| Date: Thu 03/22/07 10:30PM From: Therese Email: tere19@aol.com Message: Anthony,, Dr. Catapano was the best. I remember at one time, I had problems with my ear. And a surgeon wanted to do surgery on me. But Dr. Catapano tired something first. He would come to my house 3 times a day. gave me injections, and whatever it was. I was doing better.. Also my uncle owned Lorenzo's. The best!! |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 9:58PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Lenore Catapano Hi Lenore, it's a small world-your cousin lenore (catapano) miller is a close family friend. although my parents didn't know her from brooklyn, we met when we moved to long island on the next block. my mom and her met while walking us kids to school & discovered that they both came from eastny (although lenore grew up in richmond hill) and that my grandfather and uncles were friends with lenore's father and uncles. my brother and i were friends with lenore's sons kenny and chris growing up. i believe you and your sister fran were close friends with my aunt trudy (married to my uncle gerard, my dad, tony's brother). my mom is anne (mannelli) ritsua from elton street between liberty and atlantic across from liberty park. |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 9:42PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: although i was only 8 years old when i moved from the neighborhood, i remember it alot. i don't however remember barney's. i was wondering when it closed. i would think i would have remembered it and gone to it since i walked to saint rita's every day from elton street along atlantic avenue. my mom, anne (mannelli) remembers it well and remembers going there for breakfast with classmates from st. rita's after mass on some school days but she doesn't remember if it was open when me and my brother were in school. i do remember always going to joey ferrara's grocery store for candy on the corner of elton street and liberty avenue. when the buildings on elton street were knocked down for the school, we would walk to joey's store on liberty avenue by ashford street next to the firehouse (which i believe has long been closed). we would also go to mary's grocery store on the corner of ashford and atlantic next to charlie's restaraunt/bar. and i remember going to some stores on fulton street including charlie wilders, bohacks, heises ice cream parlor, a bakery over by crescent street and a dry cleaners where a woman by the name of sadie worked. my mom said that sadie was friends with esther who was mentioned in previous posts. my dad remembers that she worked at lorenzo's restaraunt on fulton street. esther is joey and sarsy ferrara's sister (and my aunt trudy's aunt). i think i went to a dentist on fulton street as well. our doctor was dr. catapano on arlington avenue. he delivered both me and my brother at unity hospital. we continued to go to him when we moved to long island before we found a doctor locally. i remember the waiting room being insanely crowded and people sitting on the stairs that led to the family's living quarters. i also remember him making house calls. |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 9:11PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Phil Santella Hi Phil, my aunt marie (mannelli) remembers you well. she is not online but said to say hello to you and sends her best. she's doing well. she did remember your cousin tommy, but couldn't place the nancy or josephine that you mentioned. she said she did have a friend nancy in high school but couldn't remember her last name. my mom, anne (mannelli) remembers you too because she used to tag along or try to with her older sister. in a previous post, you were asking someone if they lived at 242 elton street which was 2 houses away from my grandparent's house. my mom said that rosarie (ansaldi) and her family lived there for a while. rosarie was friends with my aunt marie. my mom and aunt are still good friends with her. the owners of the house who also lived there was an old italian couple named phillipele and peeponelle. their daughter, lucy and her family also lived there years later. you also were asking about another family down the block towards liberty avenue. that's the pagone family. the oldest son became a priest, father joe. he was a priest at st. rita's for a while at the same time that my dad, tony ritsua, was an altar boy. the other son is mikey and the two daughters are johanna (jenny) and theresa (tessie). they are long time friends with my family. jennie is my mom's godmother from confirmation. also living in the same building (264 elton street) were our other long time family friends, the boscrito's. rose marie (rosina) married chuck pieper. their kids, gary and helen went to st. rita's and are a few years older than my brother and i. they moved to long island a few months before we did and coincidentally we moved to the same town and have remained close friends. also at 244 elton street were other long time family friends, the licata's, rose, lenny and nashie. rose married vinnie deleo also from the neighborhood and coincidentally lived in the next town that we moved to and have remained good friends. they and their kids, janet, linda and vincent lived on the corner of elton and liberty over the drug store before moving to long island in the mid to late 1960's. nashie married emily (my mom can't remember her maiden name- she lived either on cleveland street or linwood street between atlantic and fulton). they are also friends with my parents and very close friends with my aunt marilyn and uncle richie. you also mentioned beverly. she was a close friend of my aunt marie's but they have lost touch over the years. i figured i'd jog your memory of some of the folks who lived on elton street, etc. by the way, i think you said in a previous post that your wife's name is doris (mclaughlin). is she any relation to the mclaughlins that lived on cleveland street between