J. Albert DiMauro age 93 of Wayne died Tuesday, January 19, 2010, at the Hospice of New Jersey, peacefully with his loving daughter by his side.
Albert’s parents, Salvatore and Angelina(Bellobarbic) DiMauro came to this country from Catania, Sicily, Italy in search of the American Dream. Salvatore was an actor and playwright who wrote many Christian based Passion and Christmas plays in which he was always the lead character (usually Jesus). To make a living Salvatore and his wife would cook and sell Italian specialties. Salvatore would leave the house at 4 AM and go by horse and buggy to Sussex County to sell homemade manicotti, ravioli, pastas, tins of tomato sauce, and even pots and pans to the farmers there. Salvatore and Angelina had six children.
James Umberto DiMauro was born March 21, 1916 in the family home on Summer Street in Paterson. The midwife who assisted with his birth took it upon herself to write his birth name as Joseph Umberto DiMauro, instead of Umberto(Albert in Italian) DiMauro as his parents wished, because he was born on the same day as the celebration of the Feast of St Joseph.
Albert met the love of his life, Marie D’Acierno, as her father had a barber shop on 21 st Avenue in Paterson where Marie would walk up to the frosted window of the back door of the barbershop and peek through the keyhole to spy a glimpse of the barber named Albert. She didn’t realize that Albert could see her as she was silhouetted by sunlight. Albert and Marie married on April 13, 1941, Easter Sunday, at Saint Anthonys RC Church, Paterson.
Seventeen months into his marriage he was drafted into the United States Army on October 28, 1942 and entered World War II. Albert served with the 4000 th Army Air Force Base Unit and attained the rank of Sergeant. During his service he attended the Airplane & Engine Mechanic School at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York and went on to Power Plant training at the Chanute Air Field in Rantoul, Illinois. He received the American Theatre Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged on January 28, 1946.
Upon returning from the war Albert had a choice to make. He could resume his career as a barber, work at the Wright Corporation where he served as a draftsman just before going into the service or go into business with his best friend, Joe Simonelli. Joe and his brother Mike had started a machine shop in a garage in Paterson and named the company the Knickerbocker Machine Shop. He joined the Simonelli’s and eventually the business grew and they moved to Union Boulevard in Totowa where the company still operates and trades as ASP(Alloy Stainless Products). Albert never really retired, but continued to put in a few hours a day at his office each Tues., Wed. and Thurs. until he was 91 years old.
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They called Paterson home before moving to Pompton Lakes in 1965. They purchased a home in the Four Seasons Community in Wayne in 1997 and in 2007 Albert and Marie moved in to live with their daughter and son-in-law in Wayne.
Albert had a soft, patient, generous and kind demeanor; to Albert his family was his life. His dedication and love for his family was unequalled.
He adored his wife of sixty-eight years and their loving daughter Frances DiMauro. Fran can only remember her father being mad at her once. As a freshman in high school she lied about going out to the movies with a boy and had told her father she was going out with a group of girls. The tradition of a Christmas Eve fish dinner, with all the family, was started by his parents, continued with Albert and Marie and is now hosted by his daughter Fran.
Albert bought a duplex home in Ortley Beach, NJ where his best friend, best man at his wedding, business partner, and godfather of his daughter, Joe Simonelli bought the adjoining side. He also enjoyed golf and bowled in leagues for many years at the Bowl-A-Mat in Paterson. The Trump Marina Casino in Atlantic City was one of his favorite destinations, especially the video poker machines.
Albert enjoyed traveling but was hampered by Marie’s fear of flying. On one occasion he showed up at home with plane tickets to California, Hawaii and Las Vegas. He put the tickets on the kitchen table and said “I paid for all this already”. Marie reluctantly got on the plane and was petrified for the entire flight to California. Her fear of flying eased and they even enjoyed a trip to Italy, however, most of their travelling was across the United States on Tauck Tours.
He was the beloved husband of sixty-eight years to the late Marie (D’Acierno) DiMauro(2008); loving father of Frances Auferio and her husband Tony of Wayne; cherished grandfather of Leah Tirch and her husband John of Pompton Lakes and Christopher Auferio of Jersey City; much loved great-grandfather of Lily Tirch; devoted brother of Zina Restivo of Franklin Lakes and the late Phil, Jay, Willie and Warren DiMauro.
Funeral services will be held 8:45 AM on Friday, January 22, 2010 from the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne then to St. Marys Church, 17 Pompton Ave., Pompton Lakes where a 10 AM Funeral Mass will be offered. Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, January 21, 2010 from 2-4, 7-9 PM at the funeral home. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Paterson.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations to Hospice of NJ, 1 st Floor, 400 Broad Acres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 would be appreciated.