Reinaldo "Rey" Ayala

Reinaldo Ayala, Sr. (1962 -2015) Reinaldo “Rey” Ayala, 52, of New Haven, CT, surrounded by his loving wife and children, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2015, at Connecticut Hospice in Branford. Rey was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico, son of the late Ramon H. and Marcelina Ayala. His family moved to New Haven in 1977, where he attended Lee High School. Years later, he earned a BA in Spanish from Southern Connecticut State University, graduating magna cum laude and a member of Sigma Delta Pi national honor society. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in Romance Languages. His master’s thesis is a novel, “The Code of Notre Dame,” which will be published posthumously. He met the love of his life, Juanita Shelton-Merritt, in 1979, who survives him, along with their four children, Ray Jr. (Maura Brigantic), Tiffany, Christian, and José. He also leaves behind his siblings Carmen A. Ledesma, Ramon Ayala, Maribel Lugo (Gilberto), Diocleciano Ayala (Carmen), Ana I. Torres (Ramiro), Filomena Ayala (Angel Fernandez-Chavero), and Diogenes Ayala (Ana), and his siblings’ many children and grandchildren. He is predeceased by his brother Alberto Ayala. He was an active member of the Saint Aedan’s Roman Catholic Church for 26 years, and a Third Degree Knight of Council # 0001 with the Knights of Columbus. His love for and devotion to the Church and his parish was boundless and continues to inspire all who knew him. He worked at various companies in New Haven and retired from the City of New Haven in 2011 after serving in several positions in the public school system. He returned to the public schools in 2014, teaching Spanish at James Hillhouse High School. He worked through the debilitating pain of his illness until he was hospitalized. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Aedan’s Church on Saturday at 10 a.m. Friends are asked to go directly to church. Burial to follow at Evergreen Cemetery, with a reception at St. Aedan’s immediately after. Calling hours are Friday from 4 - 8 p.m. at Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, 3105 Whitney Ave., Hamden. To leave an online condolence please visit www.reyayala.com

Reinaldo "Rey" Ayala

June 28, 1962 - April 6, 2015