Evagrio Zuniga of Edison, NJ passed away on July 25, 2016 at RWJ Hospital. He was the beloved husband of Nilda and father of Miguel. Ballo (his nickname, pronounced Bayo) was one of four children born to Catholic parents Ramon Zuniga and Patrocinia Noa. He was born in 1929 in the subtropical shore town of Baracoa near the eastern tip of Cuba. Things already mentioned in these two lines, family, faith and the sea, were some of the loves of his life. Many events very early in his life were pointing to some of the basic Christian attributes that defined the man: kindness and charity. For example, his father once took him on a hunting trip and before any birds could be shot, Ballo had sneakily dumped all the bullets into the river. Maybe his father did not take him hunting again. As another example, his father the savvy warehouse owner once noticed that when he had young Ballo mind the store, profits would drop and items would be missing. Ballo would be permanently dismissed from this chore as it was established that the losses were due to Ballo giving away the groceries to the poorer customers. Even as a child, Ballo had a great intelligence for things mechanical - a gift which would positively affect many people in later life. As an example, Ballo made more than a hundred perfect miniature wooden figurines of cars, trucks, toys, engines, animals, etc. These remarkable acts of creativity weren't because Ballo needed more toys, but because this is what he liked to do. To continue with related example, as a young man me created a bread making machine for a large bakery ,and the machine was in operation for many years. At the age of seventeen he became the mechanic of the merchant ship "El Capitan Romero". This later one earned him a salary, furthered his hard work ethic, allowed him to use his brain and creativity, and allowed him to travel the seas (at least between Florida, Cuba, and nearby Caribbean Islands). For a final event on this last thread, one time a gigantic steam ship was stuck in port with the ships mechanics not being able to fix the engines. The captain got word of a local whiz kid who could be given a try. The captain and Ballo settled on a deal: Ballo was to be given access to the ships manuals and tools and if he could fix it in twenty four hours, he would receive a large payment. It only took two hours for Ballo to have that ship running again. It was in 1957 that Ballo was married to his childhood friend Nilda Tamayo. It was also in 1957 that they moved to the United States. The couple would live in New York City and Hoboken, and then briefly back in Cuba around the time of the birth of their only child Miguel. They soon came back to the United States and in 1965 they moved to a home in Edison, NJ where they remained ever since. As you might expect of a good Christian, taking care of the family was one of his highest priorities. A trusted lawyer friend of Ballo and Nilda convinced them that the best education in the area was provided by certain Catholic schools. Determined to give their child the best, and despite their limited financial means, they paid for twelve years his private catholic school education (grade school and high school, 1967 - 1979). As it turned that education would encourage and foster Miguel's interest and science and math, and this lead him to a college education and eventually and engineering career. As some of you know Ballo's work required him to have a utility truck caring tools to repair almost any internal combustion engine driven machine. But outside of work, Ballo would employ his tools in kindness to strangers - like Good Samaritan. Time and time again he would stop on the way home from work to help stranded motorists - including some in bad weather or near dangerous road traffic. He was usually successful and never asked for anything in return. In an interesting way Ballo affected many of us that travel on the highways of New Jersey. Ballo would become a certified diesel and general mechanic and crane operator and member of the Operating Engineers Local 825 Union. Ballo would end up repairing on site a great many cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment used in Jew Jerseys road and bridge construction projects. The extent of his influence would become more and more apparent to his family members when during the Unions annual picnics, his co-workers would convey how Ballo saved the day. Like the ship captain from long ago they found themselves in an impossible situation, and the local whiz kid would fix the impossible in an impossible amount of time. In 2002, at the age of 73, Ballo had a massive stroke shortly after open heart surgery. In 2007 he would begin to undergo hemodialysis, and the quality of his life would significantly decrease even more. The challenges he now faced on a daily basis were far harder than the challenges whiz kid faced before, but the family members that witnessed his struggles can attest Ballo faced them like the good Christian he always was. Evagrio Zuniga is survived by his immediate family of his wife Nilda and son Miguel; sisters Cuca and Betty; sister in law Nelia; and nieces and nephews Denice, Diana, Julie, Albert, Soraya, Yamila, Cathy and Deborah, and numerous friends. Relatives and friends are invited to visit on Friday, July 29, 2016 from 7 - 9PM at Boylan Funeral Home, 10 Wooding Ave., Edison NJ. Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 9:30AM Saturday at St. Matthew the Apostle Church, 81 Seymour Ave, Edison, NJ. Entombment will follow at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Hoes Lane and Park Ave., Piscataway NJ. The family would appreciate mass intentions or masses for the repose of the soul of Evagrio. If you prefer to donate to charities, some ideas are the National Kidney Foundation and related charities.