CELEBRATION OF PINO CICALA’S LIFE

By Nancy DeSanti

The family and friends of Pino Cicala recently gathered to celebrate his amazing life, one year after his passing.

Pino Cicala First, a Mass for Pino, a long-time Holy Rosary parishioner and AMHS member, was held on April 22, 2018. Afterwards in Casa Italiana, Father Ezio said a prayer and recalled Pino’s impact on our community. Emcee Francesco Isgrò called on Pino’s brother Melo Cicala to give the opening remarks and then introduced a musical tribute by five singers, and closing remarks by Pino’s son, Luigi Cicala. A reception followed with plentiful food and wine and an opportunity to reminisce about Pino’s impact on our lives.

The musical tribute included the songs “Non di Scordar di Me” and “Io Che Amo Solo Te” sung by Maria Marigliano, “Funiculi Funicula” and “Nessun Dorma” by Carlos Ibay, “La Nevicata del ‘56” and “Tu si ‘na Cosa Grande” by Anna Siciliano, a medley by Pino Levato of songs from Italy and Calabria, and a special musical tribute by Marco Fiorante.

Scenes of Pino’s eventful life were shown on the projection screen, with photos and videos gathered by Simonetta Baldassari, who added background music by Debussy. AMHS members who organized and assisted at the event included Maria Marigliano, Francesco Isgrò, Giovanni Sciannameo, Eileen Parise, Dora Leo Santacroce and Nancy DeSanti.

For more than half a century, Giuseppe “Pino” Cicala did much to promote Italian culture, music and language. He was born June 12, 1927 in Fiumedinisi, a small town in the province of Messina, Sicily, and ended up living a few blocks from the White House—a true immigrant success story!! Through his devotion to all things Italian, Pino was knighted by the President of the Italian Republic in 1990 as a Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana and earned many awards over the years, including the Lido Civic Club’s Man of the Year Award in 2006 and NIAF’s Lifetime Achievement Community Leadership Award presented at the 2014 annual gala. Pino was a faithful member of Holy Rosary Church for many years, and each spring he helped to organize a religious service with a procession that kept alive the traditions of his Sicilian hometown, Fiumedinisi.

After a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, Pino passed away on April 10, 2017 at the age of 89 years young. As Pino’s many friends would say, “La comunità italiana ha perso la sua voce. Pino non è più, ma resterà nel cuore di quelli che hanno avuto la buona fortuna di conoscerlo. Dio lo benedica.”