WOOD-RIDGE- Vincent Varelas, the world lost a giant of a man on December 20, 2020, when Vincent passed away, about a month short of his 90th birthday. He was pre-deceased by his wife Grace, parents Michael and Eva, brother William, and sister Norma. Vincent leaves behind his two loving sons, Patrick of Maywood and James of Wood-Ridge, as well as his daughter-in-law Christine and grandchildren Laura Varelas-Arroyo (Miguel), Patrick, and Christopher.
Born in Hoboken, NJ in 1931, Vincent grew up in Weehawken, NJ and attended Weehawken High School, honing his baseball skills along the way. Graduation led him to travel to Opelika, Alabama for a short-lived stint with the farm club of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. But alas, professional baseball was not in the cards for him, so he returned home to his sweetheart Grace and embraced the family restaurant business as his career. He worked with his father and uncles, learning the tricks of the trade from the ground up, eventually becoming head chef and part owner of the Oyster Bay restaurant in Union City, NJ. Along the way he married Grace and settled in Wood-Ridge, NJ, where he would live the rest of his life. As Vincent and Grace started and grew their family, he eventually was able to branch out on his own and become the sole proprietor and head chef of the James Patrick restaurant in Montvale, NJ. After successfully building that business and selling it, he moved on to the next stage of his career and pursued another passion of his as a carpenter with the Sequa Corporation in East Rutherford, NJ, remaining with the company until his retirement. Not able to sit still after the initial thrill of retirement quickly wore off, he became a crossing guard in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, making many friends along the way with the local passersby as well as their dogs, keeping a box of dog biscuits in the trunk of his car for the lucky canines that happened to frequent his corner.
Vincent of course was not just work. He loved to cook, to eat, and definitely a good, classic movie. He continued to embrace his love of sports in general and baseball in particular, unfortunately transitioning from his love of the Dodgers when they moved from Brooklyn to the New York Mets and passing that burden on to his sons. He also stayed involved by coaching the youth baseball teams in his adopted home town. Perhaps his favorite thing to do however, was spend time in Cape Cod over his summer vacations. The minute he returned from one vacation he immediately began planning the next one.
Most of all though, Vincent was an outstanding person. He was completely dedicated to his family and always put others before himself. He set an example for us to follow with his work ethic, decency, and commitment to fairness for people from all walks of life. He will be most sorely missed but never forgotten. A Memorial Mass will be offered at the Church of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady in Wood-Ridge on Monday, December 28th at 11 AM.  Arrangements are by Costa Memorial Home in Hasbrouck Heights.