Walter M. Puente

Walter M. Puente, age 93, of Wayne and formerly of Paterson, died on Saturday, October 30, 2021 surrounded by the loving presence of his dear family.

Walter was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, the child of Mariano and Celestina (Carballo) Puente. He grew up there and, throughout his life, he was always very proud of his heritage as a Spaniard.

After high school Walter began a career in sales for Swift Corporation, Angenscheidt, Corallo Brother Corp.  and later for General Electric in Uruguay. With his warm smile and magnetic personality, Walter was a natural at sales and a true success. As the old saying goes, he could have sold you the Brooklyn Bridge and left you feeling great for buying it!  

It was while she was teaching that a pretty lady named Blanca Riestra and Walter met for the very first time. Walter quickly asked Blanca out on a date but, to his surprise, she dismissed him! Being a salesman, he was used to occasional rejection and adept at never taking no for an answer. He didn’t give up and after asking her out several more times, Blanca finally agreed to that first date. They saw each other for no less than eight years before Blanca agreed to marry Walter. They exchanged wedding vows on Saturday, April 2, 1955 at the Iglesia de las Carmelitas Roman Catholic Church in Motevideo, Uruguay and, after the wedding and reception they honeymooned in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Their first home as husband and wife was in Montevideo where they were blessed with the birth of their daughter Monica, Walter and Blanca decided to follow their relatives to the United States. They settled in the Lakeview section of Paterson, NJ on 65 Raritan Avenue and Walter began working in the local textile mills for Zenith Corporation in Paterson.

In his younger days, Walter loved to dance, especially to the Tango. He was an avid soccer, boxing and Indy/Formula racing fan. He enjoyed rides his motorcycle and taking his daughter Monica on camping trips every July to the Kittatinny Mountains of High Point State Park in Sussex. This was always followed by a week down the shore in Wildwood where they stayed at the Rio Hotel. Blanca would join them and Monica was always allowed to bring a friend.

After retiring in 2004, Walter and Blanca moved in with Monica and her husband August and their four children in the Packanack Lake section of Wayne. This turned out to be a perfect living arrangement as it allowed Walter and Blanca the opportunity to spend much quality time with their grandchildren. They had such fun taking care of them while Monica and August worked. He made a tradition of taking them to the pond in Fair Lawn to feed the ducks. Afterwards, they would always go for ice cream. He and Blanca loved to spoil them with other traveling adventures, and when it was time for them to drive, Walter was their expert instructor.

In his spare time, Walter enjoyed tinkering with cars. He did all his own oil changes, brake work, and other light maintenance on all the family automobiles. His favorite car was his Volkswagen Karmann Ghia which was yellow with a black hard top. One time, in an attempt to turn it into a convertible he began with one of the early steps of cutting the roof off at the posts. Running into some technical difficulties with the conversion kit, he welded the original roof back on and resigned himself to enjoying the car as a hardtop.

Blanca and Walter truly enjoyed themselves and lived a good life. They traveled the world, visiting Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece, France, Morocco, Switzerland, Mexico, Hawaii, Brazil, the Caribbean, and many other destinations. They crossed the Equator on several occasions. For their fiftieth wedding anniversary, they toured the Greek Isles where Santorini became Walter’s ultimate favorite destination. They had a wonderful time together on that trip.

Having just celebrated his ninety-third birthday, Walter was blessed with a long and happy life filled with many wonderful experiences. For 63 incredible years, he was a truly devoted husband to his wife Blanca. He was a loving father to his daughter Monica, and a fun grandfather for his four grandchildren. He enjoyed the company of several canine companions over the course of his life too. Walter will forever be loved and appreciated for his beautiful smile and easy-going demeanor. He had need of little but gave a lot to those who had the blessing of knowing him.  

Walter was predeceased by his wife Blanca (nee Riestra) in 2018. He is survived by his daughter; Monica Costanzo (August) of Wayne, and four grandchildren; Dr. Tiffany Greco of Los Angeles, Nicole Greco of Wayne, Brian Greco of Wayne, and August Costanzo, Jr. of Wayne.