Obituary of Ronald G. Marinelli

Ronald G. Marinelli, of Florence, New Jersey passed away peacefully on November 20, 2023.  He was 79 years old.
Born in Seattle, Washington to Romeo and Olga (Ovacz) Marinelli in May of 1944, baby Ronnie and his mom took the train back east, where family lived, as dad Romeo deployed to the Philippines.  
Feisty since the day he was born, Ronnie was sent to Catholic school to begin his pious path. It was during his early days at school, when a classmate was reading about Prince Matchabelli, and dubbed Ronnie, “The Prince,” a nickname which stuck with him for his entire life.  
It was while attending Holy Cross High School, where he met and fell in love with the love of his life, Faye Chiaccio, whom he married in 1967. They were married for 49 years until Faye’s untimely death in 2017.
After high school, Ron, following in his dad and grandfather Dominic’s footsteps, served his country by joining the New Jersey National Guard.  
Ron became a popular businessman in town, working side by side with his parents at their hair salon, Romeo and Son’s Hairstyling. They treated their costumers like family and had many lifelong loyal customers.  
Ron was especially close with his beloved mother, Olga, often telling the story of how she saved his life when he was an infant.  
Being in the beauty industry, Ron took great pride in how things looked, such as his appearance, his home, his lawn and his Riviera cars.  He enjoyed doing yard work and tending to his garden.
He also was proud of his Italian and Hungarian heritage and loved the delicious foods from these cultures, smelts on Christmas Eve and bacon bread on the 4th of July.  
 He enjoyed vacationing at the Jersey shore with his family and eventually purchased a beach house in Seaside Park, NJ where he would fish, crab, and entertain family and friends.
Ron was a member of the Marconi Lodge and served as the treasurer for many years.  He enjoyed the camaraderie of the club and had many lasting friendships from the club days.
He was also a member of the Florence American Legion Post 194 and a 3rd Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus.  
He was a history buff and storyteller. His sharp recall and memory came in handy when relaying facts in conversations and telling stories to family and friends, a skill he was quite proud of. 
Beside his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Faye. He is survived by his daughters, Alisa (Dave) Brotz and Gina (David) Zimecki.  He is also survived by his sister Maria Csik, many nieces, nephews, and favorite cousin Ann Ovacz.  His two grandsons, Matthew Austin and David (DJ) Zimecki, having a unique special bond with each grandson.  Ron is also survived by many special friends and neighbors who loved him dearly.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Calling  hours are Sunday, November 26th, 2023 at Koschek and Porter Funeral Directors, 1115 Hornberger Avenue, Roebling, NJ from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM and Monday morning, November 27th, 2023 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM followed by 10:30 AM Funeral Mass at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish, Holy Assumption Church, 1290 Hornberger Avenue, Roebling with Rev. Ceasar Anson Officiating. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Florence. Condolences may be sent to www.koschekandporterfuneralhome.com