Ramon Leston

Ramón (Ray) Lestón, of Newark, NJ, formerly of West Orange and Belleville, NJ passed away November 18, 2021. Ray was born in the city of Santiago de Compostela, La Coruńa, Spain. He resided in an old harbor town called Muros, in Galicia. Ray was the son of his beloved mother, Maria Del Carmen Romero. The two of them came to the United States when Ray was a young boy, settling in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. Together, they shared an apartment with many family members over the years. They lived on the second floor, above what would become his cousins’ Spanish restaurant. Years later, this was where Ray would meet his loving wife, Diana. Ray attended Lafayette Street Elementary School, where he was a Safety Patrol and received recognition for his athleticism and excellent attendance. Ray excelled in math and science, and he had a black belt in karate. He was fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and his regional language, Gallego. He attended West Side High School and graduated in 1977. In 1983, he graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering. His many professional licenses and certifications included AHERA Inspection and Management Planner, NJDCA Asbestos Safety Technician, NYCDEP Asbestos Investigator, NJDOL Asbestos Supervisor and Air Quality Monitoring. He was employed by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Testwell Craig Laboratories, Hillman Environmental Company, EnviroVision Consultants, EAI Inc., Environmental Management Services and also was an Environmental Consultant. Ray’s daughter, Arianna, treasures her childhood memories of riding bikes, playing chess, and taking walks in the forest with her father. Most of all, she remembers Ray for the intelligent, sensitive, and gentle soul he was. Ray was the beloved husband of the late Diana Leston, father of Arianna Marie Leston, cousin of Maria Del Carmen Senande (sons Domingo and William), son-in-law of Anna and Lawrence Del Guercio, brother-in-law of Donna Malyszko (husband David) and Lawrence Del Guercio, Jr. (wife Sia), uncle of Niki Anna and Anthony Lawrence Del Guercio. Visiting will be at Levandoski-Grillo Funeral Home, 44 Bay Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 on Thursday, January 20, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The Funeral Mass will be at Immaculate Heart of Mary, 212 Lafayette Street, Newark, NJ at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield. To send online condolences, visit levandoski-grillo.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, 194 NJ-10, East Hanover, NJ 07936, or njshelter.org, would be preferred.