In Memory of Our Brother Rafael Padilla

My name is Zein Maya, and I'm organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Maria Padilla (wife) and their three children.

It is with the heaviest heart that I announce the passing of our brother, F/F Rafael Padilla. I first met "Ralph" when we were 14 or 15 years old at Barringer High School. We became close friends, and stayed that way throughout the decades. Rafael was also a distant cousin of mine, as we learned years later. Fourteen years after graduation, we began our careers together in the Newark Fire Department, one class after the other. For the last 12 years, we worked side-by-side in the same firehouse, and Ralph was always a joy to be around. He had a smile that could light up a room, and he actively tried to bring joy to everyone around him.

Everyone on every tour knew Ralph, and everyone had nothing but good things to say about him. It was impossible to do otherwise. Ralph was a man of faith, who, with every fiber of his being, worked two or three jobs simultaneously to support his family. He was an ARMY veteran with over 20 years of service to our country. He was a 15-year veteran of the Newark Fire Department and the proud father of three sons, three great young men who need our assistance at this time.

The family has decided to go with the organ donation process, with the priority list of recipients being first responders. Brother Ralph will continue to help to save lives selflessly, as he has always done.

We've set up this fundraiser with the hopes of relieving some of the burden now placed upon his surviving wife's (Maria) shoulders.

We kindly ask you to donate to Ralph's family during our most woeful loss. Sharing this fundraiser is just as important. Please do.