Obituary of Andres A. Ortiz

Andres A. Ortiz Systems Engineer Martinsville: Andres A. Ortiz, age 78, died on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at the Berkeley Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center after a long battle with Parkinsons Disease. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Andres lived in New York City, Martinsville and Mahwah before moving into the nursing and rehabilitation center three months ago. With a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brooklyn Poly Tech, he worked for Western Union in Mahwah for 28 years as a systems engineer, retiring in 1996 as an Assistant Vice President. Andres loved to play the guitar and spend time with his family. He was a former communicant of both St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Gardiner, NY, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church in Mahwah. He is predeceased by his father, Andres Ortiz; and his brother, Robert Ortiz. He is survived by his wife, Carmen Cruz Ortiz; his three sons, Carlos, Richard and Victor; his mother, America Micheli Ortiz; two brothers, Frank and Carlos; and two grandsons, Andres and Alejandro. The family will receive visitors on Friday from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd, Watchung, NJ. The funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church, Martinsville, NJ. Entombment will follow at the Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking Ridge, NJ. In lieu of flowers the family respectfully requests donations be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, 1501 NW 9th Avenue, Bob Hope Road, Miami, FL 33136-1494, contact@parkinson.org.