent of the course. Passaic County was very good to Roger, sent him to Rutgers University where he received a BS in Agronomy-Turf Management. He later worked for the Brayburn Country Club (now Brooklake CC) as a superintendent. and was given a gold 1968 Mustang Convertible he picked out – and even sent him on a trip anywhere he (actually his wife) wanted to go.  Rachel chose to go to Hawaii because Roger had never flown so she figured once she got him on a plane she wanted to go as far as she could imagine. If he didn’t like flying she would at least get to go to Hawaii.  Well he loved the trip, didn’t mind flying, and they had a wonderful time.  This trip to Hawaii opened the door to many other future trips and more importantly was the honeymoon they never had.  For a time Roger also worked at the Cedar Hill CC in Livingston while part-time running his own landscaping business, R. Mauiri Landscaping in Wayne. His son Roger remembers the first truck his dad bought for the landscaping business was a green 1956 Ford F100 pickup truck with no tailgate.  Eventually Roger would run the landscaping business full time before retiring in 1994.

Roger will be lovingly remembered for loving people and people loving him.  He was always teasing and loved to work on his property making his shrubs into topiaries that were the talk of the neighborhood.  For several years he was a member of the Old Guard of Forked River. Over the years Roger had several dogs and his buddy Taco, an Apple Headed Chihuahua, was always by his side and misses him terribly. No story of Roger would be complete without his favorite words often spoken at the Hot Grill in Clifton “Hot Dog all the Way.”

Roger met his wife Rachel Gulino while on a double date. A few days later Roger was on the phone asking Rachel out on a date.  Rachel’s mom wasn’t too thrilled with Roger.  He was driving around Paterson with a huge black 1958 Cadillac convertible and Rachel’s mom figured he had girlfriends all over town. They dated and Rachel remembers driving around in that black Cadillac.  They would fall in love with Roger proposing marriage, in the big black Cadillac, while in Rachel’s driveway in North Haledon. They married in Saint Anthony’s Church in Paterson on November 18, 1958 and had a two day honeymoon in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.  They always talked about having a proper honeymoon but that didn’t happen until Roger’s work sent him to Hawaii.  It took a little while but Rachel’s mom grew to love Roger very much.  Rachel and Roger enjoyed a strong, loving partnership just three weeks shy of sixty years.

He was the devoted father of Roger W. Mauiri and his wife Victoria of Clifton; cherished grandfather of Jessika Margaret Mauiri of Denville; dear brother of Vincent Mauiri of Ocean Gate and was predeceased by his parents Ruggiero and Alphonsina Mauiri, two brothers and four sisters.  He will be dearly missed by his sister-in-law Mary Palmisano of Wayne and his many loving nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.