Obituary of Raymundo C. Velasco M.D.

Raymundo C. Velasco, M.D., 85, of Little Egg Harbor Township, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 28, 2025 with his family by his side. Ray was born in Cagayan, Philippines on March 29, 1940, the third of eleven children, and was given the nickname “Mundoy.” He went to Ziminila Elementary School, where his father taught, then went to Cagayan National High School in Tuguegarao City to study alongside his brothers. Afterwards, he studied at Far Eastern University in Manila, starting out in civil engineering, but eventually switching over to medicine. After graduating, he emigrated to the United States in 1968 as part of the Foreign Medical Graduates program to work as a physician, and became a lifelong New Jersey resident. Ray served a pathology residency at St. Elizabeth Hospital, where he met his future wife, Dr. Sonia Velasco, M.D. (nee Castañeda). They married in 1969 and started a family, moving to Jersey City briefly before relocating to Westfield, and then finally settling in Scotch Plains. After his medical residency, he practiced as a Geriatric Physician at John E. Runnells Hospital in Berkeley Heights for twenty-eight years before retiring in 2003. He and Sonia kept summer homes in Manahawkin, NJ, Davenport, FL and Little Egg Harbor, NJ and moved to the latter permanently in 2017 after Sonia’s retirement.  He was of the Catholic faith, and was a parishioner at St. Theresa’s in Little Egg Harbor and a former parishioner of St. Helen’s in Westfield, NJ.

 Ray was an avid golfer, along with his wife, Sonia, winning many trophies in their local Filipino Golfer’s Association (FGA). He even had a hole in one at Ashbrook Golf Course in Scotch Plains, NJ. A true renaissance man, Ray enjoyed amateur photography, was a self taught carpenter and handyman (building his own gazebo and deck), relished his time tending to his vegetable garden, loved karaoke singing, was a skilled fisherman (even owning his own boat, the Skyliner I) and was an excellent ballroom dancer. He shared favorite pastimes with his friends, including mahjong, poker and especially, Sequence. Though he was a man of few words, Ray was always happy to share a good dad joke and made a speech at every Christmas party. He and Sonia loved to travel for leisure, as well as golf. Yet most of all, he was a loving husband for the past fifty-six years, a proud father, and adoring Lolo. 

Ray was predeceased by six siblings.  He is survived by his wife, Sonia; three children, Eric Velasco, Marissa Gunderson and her husband, Chip, and Kevin Velasco; four grandchildren, Lucas, Kalel, Quintin, and Theodore; four siblings, Thelma Chua, Consuelo Belvis, Alfonso Velasco and Rogelio Velasco; and numerous nieces, nephews and dear friends.

A visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Sunday, July 6, 2025 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.  Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home on Monday, July 7, 2025 at 9:30 AM for the procession to his 10:30 AM Funeral Mass at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 16 McLean Street, Freehold.  Entombment will follow in St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, 299 Freehold-Englishtown Road, Freehold.  For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.