Edward J Rao

Edward Joseph Rao, 54, of Hawthorne NJ passed away tragically on September 24, 2018. He was a Hawthorne resident for over 30 years in a house he built himself and made into a home with his family. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Rao, his children Rachel Flores (Jamie Flores), Edward J. Rao II, Veronica Rao and Vincent Rao, his grandson, Anthony Flores, his brother Vincent P. Rao II (Victoria Rao), his sister in law Andrea Fortunato and his nieces Sabrina, Tiffany, Isabella and Hartley. He was recently predeceased by his mother Patricia Rao.
                Edward was a member of St. Anthony’s parish his whole life and was a loving, hard-working family man. There was nothing more important to him than his family, being a husband and a father was what he was most proud of in life. He grew up in Ridgewood and graduated RHS in 1982. He was an entrepreneur of many businesses in the Ridgewood area including Rao Landscaping, Arctic Plowing and Country Bagel and Muffin.  Ed was a Ridgewood based real-estate agent for over 30 years and took great pride and joy in making it his mission to find his clients the place they could call home.
                He was the Yankee’s #1 fan, full of life and had an unmatched sense of humor. Ed was the best story-teller and had a captivating ability to draw anyone’s attention. Once he’d start with a story, people would be hooked listening and he enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed listening.  He had a lightness of heart, an exceptional spark and a charisma that drew people to him; he was irreplaceably one of a kind. He positively impacted every life he touched and everyone who met him couldn’t help but to love him. He will be missed but never forgotten. We will carry him on in our hearts and his memory will live on


In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to NJ Make a Wish Foundation, http://site.wish.org/goto/EdwardRao