A funeral mass was held Feb. 2 at Epiphany R.C. Church, Cliffside Park, for Paul Charles Rotondi, 90, of Lakewood, and Pompano Beach, Fla. He passed away after a short illness on Jan. 28. He was born and raised in West New York, and resided for many years in Cliffside Park, Hoboken, and Mantoloking Shores in Brick. He led a very active business, civic and family life. Highly respected for his business acumen, work ethic and respect for other people’s ability and talent, he was a leader of people, especially in the business world.
He was president of Dan Dee Belt and Bag Co., Hoboken, until 1989, when he left to become chairman and CEO of Washington Savings Bank, Hoboken, until his retirement in 1994. Throughout his career he served on various boards, including Wearever-Proctor-Silex, chairing the committee responsible for the sale of the company.
His talents carried over to his active civic and volunteer activity as evidenced by his time spent as member and president of the Cliffside Park Board of Education; chairman of North Hudson YMCA; president and Walter Head Fellow of Hoboken Rotary; chairman of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the steering committee for redevelopment projects of the Hoboken Model Cities Program (1963); and chairman of the Hoboken Waterfront Advisory Committee (1981), at which time he was instrumental in obtaining funds from the Port Authority that enabled the City of Hoboken to purchase a portion of the waterfront for development. He also served as president of homeowners associations in South Mantoloking, and Pompano Beach, Fla.
He attended Columbia University, leaving in his sophomore year to serve in the Army Air Force during WW II. While serving as a pilot-in-training, he married his wife Marie Senatore on Feb. 10, 1945, in San Angelo, Texas. After raising their family in Cliffside Park, they relocated to South Jersey, where they were parishioners at Sacred Heart R.C. Church, Bay Head.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Marie, his children, daughter Mary-Frances Dougherty and her husband Robert, and his son, Charles Anthony Rotondi and his wife Patricia, his grandchildren, Robert Paul Dougherty, Lisa Marie Rotondi, Paul Louis Rotondi and his wife Rosa, and Catherine Anne Cote and her husband Joseph, and his great grandchildren, Julia and James Krempasky and Nina Bella Rotondi. He is also survived by his sister Marion Terranova, his sisters-in-law Olga Senatore and Theresa Senatore, and his nieces and nephews, Louis DeLisio, Jerry DeLisio, Angela Bananzio, Linda D’Angelo, Michael Terranova, Anthony Senatore, Frances Bove, Anthony J. Senatore III, and Theresa Senatore. He was predeceased by his parents, Marie (nee Pizzichillo) and Charles Rotondi, his brother Frank, his sister Gloria DeLisio, his in-laws Anthony and Frances Senatore, his brothers-in-law Frank, Andrew and Anthony Senatore, Louis DeLisio and Michael Terranova, and his nephew Frank L. Rotondi and niece Donna Senatore. Services arranged by the McCorry Brothers Funeral Home, Cliffside Park.