Mario Gomes

On September 22, 2021, Mario Gomes of Iselin passed away at the age of 90.

Mario was born on August 11, 1931 in Palmerton, PA to Francisco and Rosa Gomes. He moved to Newark, NJ as a boy and graduated from East Side High School. On September 25, 1954 he married Barbara Vrabel, fellow East Side High graduate. They welcomed two children together, Gregory and Barbara Lynne. Mario and Barbara had a long, loving marriage for almost 65 years before she passed away in 2019.

From a young age Mario was mechanically inclined and was fascinated with how things worked. When he decided to pursue his Bachelor’s degree, he knew Engineering was the field for him. Barbara worked full-time to pay the bills while Mario attended Newark College of Engineering, where he graduated from in 1959, and then obtained a professional engineering license. This was a milestone accomplishment as he was the first in his family to graduate high school, let alone college. He held jobs for Carborundum, the Catalin Corporation, and the state of NJ, and eventually started his own consulting business, Sigma Safety Services. For family and friends, he often gladly fulfilled the role of “Mr. Fix-It”.

Mario was an avid sportsman; he played semi-pro football and was proud to have made more money per game as a punter than his contemporary, Hall-of-Famer Johnny Unitas. Mario’s other hobbies became plentiful over the years – he took up interest in basketball, soccer, golf, beach volleyball, hunting, skiing, horseracing, investing, and playing blackjack in Atlantic City. He loved spending time with family, cheering on the NY Giants, and spending summers at the Jersey shore. He enjoyed keeping his mind sharp, whether it was by helping his grandkids with their math homework, doing brain teasers & puzzles, or watching his favorite show, Jeopardy. He was proud to be an American, and also of his Portuguese ancestry, and was fortunate to be able to make three lifetime visits to Portugal to visit relatives and friends.

Mario was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and five siblings. He is survived by son Gregory Gomes and daughter Barbara Lynne McCue (husband James), grandsons Jonathan McCue (wife Cassandra) and Bryan Gomes (wife Jasmine), granddaughter Christine Medvecky (husband Christopher), great-grandsons Cameron & Lucas Medvecky and Theodore McCue, sister Bella Barbosa, as well as much extended family.

 Visitations will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021 from 1:30PM til 4:30PM at GOSSELIN FUNERAL HOME, 660 New Dover Road, Edison, NJ 08820. Cremation service will be held private.

In lieu of flowers family request donations in his loving memory to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society at https://www.nationalmssociety.org.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mario Gomes, please visit our floral store.