Louie was the husband of Betty, father of 2 daughters, grandfather of 2, and a great-grandfather of 5.
Our dad was conceived in Sicily, Italy and born in New York, U.S.A. in May 1916, how's THAT for starting life as a traveler!
When he was 2 or 3 years old, he was photographed with his 1st instrument, a ukulele, & it wasn't much taller then he was. As he grew in age, his love for music only grew stronger & he longed to learn the bass fiddle. As my grandparents were simple folks, grandpa only earned enough money for his family to just get by, and grandma reared the family and home, so there was little extra for the extravagances in life such as buying an instrument, learning how to play it, or how to read music. In those trying days, all family members, primarily male children, usually would find some kind of legal work they could do after school (i.e.: shoeshine boy, newspaper boy, errand boy, grocery deliverer, etc.) & bring home whatever little dividends they've earned to help out at home. Besides, grandpa felt being a musician was not a dignified position, that all musicians were hoodlums, so he was truly against the idea of dad ever becoming one of those "hoodlums"! If dad really wanted this dream to come true he would find a legal way of buying the instrument & lessons for himself, if he wasn't serious about this dream, then nothing would come out of it, period, after all, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".
As time went on, dad was able to save enough money on the side to buy his bass fiddle (which he still had owned) & music lessons. Grandpa was none to pleased I can assure you, but grandma knew better. She kept positive & encouraged dad all the way. She knew she raised an honorable son with only the best intentions in mind. Besides, if dad ever went off the road of honor, grandma knew how to handle her children. She also kept on talking with grandpa.
Finally, the day came when dad was going to perform on stage with an orchestra for the very first time! Boy, oh boy, was he excited! He invited his parents, knowing full well that grandpa would most probably not be attending the show (all those hoodlums you know). Well, grandma knew how to handle grandpa in her own wisdom, & grandpa DID attend dad's performance.
GRANDPA WAS IN AWE! He was so PROUD of his son the MUSICIAN! He would go around in that proud "fatherly way" telling folks how HIS son played a BASS FIDDLE in an orchestra, & just how GREAT he was, too! How dad made an HONORABLE & GOOD living as a musician. Awww, how times had changed for both grandpa & Dad, & not to be forgotten, all from the love, patience, & admiration of a wonderful mother & wife.
Later on in his life, when dad was aged 23, he willingly volunteered his services & joined the U.S. Army Air Corps of WWII, becoming a Sergeant, & having his own pit crew working on such planes as the B-17's & B-29's. He also performed stateside entertaining our U.S. troops through the U.S. Service Theater Company. Although he never left the shores of the land of his birth, he worked co operatively, diligently & hard to earn the respect of his superiors & peers. He was honorably discharged in 1942, receiving his Theater, Good Conduct, & WWII Victory medals.
Some of the more famous people dad had dealings with or met in his life were: Jimmy Durante (actor/musican/comedian of the 1920's-70's), Duke Ellington (NY Jazz composer & bandleader of the 1920's-'70's), Marilyn Monroe (said her pictures & movies did her little justice as she was that beautiful in person), Elvis Presley (said he was one of the nicest & most generous fellows he ever met), & Sir Sean Connery (said he was a real gentlemen's gentleman & very charming).
He reached his 91st birthday this year, as a widower he lived alone with family close by, did all his own shopping & cooking, drove with an impeccably clean licence I might add, & was STILL a musician playing in an orchestra!
....... We miss him deeply.
Other family memorials on F.A.G.:
Elizabeth Mancino, my mother
Rosolino Mancino, grandpa
Domenica LoGalbo Mancino, grandma
Josephine Mancino, aunt
Salvatore Mancino, uncle
Stephen Mancino, cousin
Anthony Montella, Sr., uncle
***
Our dad was conceived in Sicily, Italy and born in New York, U.S.A. in May 1916, how's THAT for starting life as a traveler!
When he was 2 or 3 years old, he was photographed with his 1st instrument, a ukulele, & it wasn't much taller then he was. As he grew in age, his love for music only grew stronger & he longed to learn the bass fiddle. As my grandparents were simple folks, grandpa only earned enough money for his family to just get by, and grandma reared the family and home, so there was little extra for the extravagances in life such as buying an instrument, learning how to play it, or how to read music. In those trying days, all family members, primarily male children, usually would find some kind of legal work they could do after school (i.e.: shoeshine boy, newspaper boy, errand boy, grocery deliverer, etc.) & bring home whatever little dividends they've earned to help out at home. Besides, grandpa felt being a musician was not a dignified position, that all musicians were hoodlums, so he was truly against the idea of dad ever becoming one of those "hoodlums"! If dad really wanted this dream to come true he would find a legal way of buying the instrument & lessons for himself, if he wasn't serious about this dream, then nothing would come out of it, period, after all, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".
