Rene Gayol

Rene “Papi” Gayol, 82, of Mountainside, N.J. passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family, on January 27, 2022. 

Rene was born on September 29, 1939 in Havana, Cuba; the son of Jose Manuel and Edelmira (nee Vazquez) (both deceased).  He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Maria V. Padron and his children Vivian (Keith Marmer), Stephanie (Michael Phillipou) and Steven (Valerie Lohsen), his sister, Magali Gonzalez, and his brother, Alberto Gayol. He was proudest of his roles as beloved husband, father, grandfather to Zackary, Evan, Benjamin, Sofia, Isabel, Nathan and Ariel and uncle to Denise Gonzalez.

It is with great joy and privilege that we celebrate his life – a life defined by decency, integrity, kindness, respect of others, a sense of humor and steadfast devotion to family and friends.

In Havana, Rene lived with his family in the neighborhood of La Vibora, and studied as an aspiring lawyer at Instituto Edison.  Dissatisfied with conditions in Cuba, and searching for a better life in the U.S., in 1961 he set off on his own “por ser amante de la libertad.”  He arrived in Miami at the age of 22 and then traveled to New York City, finding employment in the mailroom at the law firm, White & Case. While in New York, he worked tirelessly to bring his parents and siblings to the United States. Soon thereafter he assumed his most cherished role, that of being a father, when he welcomed his daughter, Vivian into the world.  Later that year, his family joined them in New York from Cuba. 

In 1978, he married Maria V. Padron and they had two children, Stephanie and Steven.  They lived in Weehawken, NJ and later moved to Leonia to raise their family. Rene worked many years for the New York City Department of Finance and the Tax Appeals Tribunal as a computer programmer before retiring in 2012.  During his retirement, he enjoyed being a grandfather in many wonderful grandfatherly ways, including digitizing his extensive music, picture and video collection, and never missing his grandchildrens’ events. 

We invite you to come pay your respects and share your memories of Rene.  The viewing will take place at Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, Sunday, January 30, 1pm - 3pm. 

In order to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend, and given COVID related capacity limitations, we ask that guests plan to rotate through the viewing.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at www.lbda.org in memory of Rene Gayol.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Rene Gayol, please visit our floral store.