24 NOVEMBER 14, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Mario Di Gangi – Always In Our Hearts
A Thank You To Our Customers
Sabrina DiGangi Scarpelli
“To live in the hearts we leave behind is
not to die…” – Thomas Campbell
I read these words over and over again the
day after my father passed away, knowing what
they meant to me and feeling, as any “daddy’s
little girl” would, that they Thomas Campbell
wrote them with MY dad in mind. Although
unlikely, I would be reminded of this thought
over and over again for the next couple of
months along with my family. The first time,
was just days later, when I stepped outside of
Michael’s Funeral Home for air, and noticed
the whole neighborhood on line, right down
Metropolitan Avenue, waiting to pay respects
to this man I called Papa’.
To people that didn’t know him, this might
sound like I’m over exaggerating, which, believe
me, I have been accused of from time to time by
the very man we are speaking of, but this time, I
can assure you I am not, and I urge all of you that
knew him to give him the credit he deserves, and
keep his memory alive as not only your butcher,
the King of Veal Cutlets, but a friend, a cheerful
smile, a heartfelt handshake, a man who touched
your heart; my dad, Mario DiGangi.
Many of the patrons at our place of business,
Mario’s, have been customers for years; still
frequenting long after they’d even moved out
of the neighborhood. Everyone has reasons for
the places they choose to shop, and everyone
has their own story about why they return to
Mario’s time and time again. I know, because
I heard most of these stories during the couple
of days when services were being held for him.
It’s funny, most of the stories have always had
more to do with the person Mario was, than
the things that he was selling, although, let’s
face it, they’re quite fabulous as well.
Through those couple of days I heard stories
recounting childhood trips to the butcher shop
with mothers and grandmothers and my father
coming around the counter and offering them
a peach or pear drink; something so minimal,
but a memory of my father that will live with
them and make them smile whenever they stop
in. My favorite story that I’ve heard about my
dad is how he “taught” one young man how to
shake someone’s hand. “When you shook his
hand, you knew this was a man you were going
to respect;” something that will stay with him
forever. And to think, he was just your butcher
or as another customer put it, “Mario isn’t just
a butcher, he’s a professor.” I could spend
countless time and endless paper recounting all
of these great and touching stories, but I won’t.
Just know that we listened to and remember
all of them, and they mean the world to our
family!
Mario DiGangi came to this country
in 1970, when he was 13 years old, from
Polizzi Generosa, Sicily and began their life
as Americans; something he took so much
pride in. Most of my uncles and my father
went straight to work; my dad as an apprentice
butcher at his uncle’s butcher shop on Myrtle
Avenue. There he learned the trade along
with the many lessons he taught us in life; you
start from the bottom, making deliveries and
cutting chicken cutlets and you work your way
up when you deserve it; a lesson my brother
learned very well at a young age when he
started working with my father.
20 years later a woman walked into Mario’s
which he opened in 1980 after mastering his
craft, and recognized him as the 13 year old
delivery boy who was at her house every single
Friday at precisely 5pm, with her mother’s
meat. She remembered, even after all those
years, how he never missed a Friday, and how
they could always count on him. She told this
story in an article that was published in the
Ridgewood Times, now known as the Times
News Weekly. I was kid when this story came
out, and remember wondering if I had ever
left an impression like that on anyone I had
ever met. I know if I had ever said that to my
father, he would tell me that those impressions
are the only ones anyone should leave. You
see, he knew how to be no other way; and if
you knew him, he, without a doubt, left that
impression on you.
Lots of emotions run through you when you
lose someone so close to you, as I’m sure and
sad to know, most people understand. People
talk about what’s fair and just. They talk about
what God wants and what His plan for all of us
might be. Albeit understandable to speculate
about, our family has tried to use our time,
not thinking about what was, could, or might
have been, but making it more important to
remember and be proud of who and what my
father was about because he gave us so much
to be proud of.
Through my father’s battle with lung cancer
we became more and more aware of how
much this incredible disease unfortunately
affects so many people around us. We knew
that we wanted to be a part of the solution to
this problem as soon as he was diagnosed.
Mario’s has always donated money to Lance
Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Foundation. Some
of you may remember my dad in the store,
even before he was sick, ironically wearing a
LIVESTRONG Bracelet, living very strongly.
After my father’s diagnosis the store became
gloomy, knowing that my dad’s smile was
missing for such a long period of time. My
brother, Joe, made the decision to bring the
LIVESTRONG back to Mario’s and began
collecting donations in return for the famous
yellow LIVESTRONG bracelets. Thanks to you,
our neighbors, customers, and friends, we were
able to raise over $5,000 for that charity.
After my dad’s passing in October, we were
able to collect over $8,000 in his name, at the
wake services that went to another charity that
was dear to our hearts the “I’m Too Young
for This! Cancer Foundation.” Another,
approximately, $400 was donated in his name,
online, to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
center, where he was being treated. And lastly,
in November, “Team Mario” walked in Cancer
Care’s Lung Cancer Walk for Hope, where
through your amazing donations, we were able
to raise $6,000 to support the families of and
those suffering or have died from lung cancer.
My family and I would like to thank you
from the bottom of our hearts for the love
and support you’ve all showed us throughout
this past year. We’d also like to thank you for
your amazing show of support for the charities
just mentioned. We’d like to make it a Mario’s
yearly tradition to participate in and maybe
eventually hold a fundraiser for people and
families dealing with the effects of cancer. We
have no doubt that we would be nothing but
successful in any future events with all of your
love and support behind us. We would also
like to assure you that Mario’s is and always
will remain exactly the way my father left and
intended it to be; using and providing the
freshest, most delicious fare, and serving it up
with a friendly familiar smile!
Thanks again for your friendship and
continued patronage,
The DiGangi Family
/WWW.QNS.COM
