Whitestone community mourns death of beloved deli co-owner
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 11 - FEB. 17, 2022 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
The Whitestone community
is mourning the loss
of a longtime neighborhood
resident who befriended everyone
with his infectious
laughter, love and kindness.
Mario Polito, 44, of Tony’s
Beechhurst Deli, died unexpectedly
of a massive heart
attack on Saturday, Jan.
29. Polito is survived by his
wife, Tania Carucci-Polito,
and his 7-year-old daughter,
Gianna Marie.
Angelo Polito remembered
his older brother as
a kind person who loved everyone.
“People loved him. He
was one of those guys who
was always happy, having a
good time, and trying to help
people whenever he could,”
Polito said. “Any kid loved
him, and Mario was friends
with everyone, no matter
where they were from.”
At Tony’s Beechhurst
Deli, located at 11-18 154th
St., Polito and his family
have been serving Italian
deli food like no other for
the past 30 years. His Italian
born parents, Emilio
and Josephine, worked tirelessly
to make Tony’s into
the neighborhood staple that
it is today, along with their
three sons — Tommy, Mario
and Angelo — who all work
in the deli.
According to Alfredo Molinari,
a longtime friend of
Polito, anyone that walked
into the deli knew the family,
especially Mario, who
knew everyone’s name and
made 10 sandwiches at a
time.
“The whole family is wonderful,
and Mario, he’s an
icon — the way he talks. He’s
amazing, and was like a big
firecracker. He loved everyone,”
Molinari said.
Paul Anteri, another
longtime friend of Polito, remembered
Mario as a great
brother and father.
“My kids would go to Tony’s
and they’d see Mario.
He looked out for them. His
smile was infectious and he
made everyone feel like family.
It was easy to fall in love
with him,” Anteri said. “It’s
just important to remember
that he’s a staple in the
community. Everywhere he
went, everyone knew Mario.
He had a very strong exterior,
but a soft interior.”
In honor of their late
friend, Molinari and Anteri
launched a GoFundMe campaign
two days ago to give
back to Polito’s daughter, Gianna
Marie, for her college
education.
According to Molinari
and Anteri, their goal was to
raise $50,000. To date, their
campaign has surpassed
that goal, raising a total of
$70,653.
“I said we gotta do something.
He has done so much
for all of our children in the
neighborhood. We launched
the GoFundMe only to give
back in some way for his
daughter to know how many
lives her father impacted in
the community, especially
for all of the kids. We are
giving back for what he’s
done for us and all of the
families,” Molinari said.
Molinari added, “Mario
will be loved and missed. We
are all grateful and thankful
for having him in our lives.
I’m so glad I was able to meet
him at such a young age and
watch him grow and continue
to be the person he always
was and never changed. I
loved him like a brother. My
family and I loved him.”
In memory of Polito, a
candlelight vigil was held
outside of Tony’s Deli on
Tuesday, Feb. 1. A wake was
held on Wednesday, Feb. 2,
at Gleason’s Funeral Home,
located at 10-25 150th St.
The funeral was held on
Thursday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m.
at St. Luke’s Church, located
at 16-34 Clintonville St.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260–
4526.
Mario Polito, 44, of Tony’s Beechhurst Deli, died unexpectedly of a
massive heart attack on Saturday, Jan. 29.
Photo courtesy of the Polito family
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