Vincent Barone, 89, died peacefully in his sleep at home on Monday, January 25, 2021, surrounded by his loved ones. Vinny was predeceased by his beloved wife, Rita (née Castrillon). He was born in West New York, NJ to the late Anna (née Mafia) and Vincenzo (James) Barone. He was a Lever Brothers employee for many years, and a Marine Corps veteran, serving his country during the Korean War.
Vinny married Rita in 1956 and they raised their two children in Guttenberg, NJ. After Rita passed in 1998, Vinny moved to Dumont, NJ. Vinny was known as Junior or JR to his brothers and sisters who predeceased him—Mena Lembo, Carmine, Frank, Grace Westphal, Anna, and Louis. He is survived by Frank’s wife, Anna, and Louis’ wife, Bea. He was known as Uncle Vinny to his many nieces and nephews. Vinny was very close to his in-laws, Janet and the late Bill Pappas, Linda and the late Lee Lavelanet, Dan Castrillon, the late Dolores and Bill Foster, and Fran and the late Richard Castrillon. He will be dearly missed by his caregiver Joyce, with whom he formed a very special bond.
Vinny is survived by his devoted son, Mark, and his wife Barbara, of Dumont, New Jersey, and his daughter, Leslie, and her husband Robert Scherzer, of Basking Ridge, New Jersey. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, Mark, Matthew, and Kevin Barone and Ryan, Connor, Katie, and Colin Scherzer. They were his pride and joy and affectionately called him Poppy.
He was also Poppy to everyone in Dumont and many loved his “famous” rice pudding, which has been enjoyed by his family for generations. If you drove by Memorial Park, you could always count on seeing Poppy standing at the fence proudly watching his grandsons’ baseball games. His kindness and ability to bring joy to those around him will be terribly missed by all who knew him.
Funeral Mass on Friday, January 29, 2021, at 12 noon at St. Therese of Lisieux R.C. Church, 120 Monroe Avenue, Cresskill. Internment at Madonna Cemetery, Fort Lee. In lieu of flowers, donations to Dumont Volunteer Ambulance Corps (dumontnj.gov/dumont-ambulance-corps) or Valley Hospice (valleyhospitalfoundation.org) would be appreciated.