Ralph Rodriguez

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Ralph Rodriguez, loving father and grandfather, passed away peacefully at the age of 75. Ralph was a life-long New Yorker. He was born in Manhattan on July 7, 1947 to his late parents, Ralph and Mary. He was raised in his beloved city and had so many cherished memories growing up there. He graduated from Seward Park High School and then earned his Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University.

He met his future wife, Lillian, through their family and friends in their neighborhood. They married in the winter of 1977 and remained in Manhattan, raising their own family. He and Lillian welcomed two daughters – Jennifer and Mary. Ralph suffered the loss of his beloved wife in 1985.

He lived in New York City most of his life and he moved out to Long island in the last few years, being nearer to his daughter Jennifer and his grandchildren. After college, Ralph began his career at New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation in the 1970’s. He worked his way through the ranks from cashier to financial analyst, a position he held until his retirement after 30 years of service.

Ralph loved being around his family and friends. Just spending time with them brought him great joy. He had lots of great times and memories celebrating birthdays and holidays including Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas in Long Island at the homes of his in-laws. He was very close with his daughter Jennifer and his family.

He was a huge sports enthusiast, being a big fan of his hometown sports teams – the NY Giants, the NY Rangers, the NY Knicks and especially the NY Yankees . He loved attending games with his family and friends whenever he could. Ralph also enjoyed going to the Racetrack to watch the Flats. He loved going to the racetrack ever since he was little and passed the love of horse racing and the track onto his children. His daughter Jennifer has many fond memories of their times together at the NY racetracks. The family made Father’s Day an event that Ralph loved - an annual outing to Belmont to celebrate the day.

An avid reader, his favorite authors were Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Stephen King and Jeffrey Deaver. He enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and listening to Oldies music from the 1950s and 1960s. He loved watching TV shows from his youth, especially Westerns. He and Jennifer would love to watch horror movies together.

Ralph is survived by his daughter Jennifer and his son-in-law, Michael; his grandchildren – Mia and Anthony; his sister, Teresa Nocha; the other daughter Mary and extended family.

Family and friends will gather for visitation at the funeral home on Monday, June 12th from 2-4:30 p.m. and from 7-9:30 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be offered on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours RC Church in Amityville. Interment will follow at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.