NIEVES, ARMY SPC. RAFAEL A. JR

A mass of Christian burial was offered July 21 at St. Aloysius Church, Jersey City, for Army Spc. Rafael A. Nieves, Jr., 22, aka: “King Joker”, formerly of Jersey City and Albany. He was killed on active duty while serving his country in the United States Army in the Paktika province of Afghanistan on July 10. He was an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Besides his passion for serving in the army, Rafael also was an avid Harry Potter fan and enjoyed reading and video games, he was respectful, friendly, and always had a great big smile and cherished true friendship deeply. Rafael was the husband of Sarah A. (McKinney) Nieves; son to Rafael A. Nieves Sr., and Tina Roman and his stepfather Thomas Priolo; father to Rafael A. Nieves III (Tres), and Emma Grace Nieves; brother to Matthew Nieves, Angel Santiago, Ashleymarie Santiago, and Life Nieves; stepbrother to Ky Bowen, as well as his grandmothers, Priscilla and Haydee. He also was survived by many aunts, uncles and 20 cousins and many, many friends. Services arranged by the Migliaccio Funeral Home, Bayonne.

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