Mauro A. Rigante Branchburg, NJ Mauro Rigante, of Branchburg, NJ, passed away on Monday, December 20, 2021, he was a young, energetic 83. He was born on March 13, 1938 and grew up in Plainfield, NJ; he then resided in North Plainfield for 16 years with his wife and children and in 1977 moved his family to Branchburg, 44 years ago. Mauro was married to his college sweetheart and love of his life for 60 years and together they have 4 children, 5 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Teresa and Anthony Rigante of South Plainfield. Surviving are his loving wife of 60 years, Gerrie Rihn Rigante, three devoted daughters, Susan Rigante of Branchburg, NJ; Karen and husband Joey Accordino of Aventura, FL; Kathie and husband Scott Boyer of Pennington, NJ; and devoted son Jeff Rigante and wife Diane Meeker Hendricks of Lebanon, NJ, her children Jeremy and Amanda; five cherished grandchildren; Chelsea and husband Chris Comas, Travis and wife Taylor Sutter Rigante, Taylor Rigante, Jack, and Michael Boyer; and two adored great grandchildren, CJ and Charlie Rose. He also leaves behind his older and beloved sister, Grace Rigante Ciotta of Edison, NJ as well as many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins. Mauro graduated from St. Peter's High School in New Brunswick, Class of 1956. After graduating, he attended St. Francis College in Loretto, PA. He was proud of his military service in the Army Reserves from 1961 to 1967. He worked as the facilities manager at Airco Industrial Gases, later becoming BOC, in New Providence, NJ, where his pride and joy was coordinating the construction of new buildings in the US and Japan and making lifetime friendships along the way. After 30 years he moved on to his next chapter (the word "retire" was not in his vocabulary) where he accomplished his lifelong dream of creating his own general contracting and custom woodworking business for the last 20 plus years. He greeted every day with Dunkin coffee, a newspaper, a clipboard, bag of candy and a truck load of tools. Mauro was a man who excelled at everything he did. At the top of that list was his passion for woodworking and building, generosity, sports, learning, planning, adventure, and most importantly friends and his adored family. He was a master woodworker, where he met every project with commitment and perfection. At a very young age a family member inspired this lifelong passion. Building his first shelf unit in his teens and going on to build countless pieces of furniture. There was always a cabinet being made in his beloved retreat, his workshop; there wasn't a piece of wood furniture he couldn't build or give a new life to, a restoration or construction project of any sort that he couldn't master. He worked on all of them with dedication, heart, caring, and perfection. With each project he gained a new lifelong friend. It wasn't just his expertise or a business, it was a gift to each recipient… of talent, friendship and love. All he ever wanted was to see his work make someone else happy. When it came to sports he mastered each with the same passion and perfection. He admired true athletes and marveled at the ones with extraordinary character, discipline and talent. As a boy he played baseball and basketball. He played basketball at St. Peter's high school and continued to play both sports as an adult. In his 20's he played softball for a NJ Minor League team and briefly experienced the life of an athlete on the road. He perfected each sport that he loved whether it was throwing darts, shooting pool, throwing horseshoes, bowling, golf, tennis, skiing, he made sure he was the best at all of them. He was an excellent golfer throughout his life and continued to play with friends. He loved spending time in Ocean City, NJ with family and friends. He loved planning surprise adventures for his family…calling them "mystery trips"... his greatest joy was to see us all together. You could always find him on the sidelines of a baseball field, turf field or ice rink thoroughly enjoying every game his grandchildren played. He never missed a birthday, celebration or event with his family. He attended every adventure that he was invited to. Mauro never wasted a day or a minute, at 83, he had recently added flying lessons to his list of adventures after an impromptu flight in a handmade aircraft on Father's Day this year, where he announced to the young pilot and new friend, "you made my life!" The one thing Mauro enjoyed the most was spending quality time with his family especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Christmas was his holiday. His enormous generosity was the highlight of the day, with his five little elves anxiously awaiting their presentation to the family, complete with custom elf hats each year. He was just as excited about this part of Christmas as the kids were. Their Pap loved traditions, especially this one where they helped him to hand out each of his perfectly thoughtful surprises wrapped in simple brown paper packages; summing up who he was…a man who would give you exactly what you needed, simply wrapped, and you didn't even have to ask for it. He listened and he remembered, he just knew. Mauro surrounded himself with friends and family everywhere he went. Friends quickly became family in his world. He was notorious for the "interview". He was naturally inquisitive and curious and wanted to learn every detail about something he did not know. He loved sharing his vast knowledge and expertise about construction and woodworking. He lived every day to its fullest, sleep was not necessarily on his schedule. He worked hard and he played harder. He was always an old school gentleman; there to open a door, greet you with a smile and a hug, help you with anything you needed. He was always, always present. If you knew him, you loved him. If he knew you, he loved you back… "A life well lived, a man well loved…" Forever in our hearts. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 14, 2022 from 4-7pm at the Branchburg Funeral Home 910 US 202 Branchburg, NJ 08876. A memorial mass will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at St. Ann's R.C. Church at 11am. Inurnment will follow at St. Bernard Cemetery in Bridgewater, NJ. Memorial contributions may be made in Mauro's memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105.