G A L L E R Y

A Bandleader, a president, a teacher, but most of all he was your friend. He took care of himself, and also he put the lives of others in high regard and would do anything to help a friend or even many strangers in need. Some of my first memories were sitting on the bandstand with him at the bash and tons of other gigs. Sometimes I’d sing itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, and after sit there like I was part of the band. We’d drive around in his car and listen to Billy May and movie soundtracks we both enjoyed on cassette tape. Even though we aren’t biologically related, we treated our relationship as such. One time at a gig an audience member said I even looked like him, and he laughed. How could an Irish man and an Italian boy look alike? He always supported my dreams, gave me good advice, told me when I was wrong, and loved and supported me in every way he could. I owe my love for cameras, traveling and writing to him. At a young age when he handed me his 35mm camera, I somehow didn’t crop his head out, and he was amazed by that because even though I was smaller at the time a lot of his shots didn’t completely have my head in the frame. He made me appreciate traditions and doing things together with just him and I. He called it Anthony and Dada day. I swear sometimes I’d stay at his place more than my own home with my mom and siblings. He let me be a kid and trusted me, even when I messed up. One time when I was 13 or 14 I stole his car and drove thru McDonald’s. Everything went well until I got back and couldn’t park his car straight in his parking spot. I asked an older kid in the neighborhood to park it for me but in the process the car alarm went off and he immediately found out. After times like that he didn’t put me down, just told me not to do it again and he didn’t bring it up again and never held anything against me. Along with introductory drum lessons, he also taught me many life lessons that will be engrained in my memory forever. There’s so much that can be said about this beautiful man, I could write essays forever about him. Although I knew that this day would inevitably come, I’m still not prepared for it. It’s such a big hole in my life, but I know he prepared me the best he could to be a good man like him. In his last days he opened up more than ever and we said everything we needed to say to one another, and I’m very grateful for that. Overall he was wise as wizard who had a great heart that lived an absolutely marvelous life. May you rest well Main Man.