Julius J. Ayala

Julius J. Ayala April 11, 1928 - June 10, 2009 WATERFORD - Julius J. Ayala, age 81, of Waterford, passed away at his home on June 10, 2009. Born in New York, New York on April 11, 1928, he was the only son of the late Julius C. Ayala and Gloria (Nieves) Ayala. He married Mary (Paradiso) Ayala in 1951 and moved to Pittsburgh, PA to raise a family. In 1978 he married Barbara (Lipsky) Ayala in Norwich, CT. He was a graduate of NYU School of Engineering and continued his education in mechanical engineering at Rutgers University and the University of Pittsburgh. While serving in the US Army, he was responsible for training at the Corps of Engineers School in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Julius's esteemed career began at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA, and concluded at United Nuclear Corp in Montville, CT. As Resident Manager of the Naval Nuclear Program, his responsibilities included developing test controls for the fabrication of submarine nuclear reactors and evaluating the success and failure of the equipment and process. He was a contributor to the Core Manufacturing Code which is the specification used for the manufacture and testing of Naval nuclear reactors and developed training programs for government inspectors. Julius's happiest times were those spent with family. His greatest pleasures were family holidays, playing UNO and watching his grandchildren play sports. He had a lifelong love of golf and enjoyed sharing his passion with his sons and grandsons. His hobby extended to making golf clubs for himself and others. He was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and enjoyed watching college basketball. Julius is survived by his daughter Rosemary Conley and her husband Fred of Waterford, their children, Joshua, Becky, and Jeff Nichols and Brian Conley, his son Julius John Ayala Jr. and wife Heidi of Boynton Beach, Fl., and their children Dylan and Kaitlyn, his son James P. Ayala and wife Cathy of West Palm Beach, FL., and their son Nicholas, his son Michael D. Ayala and wife Annette of Amity, PA, and his step-daughter Neena Beckwith of North Franklin and her children Jonathan and Matthew. He was predeceased by his step-son Richard Rodd who leaves behind his daughter, April Rodd of Norwich. Julius was blessed with four great-grandchildren. He was also predeceased by a sister Gloria (Ayala) Behan. Family will receive friends on Thursday at the Church and Allen Funeral Home, 136 Sachem Street, Norwich from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. with Military honors at 7:00 p.m. A Christian Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday at St. Paul in Chains Church, Rope Ferry Road in Waterford. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Hospice of Southeastern CT, 227 Dunham Street, Norwich, CT 06360 or to the American Heart Association, National Center, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.