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Obituaries: Q
QUATTRONE, NUNCIO — Nuncio Vincent Quattrone, who started as a copy boy in Philadelphia with The Associated Press in 1930, became a teletype operator and retired in 1968, died Monday, March 2, 2009 in New Jersey. He was 94. Read the family-provided eulogy by his son, Fred Quattrone, below. THE PATRIARCH’S JOURNEY: A LIFE OF SEMPRE FAMIGLIA Nuncio Vincent Quattrone was born on May 30, 1914 to Ferdinando and Josephin Alampi Quattrone in South Philadelphia. He got a mild case of polio when he was three years old and recovered, thereafter to attend South Philadelphia High School. He and his family settled at 2510 S. 10th Street, where his parents and siblings, Joe, Dan, Carmen, Jean and Connie lived for many years. During the Depression, in 1930, he got a job as a copy boy for the newspaper wire service, the Associated Press [AP], and this job led to his love of reading. An FDR Democrat, and union man, he then became a teletype operator. In his youth, Nuncio Vincent had movie star good looks, and successfully courted the love of his life, Leonarda “Lu” Manuppelli, who had moved from Massachusetts to South Philly. They were married on April 25, 1936, and eventually bought a house at 2231 Jackson Street, where he lived until 2000. A loving father to his children Barbara and Fred, he became a widow in 1976, and had wonderful relationships with Mary and Hank, and his beloved grandchildren Melissa and Lauren. Later on, Brian and Matt, and Angela, Joe, and Robbie would also be calling him Grandpop. He was a member of St. Edmond’s Catholic Church for over 50 years, and was active in many parish organizations. He was President of the local Boy Scouts Troop, The Golden Age Club, Friends of the Free Library, and To Live Again. He moved to Barrington, N.J., in 2000. He lived alone at his apartment in Barrington Mews until age 93, cooking up his omelettes, doing his checkbook, watching his Phillies, and telling stories. He witnessed the deaths of all his brothers and sisters, becoming the last Quattrone of his family. We laughingly said he took more pills than anyone we knew, but what this really showed was a great quality of Dad’s nature: he was a survivor. He became seriously ill in November 2007, and his colon was removed to save his life. He then lived at the Lakewood Nursing Home in Voorhees Township, and was well liked by the staff. He was a profile in courage, valiantly fighting various illnesses, in and out of the hospital, until his death on March 2, 2009. His physicians called him “a tough old bird.” On the last day of his life, Fred joked with him that his Social Security and pension check had just come in, so he “got his money from the government for another month.” He smiled when Fred told Nuncio he knew he would never die at the end of the month. His favorite saying was from the poem “Just a Gigolo.” He leaves a great legacy of love, kindness, and gentleness to his immediate and extended family and friends. We will remember this great Patriarch, as we used to call him, sharp as a tack until the day of his passing, practicing his credo of Sempre Famiglia [Family Forever] to all who would listen. -Frederick M. Quattrone |
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