glenmore and liberty? my dad was good friends with sleepy john and charlie is married to jenny (pagone). |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 7:54PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Phyllis Isola Scoppa Hi Phyllis, you're absolutely right. we lived at 266 elton street from 1960-1968 in the apartment across the hall from your aunt mary, uncle otto and cousin anthony. i remember them pretty well and remember anthony playing his guitar. we were sad to hear that your aunt mary passed away. my parents found out about it at the last minute and were unable to go to the wake. how is otto and anthony doing? my mom kept in touch with mary sporadically after we moved. the last time we saw them was around 1993 or 1994. my mom had them over for dinner along with some of our family from the "old neighborhood". when mary and otto moved to liberty avenue over by ashford street, mary jane (celantano) & richard bennet and their kids moved in to that apartment. her parents, micky and dominick owned the building and lived on the 2nd floor. they bought the building from my mom's aunt and uncles (carillo's). my great aunt fanny (carillo), uncle mike boccio and cousins frankie and joanne lived in the same apartment that we eventually lived in. they were mary and otto's neighbors until they moved to valley stream in the early 50's. as you pointed out, the ferrara's lived on the bottom floor (trudy became my aunt when she married my uncle gerard). next to them lived an old italian woman named peeponelle (probably not spelled right). she was a very nice lady with a smile on her face. she would always sit by her front window and we would stop by and talk to her (don't think she spoke much english). i remember we used to pick the yellow dandelion flowers and give them to her. my mom and aunt marie remember you and your sister. they knew your mom rachel and aunts and uncle. my aunt was friends with your aunt camille. they send their regards to all and asked how everyone is. i saw that you mentioned in a previous post that your best friend is madeline ardelino. my dad tony hung out with her brother patty and saw him and his brother freddie a while back when patty was in town. i was friends with her nephew, guy, when i lived on elton street until 2nd grade. he and his parents (freddie & josephine) and sister cathy lived in the apartments above joey ferarra's grocery store. when the city took over the block, joey moved his store to liberty avenue by ashford street where mary and otto moved. p.s. as you pointed out, my mom was called baby anne. this was started because she had three other cousins named anne (all named after their grandmother) who moved to eastny and elton street from italy in the late 1800's). she was also called annie girl by some in the neighborhood. my mother always says about the old neighborhood "everybody knew everybody". in a way it's true! |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 6:51PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: i'm sorry about all the duplicate messages that follow. i was trying to retrieve a message that i typed but didn't send yet and i kept on hitting the back button. i'm going to email rick to see if he can delete them! |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 6:46PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Danny Ferrara Hi Danny, When I showed my father the message you sent, he started laughing when he read the part about you and my uncle snooky stealing his car. that jogged his memory. he said that was one of the times that uncle snooky took his car. he thinks the time you're talking about was when he had a '51 mercury and it was parked at a luncheonette on fountain and liberty. he said to say hello. |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 6:46PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Nancy Mangiaracina hi nancy, i was glad to see all the responses since I posted my message. next time I see my uncle gerard, I'll tell him you said hello. apparently our families go way back. in addition to what you pointed out, my mom remembers my grandmother, nettie, saying that she and your mom used to walk their babies (my aunt marie and your sister anita) in their carriages together. my aunt marie was friends with anita when they were younger. my mom and dad have seen ginger and anita throughout the years at various get togethers and reunions. she last saw ginger at the saint rita's reunion at russo's on the bay. my great aunt anna (mannelli) romano was good friends with your aunt anna for many years. my mom and aunt marie send their regards. |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 6:46PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Nancy Mangiaracina hi nancy, i was glad to see all the responses since I posted my message. next time I see my uncle gerard, I'll tell him you said hello. apparently our families go way back. in addition to what you pointed out, my mom remembers my grandmother, nettie, saying that she and your mom used to walk their babies (my aunt marie and your sister anita) in their carriages together. my aunt marie was friends with anita when they were younger. my mom and dad have seen ginger and anita throughout the years at various get togethers and reunions. she last saw ginger at the saint rita's reunion at russo's on the bay. my great aunt anna (mannelli) romano was good friends with your aunt anna for many years. my mom and aunt marie send their regards. |
| Date: Thu 03/22/07 6:45PM From: Anthony Ritsua Email: antrit4@yahoo.com Message: To: Danny Ferrara Hi Danny, When I showed my father the message you sent, he started laughing when he read the part about you and my uncle snooky stealing his car. that jogged his memory. he said that was one of the times that uncle snooky took his car. he thinks the time you're talking about was when he had a '51 mercury and it was parked at a luncheonette on fountain and liberty. he said to say hello. |