Nicholas James Bonagura

He was born January 30th, 1950, in Paterson, NJ to Nicholas Sr, and Rose Bonagura. Nicholas met the love of his life Theresa Bonagura (nee LiSanti) in 1979. They were married the following year and moved to Clifton, NJ. In 1987 they moved to the home where they raised our beautiful family in West Orange, NJ. The three of us are so proud to have had him as our father: Kristopher (1983), Matthew (1985), and Jerilyn (1990).

Nicholas was a devoted husband, loving father, adoring grandfather, dedicated son, and fun-loving brother. He has joined his loving family in Heaven, he is predeceased by his mother Rose Bonagura, father Nicholas Bonagura Sr., and brother Frank Bonagura. He will be dearly missed by his surviving wife Theresa Ann Bonagura of West Orange, NJ, and his children, Kristopher Gerard Bonagura and his wife Leah of Caldwell, NJ, Matthew Nicholas Bonagura and Savana of Lynn, Massachusetts, Jerilyn Ann Santangelo (Bonagura) and her husband Anthony of West Orange, NJ, his granddaughter, Angelina Patricia Bonagura of Caldwell, NJ., and his “fur baby" Bailey of West Orange NJ. He was a bright spark in this world and he will be dearly missed by a host of relatives and friends.

To us, Nick is irreplaceable. He was unstoppable in supporting those he loved. He was an entrepreneur, a real “go-getter” never wanting anything less than the best for himself and his family. He attended schools to get extra certifications. He was a real estate agent and worked to become a broker, he was a certified residential appraiser and worked to gain Certified General status, all while developing his own successful real estate appraisal company, Superior Research Group, LLC. In addition, he started a for-sale by-owner magazine, “Friends In Deed”, of which he was the creator, publisher, and author. He was passionate about helping everyone find their forever home.

If you were a friend of Nick’s you were a friend forever. He never forgot a face, and truly loved to laugh, and reminisce with stories and music. In fact, he and his grade school friends met regularly to enjoy a lunch filled with laughter.

He had a fun-loving personality, and a silly sense of humor especially when it came to his unique drawings. He loved to make others laugh and to amaze them with his card and magic tricks while he was very careful not to share the secret behind them.

He was a talented musician. He loved sharing stories of how he played his guitar, sang, and wrote songs with his close family members. To the delight of his loved ones, he continued to play throughout his lifetime. He shared his passion and taste for music with his three children. On any given day, he would sit on the couch with his guitar in hand softly serenading us.

Nick also loved the outdoors, You could find him laying outside in the sun for his year-round beautiful sun-kissed skin. The smell of an ocean breeze, or the scent of the air just when it started to rain relaxed him, he took deep breaths to soak them in. Gardening was also among his many hobbies, he loved to help the bees do their job, pollinating his beautiful jersey tomatoes with his fingertips. The smell of basil was his favorite, he often said “Basil is what Heaven smells like.”

Heaven has certainly gained an angel, and us, our own personal guardian angel. Watch over us, Dad. We hope you are enjoying the smell of basil; it is like Sunday gravy every day! We love you... Forever.

A visitation for Nick will be held Wednesday, January 18, 2023, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home, 145 E. Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039. A funeral service will occur Thursday, January 19, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church, 346 E. Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ 07039. A committal service will occur Thursday, January 19, 2023, at 12:30 PM at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 225 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover, NJ 07936.