Submitted by Virginia Morales & Suzanne Popadin

Manuel R. Pacheco
Oct. 13, 1960 – Feb. 9, 2022

PERTH AMBOY – Manuel Rafael Pacheco of Perth Amboy, whose life revolved around his family, his music and his church, died Feb. 9 at Raritan Bay Medical Center surrounded by loved ones. He was 61.

Manny was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and came to Perth Amboy as a young teenager. A story from those years summarizes Manny’s life.

“I wanted my youth group at St. Stephen’s to perform some of the Christian songs they were learning,” wrote a childhood friend. “I asked Manny to help us with the music and play guitar while the kids sang. He showed up with a six-piece band. He had already rehearsed some of the songs.”

Manny always did more than was asked of him. He went above and beyond. It was a hallmark of his life.

He is remembered as a beautiful soul and an inspiration, always full of positive energy.

“His joy was infectious,” said his niece, Virginia Morales. “He was the light of our family’s life.”

Manny “will forever be a part of our hearts,” his niece said. “His legacy is the many people’s lives he touched in the city of Perth Amboy. He was a very important part of the Perth Amboy community. We can only hope to continue to honor him and keep his memory and music alive.”

Manny attended McGinnis Middle School, Perth Amboy High School and Perth Amboy Technical School.

He worked for more than a decade at Newark Airport, at Eastern and Continental airlines, starting at an entry-level ticketing position and worked his way up to writing training manuals. He was head of security at the Hess Refinery in Port Reading and was a supervisor at Dr. Leonard’s Healthcare Corp. in Edison. After teaching himself computer programming and other IT skills, Manny did freelance work for many companies. He also worked at Home Depot and was even part of a band there.

“Manny came from nothing and taught himself everything — from electronics to computers to painting,” Morales said. “As a young boy, he had taught himself to play the guitar, piano, drums and other instruments. As an adult, he wrote songs, recorded his own music, booked his own gigs. He was a trendsetter, ahead of his time and all self-taught.”

Manny shared his musical gift, serving as the Perth Amboy Recreation Department music director at the Gallery Center for the Arts since April 2016, teaching city residents to play those instruments at the Patten Center.

He was passionate about singing and performing and had a recording studio in his home. He helped others achieve their dreams by opening up his home studio so they could record. Manny recorded several albums of his own and appeared on Spanish radio and television programs. He was known for performing Salsa music in English, and he recorded albums with well-known Salsa artists such as Felipe Muniz, singer Marc Anthony’s father. He played at weddings, Sweet Sixteen parties and other celebrations, and he even wrote and performed a jingle for an environmental campaign to keep Perth Amboy clean.

 In recent years, Manny spent most of his time sharing his God-given talent by performing at church services. Through the years, Manny was a member of Mount Carmel Church, L’Asuncion Catholic Church and Our Lady of Fatima R.C. Church, all in Perth Amboy.

 Intensely proud of his Puerto Rican heritage, he received the prestigious Betances Award, which celebrates Latin culture and community, at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City in 1995.

“My uncle devoted himself to music, his family, his church and his community,” Morales said. “No one handed him anything. He worked tirelessly to be the best version of himself for his family and the city of Perth Amboy. We are very proud of him and his many accomplishments.”

Manny is survived by his wife of 35 years, the former Maryann Roman; a son, Manny Brandon Pacheco; his mother, Alicia Gonzalez; three sisters, Margarita Pacheco, Braulia “Lissy” Rios and Linda Rios; and several nephews and nieces, including Virginia Morales, Manuel D. Morales Jr., Roberto Rios, Shana Rios, Romany Rios and Priscilla Roman. He always said Priscilla was “the daughter he never had.”

Viewing will be Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Gustav J. Novak Funeral Home in Perth Amboy, with a funeral service at Our Lady of Fatima R.C. Church on Wednesday, Feb. 16.