As time went on, dad was able to save enough money on the side to buy his bass fiddle (which he still had owned) & music lessons. Grandpa was none to pleased I can assure you, but grandma knew better. She kept positive & encouraged dad all the way. She knew she raised an honorable son with only the best intentions in mind. Besides, if dad ever went off the road of honor, grandma knew how to handle her children. She also kept on talking with grandpa.
Finally, the day came when dad was going to perform on stage with an orchestra for the very first time! Boy, oh boy, was he excited! He invited his parents, knowing full well that grandpa would most probably not be attending the show (all those hoodlums you know). Well, grandma knew how to handle grandpa in her own wisdom, & grandpa DID attend dad's performance.
GRANDPA WAS IN AWE! He was so PROUD of his son the MUSICIAN! He would go around in that proud "fatherly way" telling folks how HIS son played a BASS FIDDLE in an orchestra, & just how GREAT he was, too! How dad made an HONORABLE & GOOD living as a musician. Awww, how times had changed for both grandpa & Dad, & not to be forgotten, all from the love, patience, & admiration of a wonderful mother & wife.
Later on in his life, when dad was aged 23, he willingly volunteered his services & joined the U.S. Army Air Corps of WWII, becoming a Sergeant, & having his own pit crew working on such planes as the B-17's & B-29's. He also performed stateside entertaining our U.S. troops through the U.S. Service Theater Company. Although he never left the shores of the land of his birth, he worked co operatively, diligently & hard to earn the respect of his superiors & peers. He was honorably discharged in 1942, receiving his Theater, Good Conduct, & WWII Victory medals.
Some of the more famous people dad had dealings with or met in his life were: Jimmy Durante (actor/musican/comedian of the 1920's-70's), Duke Ellington (NY Jazz composer & bandleader of the 1920's-'70's), Marilyn Monroe (said her pictures & movies did her little justice as she was that beautiful in person), Elvis Presley (said he was one of the nicest & most generous fellows he ever met), & Sir Sean Connery (said he was a real gentlemen's gentleman & very charming).
He reached his 91st birthday this year, as a widower he lived alone with family close by, did all his own shopping & cooking, drove with an impeccably clean licence I might add, & was STILL a musician playing in an orchestra!
....... We miss him deeply.
Other family memorials on F.A.G.:
Elizabeth Mancino, my mother
Rosolino Mancino, grandpa
Domenica LoGalbo Mancino, grandma
Josephine Mancino, aunt
Salvatore Mancino, uncle
Stephen Mancino, cousin
Anthony Montella, Sr., uncle
***
Louie was the husband of Betty, father of 2 daughters, grandfather of 2, and a great-grandfather of 5.
Our dad was conceived in Sicily, Italy and born in New York, U.S.A. in May 1916, how's THAT for starting life as a traveler!
When he was 2 or 3 years old, he was photographed with his 1st instrument, a ukulele, & it wasn't much taller then he was. As he grew in age, his love for music only grew stronger & he longed to learn the bass fiddle. As my grandparents were simple folks, grandpa only earned enough money for his family to just get by, and grandma reared the family and home, so there was little extra for the extravagances in life such as buying an instrument, learning how to play it, or how to read music. In those trying days, all family members, primarily male children, usually would find some kind of legal work they could do after school (i.e.: shoeshine boy, newspaper boy, errand boy, grocery deliverer, etc.) & bring home whatever little dividends they've earned to help out at home. Besides, grandpa felt being a musician was not a dignified position, that all musicians were hoodlums, so he was truly against the idea of dad ever becoming one of those "hoodlums"! If dad really wanted this dream to come true he would find a legal way of buying the instrument & lessons for himself, if he wasn't serious about this dream, then nothing would come out of it, period, after all, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".
As time went on, dad was able to save enough money on the side to buy his bass fiddle (which he still had owned) & music lessons. Grandpa was none to pleased I can assure you, but grandma knew better. She kept positive & encouraged dad all the way. She knew she raised an honorable son with only the best intentions in mind. Besides, if dad ever went off the road of honor, grandma knew how to handle her children. She also kept on talking with grandpa.
Finally, the day came when dad was going to perform on stage with an orchestra for the very first time! Boy, oh boy, was he excited! He invited his parents, knowing full well that grandpa would most probably not be attending the show (all those hoodlums you know). Well, grandma knew how to handle grandpa in her own wisdom, & grandpa DID attend dad's performance.
GRANDPA WAS IN AWE! He was so PROUD of his son the MUSICIAN! He would go around in that proud "fatherly way" telling folks how HIS son played a BASS FIDDLE in an orchestra, & just how GREAT he was, too! How dad made an HONORABLE & GOOD living as a musician. Awww, how times had changed for both grandpa & Dad, & not to be forgotten, all from the love, patience, & admiration of a wonderful mother & wife.
