Obituary of Luis Oscar Velez

In the early morning hours of July 7th, Luis O. Velez passed peacefully in his sleep after a long and brave battle with cancer. He was seventy-one. Luis is preceded in death by his wife, Lucy, and his brother, Cesar. He was affectionately nicknamed, “Big Louie” and “Dude”. 

Born in Puerto Rico, his family began a new life in Hoboken, NJ when he was a young boy. Hudson County was home to Luis and his family until the last decade when they moved to Bloomfield, NJ. 

The hobbies of his youth included playing in a softball league, attending rock concerts, and going on fishing and camping trips with friends. His older years were spent attending New York Yankees and Chicago Bears games with his children, spending time with family and friends during summer barbecues, and binging action series on streaming services. 

Hardworking and humble, Luis worked diligently to provide for his family and remained employed until recent years. He was an amateur handyman and trained car mechanic. Although a self-proclaimed, “man of few words”, Luis held firm opinions about topics big and small, while in the next breath able to reminisce about his carefree adolescence in the early 1970s. His children look back fondly at some of the more wild stories.

Luis is survived by his mother, Maria Rosario Bonet, his son Luis A. Velez and his wife Kathalina Tapia, granddaughter, Leighton Velez, and his daughter, Lizette Velez and her partner, Gabrielle Sauerland, and brother, Wilfredo Velez, as well as extended family and friends. 

Family will receive friends and loved ones for viewing at the Jorge Rivera Funeral Home in North Bergen, NJ. Wednesday, July 12, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Funeral Services will be private.

He is already missed terribly but solace is taken from knowing he and his beloved wife, Lucy are now reunited.