Obituary of Peter Ayala Jr.

Peter Ayala Jr, 90, of Staten Island , passed away peacefully in his sleep at Clove Lakes Nursing Home on August 31, 2022 after a four month illness. He was the beloved husband of Eugenia Ayala, loving father of Son Dennis and his wife Donna, Son Ernie and his wife Tammy and Daughter Virginia and was the beloved Grandfather of 7 wonderful grandchildren that were the light of his life. His Grandchildren Peter, Dennis, Denise , Olivia, Joseph, Alexandra & Sherilyn will always remember there “Poppa” as a loving and thoughtful Grandpa. Peter was born on May 26, 1932 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and moved to Brooklyn , New York as a little boy . He just recently celebrated his 90th birthday with a party with his family and many close relatives he hadn’t seen in quite some time. Right out of school he proudly served 2 years in the United States Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany and often spoke fondly of his time in the service . After being honorably discharged from the military he worked for the New York City Housing Authority as a truck driver/maintenance worker. He also owned and operated 2 successful Pet Shops , 1 in Brooklyn, Marlboro Aquarium and then Seven Seas Aquarium on Staten Island . Peter had many hobbies , he was a skilled wood worker/ handyman, played timbales along to his cherished Latin music, was an avid and excellent fisherman and was a savvy self educated businessman until the very end running a home based fishing tackle business from his back yard up until last year. In his spare time he loved listening to Music, Salsa and country western being his favorite, watching his classic horror and western movies along with his favorite classic TV shows like the Three Stooges, Andy Griffith and All in the Family. Above all else he loved and cherished his family and was adored by everyone that knew him and will be missed terribly by all. Family and friends may visit on Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm and 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, N.Y. 10314. Funeral service will be conducted by Father Angelo Micciulla of Holy Family R.C. Church, to be held at Matthew Funeral Home on Thursday September 8th at 11:00 am.