Marlene Villafane

Marlene was born in Spanish Harlem and raised on the Upper West Side. Her parents are native Puerto Ricans. Her ancestry is a mixture of French, Spanish, Portuguese, African and Taino. Her mother Nancy Martinez was once employed for VIP Violence Intervention Program in NYC; She retired in 2006. VIP is a program which is responsible for providing support and homes for battered women and their children. They are also instrumental in carrying forth its the yearly bridal marches in Washington Heights in honor of Gladys Ricart who was murdered by a former boyfriend the morning of her wedding in 1999. Her brother Fred Villafane is an accomplished engineer. and is a graduate with all honors from the Air National Guard. His youngest son and her nephew Jacob plays electric guitar. His older son Jared and the eldest daughter Ryan both attended Radford University. Ryan is a graphic artist and illustrator. Her cousins Javier Luis, Jose Correa, and Stephanie "Stephy Mar" all have blossoming care