Isaias “Cy” Ayala was born on February 10th, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York to Francisco Natai Ayala and Teofila Maria Fletcher. His parents emigrated from Puerto Rico in the late 20’s and settled in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. They had a daughter, Jennie and later Isaias.
Quick with a smile and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor, Cy loved all things baseball. He loved the Brooklyn Dodgers and later, the New York Mets. As a young man he loved playing softball and stickball with his friends from the neighborhood. Eventually they would form a team, calling themselves the “Tumblers’ as they would tumble from neighborhood to neighborhood taking on all comers. The Tumblers would continue to get together on Saturday mornings well into their 50’s to play softball in the very same parks where they played as children.
At the age of 18. Cy would marry Gloria Pinedo and they would have three children, Carol, Julia and Michael. Isaias would work a number of factory jobs until settling into a career as a mail carrier with the US Postal Service. Cy would leave every morning at 5am to walk his “route” delivering the mail. He would return in the afternoon with his signature whistle letting the family know he was home. He believed in hard work and rarely took a day off. After a full day of work, he happily spent time with his family often driving his children to rehearsals and practices. Beloved and respected by everyone in the neighborhood, Cy was a beacon of light in the Marcy Housing projects and often acted as a surrogate father to many of the young men growing up there.
Upon retiring at 62, Cy devoted much of his free time studying the word of God and expanding his musical talent. Cy loved to sing and could often be heard crooning songs by Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole and Perry Como to name just a few. No Our New Year’s celebration was not official until Cy played his trumpet out the window. A true man of God, Cy remained devoted to God and the church until his death. He was a devout Christian and spent much of his free time studying the bible to expand his understanding of God. He was a Deacon at the Antioch Pentecostal Church at 201 Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn, N.Y. , a church his mother and sister faithfully attended for more than 50 years.
Nothing compares to losing a father. A real father; One that was always there for you, always did his absolute best to make sure you were happy and had what you needed. His love of God was only exceeded by the love for his family; a love he gave so willingly and unconditionally.
Isaias Ayala leaves behind his three children Carol Ayala, Julia Ayala and Michael Ayala as well as three grandchildren, Jessica, 34 , Noah, 16 and Nicolas, 9.
In Lieu of flowers, The Ayala Family would greatly appreciate donations made to
ANTIOCH PENTECOSTAL CHURCH
201 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11201
Please mention donations made In Memory of Isaias Ayala