Roland Velez

With great sadness, we share the unexpected passing of our dear friend Roland Velez who passed Suddenly on Thursday, September 8th, 2022, after coming home from work. Roland leaves behind countless friends, his wife Danielle, Parents Judy and Gilberto, brother Gil, sister Lizette, and their families, which include his two nieces and two nephews. Included is his nephew, Jaden, currently serving with the Marines in Japan. Most of all, he was a devoted and loving father to Madison 19, Dorian 11 and Abigail 7.

Roland and Danielle lived next door to Rich and I in Dumont on Grant Avenue. They were more like family than friends since day one. We grew our families together, did each other's yard work, and built each other's pools and decks. If you knew Roland, he never said no if you needed help. He even cleaned the snow on my driveway, sidewalks, walkway and steps every time he knew Rich would not be home in time for the school crowd to drive up. He was the kind of guy you could just pop in on in the backyard and sit down and talk to until sun went down. Many times he did the same by us. Since we have moved out of town, I missed those nights on our stoop, whether laughing or crying or him asking for multiple lists of medical advice. We had changed our in-person conversations to phone and texts but we always ended it knowing we were the type of friends that always kept it real no matter what.

To say that we are shocked is an understatement; unfortunately, no family can prepare for such expenses. We want to give Roland the memorial he deserves to honor his memory and say our last goodbyes. We are asking for donations to help cover the costs of his funeral services. I started a fundraiser to collect donations here is the link.