Rafael “Raf” A. Beltre, 44, of Hazlet, NJ, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 12, surrounded by his parents and siblings.

He was born in Jersey City and grew up in various places, including North Bergen, NJ; Brooklyn, NY; and Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Raf graduated from the Instituto Escuela high school and, upon his return to the United States, became an Emergency Medical Technician. After several years in EMS, he attended Nursing School and, upon graduation, bought the house he would call home until his passing in the peaceful town of Hazlet, NJ, where he and his wife were raising their son, Carlos.

On November 4th, Raf was unfortunately diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, which led to his passing on November 12th.

Raf, loved his family, his friends and to make people laugh. He often looked for excuses to organizes a barbeque, no matter the weather, just to have a reason to have friends/loved ones over. He was extremely kind, loving, generous and therefore loved any activity that brought people together. He loved his work as a nurse and the exceptional collogues (family would be more accurate) that he worked with. He loved music, the NY Mets, coffee, food, anything that brought his people together and he lived life to the fullest.

Raf is survived by his parents, Milagros and Jose Beltre; his wife, Elizabeth Beltre; his son, Carlos Beltre; his siblings, Angelica Medina, Raquel Rodriguez, and Jose Beltre, Jr.; and many loving nieces, nephews, and close family.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 22, from 1:00 pm to 4 pm at the Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 South Holmdel Road, Holmdel. A funeral home service will be offered at 3:30 pm.

In place of traditional remembrances, Raf’s family asks with gratitude that donations in his memory be made to the kind doctors and nurses who took excellent care of Raf and his family (www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/donate)

For messages of condolences, or to share a favorite memory of Raf, please visit his tribute page at www.HolmdelFuneralHome.com