Later on in his life, when dad was aged 23, he willingly volunteered his services & joined the U.S. Army Air Corps of WWII, becoming a Sergeant, & having his own pit crew working on such planes as the B-17's & B-29's. He also performed stateside entertaining our U.S. troops through the U.S. Service Theater Company. Although he never left the shores of the land of his birth, he worked co operatively, diligently & hard to earn the respect of his superiors & peers. He was honorably discharged in 1942, receiving his Theater, Good Conduct, & WWII Victory medals.
Some of the more famous people dad had dealings with or met in his life were: Jimmy Durante (actor/musican/comedian of the 1920's-70's), Duke Ellington (NY Jazz composer & bandleader of the 1920's-'70's), Marilyn Monroe (said her pictures & movies did her little justice as she was that beautiful in person), Elvis Presley (said he was one of the nicest & most generous fellows he ever met), & Sir Sean Connery (said he was a real gentlemen's gentleman & very charming).
He reached his 91st birthday this year, as a widower he lived alone with family close by, did all his own shopping & cooking, drove with an impeccably clean licence I might add, & was STILL a musician playing in an orchestra!
....... We miss him deeply.
Other family memorials on F.A.G.:
Elizabeth Mancino, my mother
Rosolino Mancino, grandpa
Domenica LoGalbo Mancino, grandma
Josephine Mancino, aunt
Salvatore Mancino, uncle
Stephen Mancino, cousin
Anthony Montella, Sr., uncle
***
Our dad was conceived in Sicily, Italy and born in New York, U.S.A. in May 1916, how's THAT for starting life as a traveler!
When he was 2 or 3 years old, he was photographed with his 1st instrument, a ukulele, & it wasn't much taller then he was. As he grew in age, his love for music only grew stronger & he longed to learn the bass fiddle. As my grandparents were simple folks, grandpa only earned enough money for his family to just get by, and grandma reared the family and home, so there was little extra for the extravagances in life such as buying an instrument, learning how to play it, or how to read music. In those trying days, all family members, primarily male children, usually would find some kind of legal work they could do after school (i.e.: shoeshine boy, newspaper boy, errand boy, grocery deliverer, etc.) & bring home whatever little dividends they've earned to help out at home. Besides, grandpa felt being a musician was not a dignified position, that all musicians were hoodlums, so he was truly against the idea of dad ever becoming one of those "hoodlums"! If dad really wanted this dream to come true he would find a legal way of buying the instrument & lessons for himself, if he wasn't serious about this dream, then nothing would come out of it, period, after all, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".
As time went on, dad was able to save enough money on the side to buy his bass fiddle (which he still had owned) & music lessons. Grandpa was none to pleased I can assure you, but grandma knew better. She kept positive & encouraged dad all the way. She knew she raised an honorable son with only the best intentions in mind. Besides, if dad ever went off the road of honor, grandma knew how to handle her children. She also kept on talking with grandpa.
Finally, the day came when dad was going to perform on stage with an orchestra for the very first time! Boy, oh boy, was he excited! He invited his parents, knowing full well that grandpa would most probably not be attending the show (all those hoodlums you know). Well, grandma knew how to handle grandpa in her own wisdom, & grandpa DID attend dad's performance.
GRANDPA WAS IN AWE! He was so PROUD of his son the MUSICIAN! He would go around in that proud "fatherly way" telling folks how HIS son played a BASS FIDDLE in an orchestra, & just how GREAT he was, too! How dad made an HONORABLE & GOOD living as a musician. Awww, how times had changed for both grandpa & Dad, & not to be forgotten, all from the love, patience, & admiration of a wonderful mother & wife.
Later on in his life, when dad was aged 23, he willingly volunteered his services & joined the U.S. Army Air Corps of WWII, becoming a Sergeant, & having his own pit crew working on such planes as the B-17's & B-29's. He also performed stateside entertaining our U.S. troops through the U.S. Service Theater Company. Although he never left the shores of the land of his birth, he worked co operatively, diligently & hard to earn the respect of his superiors & peers. He was honorably discharged in 1942, receiving his Theater, Good Conduct, & WWII Victory medals.
Some of the more famous people dad had dealings with or met in his life were: Jimmy Durante (actor/musican/comedian of the 1920's-70's), Duke Ellington (NY Jazz composer & bandleader of the 1920's-'70's), Marilyn Monroe (said her pictures & movies did her little justice as she was that beautiful in person), Elvis Presley (said he was one of the nicest & most generous fellows he ever met), & Sir Sean Connery (said he was a real gentlemen's gentleman & very charming).
He reached his 91st birthday this year, as a widower he lived alone with family close by, did all his own shopping & cooking, drove with an impeccably clean licence I might add, & was STILL a musician playing in an orchestra!
....... We miss him deeply.
Other family memorials on F.A.G.:
Elizabeth Mancino, my mother
Rosolino Mancino, grandpa
Domenica LoGalbo Mancino, grandma
Josephine Mancino, aunt
Salvatore Mancino, uncle
Stephen Mancino, cousin
Anthony Montella, Sr., uncle
***
