Fernando "Ito" Rios

Fernando “Ito” Manuel Rios, 77, of Ramsey New Jersey, passed away on January 8, 2022. Ito was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico in 1945 to Fernando Rios and Ines Maria Cardona. At the age of eleven, he moved with his family to Paterson, New Jersey, where he attended School 8 and Central High School. Ito met his wife in 1963 and married her in 1968. He moved to Puerto Rico with his wife and first child in 1971 where he finished his Bachelor of Business Arts in Accounting from La Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico. In 1977 Ito returned to Paterson with his wife and two daughters. It was there that his son was born in 1986 where they lived until 2000 at which time they moved to Ramsey until his time of death.

In 1963, he began his military career by joining the U. S. Marine Corps where he served until 1967. Like a true patriot, Ito continued his career by dedicating 32 years of his life to the United States Army and the Department of Defense where he retired as an auditor at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at the Picatinny Arsenal. A true patriot, after retiring from the armed forces, he still volunteered to guard Picatinny Arsenal in the wake of 9/11.

Ito was a loving brother to Gloria Guzman, a devoted husband of 54 years to Aurea T. Quinones, a selfless father to his three children, Teresa Rios-Decker, Liza M. Rios Otto, and Fernando X. Rios, a compassionate father-in-law to William J. Otto, Daniel Decker, and Victoria Lynn Saveriano and an endearing abuelo (grandfather) to William Q. Otto, Evan X. Otto and Raquel D. Decker. Lastly, he was a Tio, a cousin, a friend and mentor to many.

Ito’s happiest moments were being with his family enjoying the outdoors, sharing his love of camping, fishing, and hunting. In his spare time, he read books and watched movies. We will miss his laughter, his creative use of language and his amazing breakfasts.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Ito’s legacy may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) at https://give.themmrf.org/fundraiser/3645604