Raymond Cruz Rivera, an Amityville resident fondly nicknamed ‘Mr. Bustelo,’ at 74 – Babylon Beacon

Mr. Raymond Cruz Rivera, an Amityville resident fondly nicknamed ‘Mr. Bustelo,’ died April 8, 2021. He was 74 years old.

Mr. Cruz was born in Puerto Rico on May 21, 1946. At the age of two, his family relocated to Brooklyn. In 1964, he graduated from Alexander Hamilton Technical and Vocational High School in Crown Heights. He enlisted in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War, earning the rank of corporal while serving from 1967 until 1972.

During his early adulthood, Mr. Cruz returned to Puerto Rico to play semi-professional baseball on the Café Bustelo team.

In the 1980s, Mr. Cruz worked in Brooklyn as a warehouse manager for the Federation of the Handicapped. In 1983, while working, he met his wife Dr. Anjana Mebane-Cruz. The pair wed on February 29, 1984 – leap year day!

“We were married six weeks after we’d started dating, while our officiant had a heart attack!” said Dr. Cruz. “It was the best, craziest thing I ever did.”

The couple lived in Brooklyn and East Orange, NJ before relocating to Charlottesville, VA while Dr. Cruz earned her PhD; Mr. Cruz had briefly attended Essex County College. By the early 2000s, they’d returned to New York, living in Greenlawn before purchasing their Amityville home in 2015.

Mr. Cruz had two children from previous marriages, Raymond Cruz III and Sandy Cruz, as well as a step-son, David Alfreds.

Mr. Cruz loved to brew Café Bustelo coffee, dance salsa, celebrate birthdays and considered himself a good Catholic.

“We loved going out to eat, whether it be at Francesco’s or Vittorio’s in Amityville, or Simply Thai in Copiague,” said Dr. Cruz. “He had been a Marine in Vietnam, so his idea of a good time was NOT being outdoors. But he learned how to appreciate gardening through me.”

Later in life, Mr. Cruz worked for the United States Postal Service, as well as part-time at Wild by Nature in Huntington. He also provided translation services to those in legal or medical need.

“I recently found notebooks where he had outlined a business idea, a service to help elderly and disabled individuals,” said Dr. Cruz. “He wanted to make them more comfortable, to ensure that their living arrangements were clean and safe. That was him, he always wanted to help people.”

Mr. Cruz is survived by his wife of 37 years, Dr. Anjana Mebane-Cruz of Amityville, son Raymond Cruz III of Florida, daughter Sandy Cruz of Florida and step-son David Alfreds of Connecticut. His four grandchildren and one great-grandchild also survive him.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of D’Andrea Bros. Funeral Home, located at 99 Oak St. in Copiague. Private cremation in a custom Café Bustelo coffee can urn followed, which members of his family found perfectly fitting. On May 21, 2021, the family celebrated the late Mr. Cruz’ 75th birthday – as he would have wanted! – via Zoom.