Filomena Farinacci Passarella Children

Filomena had seven children. She had two children with her first husband Pietro Nardolillo and five with her second husband, Pasquale Passarella.  Her first child with Pietro was Elizabetta (Lizzie) Passarella (1902-1966) born in 1902. Her second child with Pietro was Serafina Passarella,  born in 1903 and died in the  first year of her birth. Serafina was named after Filomena’s mother, Sara Farinacci.

Filomena’s  four daughters with Pasquale Passarella were all born in Brewster Heights in Putnam County just north of Westchester County. Their only son Frank, was born in White Plains. When Filomena  moved to White Plains, they lived in the Italian section of Ferris Avenue.  People who lived in that section would say “they were from Ferris Avenue” regardless of the actual street  they lived on in that area. It was the dominant Italian American section in White Plains.  People like Filomena, who spoke limited English, could survive well with local shops that all spoke Italian, and using their English-speaking children to navigate the world of English when needed.

An interesting phenomena, is that all of her six children continued to live all of their lives in White Plains; raised their children in the local school system;  and many of their children married and remained in White Plains. Obviously, changing times and job opportunities and social and economic currents changed that over the years. All of Filomena’s six Passarella children died in White Plains and are buried in cemeteries in and around the White Plains area.

Grandma Filomena had twenty-two grandchildren and all attended White Plains schools and very often were in the same school buildings and same classes with cousins.  Because of tradition and culture and some pragmatic issues of surviving, it was common that some boys did not complete High School, but departed at sixteen years of age and got jobs.  Some did finish High School. Girls usually completed High School and were certain they passed their typing class, because many were destined for office jobs by the norms of the day.  The  five Passarella sisters  all married very young, the norm of the day and had early families. Five of them married Italian born men  and one married a Spanish born man.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Nardolillo Mucci

Elizabetta (Lizzie) Nardolillo Passarella (1902-1966) married Louis (Louie)  Mucci (1892-) on July 23, 1916. They had three children: Phyliss, Sadie, Mary.  Louis Mucci had been listed as a boarder at the home of Filomena during a census in1900 and obviously met Lizzie through that circumstance.  Louis worked on the New York Central Railroad as a laborer. Later, Lizzie and her mother lived in the same house at 16 Hillside Avenue in White Plains, New York.  Lizzie lived on the first floor and her Mother on the third floor.  In those days there were few telephones and it was not unusual to have water pipes and heating pipes displayed outside of the walls  and in the room.  Lizzie and her Mother would communicate with each other by banging on a water pipe in their kitchens with a wooden spoon. They used some sound messages to communicate back and forth from the first and third floors.  

Lizzie and Louis had three children.

• Philomena (Phyliss) Mucci Marinaccio (10/28/1917-1988) married Mike Marinaccio prior to the Second World War. Her name was the American version of her Grandmother’s name. They had a son called Sonny who was a Mike Jr.  Mike was  drafted in the Army; wounded in Europe during the  World War II;  and died in a Veterans Administration hospital in Long Island around 1945. Phyliss later married Charlie Kanipaskas and they continued to live in White Plains.
• Serafina (Sadie) Mucci Morabito (1923-) married Louis Morabito. She  was named after her maternal grandmother.
• Mary Mucci Canepuccia (1925-2005) married Sandy Canepuccia. They lived in Florida when she died in 2005.

Filomena’s daughters and grandchildren would often come to visit her and it was obvious to all of the grandchildren the love and respect her daughters and son Frank or Gobby  had for her. She spoke little English and had a large gracious smile. Visiting grandchildren were often gifted with a few pennies from Grandma from the apron she always wore. These pennies would be quickly spent at a store  just a few blocks away. Visiting Grandma was always also a visit to Aunt Lizzie on the first floor of 16 Hillside Avenue. Lizzie’s kitchen had a black cast  iron stove that was heated with pea  coal and wood and would be burning all day long.  Hot rolls and freshly baked bread  and delicious foods were always available. 

For many of Aunt Lizzie’s many nephews and nieces, they were delighted  by her having in the front parlor a player piano that played the latest songs of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Just install the paper roll with the punched holes and the piano would delight the listeners. Also, there was a Victrola with large recording discs  and it required a significant number of wind ups of the handle. One could hear wonderful music including Enrico Caruso and the symphonies of Arturo Toscanini and  the latest jazz songs from Al Jolson.

One side of the house had a fenced in garden where Filomena and Lizzie would grow and gather tomatoes and basil and parley and peppers. The backyard had a grape vine and when in season,  it was a  delight to pick and eat grapes by the visiting grandchildren. The grapes were never plentiful or fine enough to be used for wine. Down the hill from the house and not more than a half a block away, was the brick façade of  Hillside Avenue Elementary School, where the  Passarella children attended when they were growing up, after relocating from Brewster Heights.

The following information was found in the research related to the 1930 Census. The census revealed where people lived and their relationships and their ages. This information revealed a crisis in the lives of Lizzie and Louis Mucci. The year 1930 was the second year of the global Great Depression that rocked the United States and the World and  would last more than a decade and not properly end until the beginning of World War II.. Many of the families of both the Passarella’s and the Nannariello’s certainly had financial and related crises during the Depression. The government social network and resources at that time was very limited. These family crises are not documented and are lost in history and there is no one to recall the oral history. 

However, in the census of 1930, it is recorded that Phyliss, Sadie and Mary Mucci were all in the St. Joseph’s Home for Children in Peekskill, New York. In the census the children were classified as inmates in that institution.  It is not known why the children were taken away from Lizzie and Louis Mucci, how long they were in the home,  or when they were returned to their parents. Sometime during that same period, the children were in St. Joseph’s Home, Lizzie was working as a housekeeper in a boarding house at 16 Hillside Avenue. At the same time, Louis Mucci was registered as a boarder in the Nicholas Grellett  house which was at 3 Barker Avenue and not far from Hillside Avenue.  

It can be rationalized that the Depression and the death of Nicholas Grellett created significant family issues. Though the story is unfortunate, it is one of few stories documented about what families were dealing with during those difficult Depression times. The first five decades of the Twentieth Century could be classified as “the best of times and the worst of time” depending on the  family economic and social status. They were bounded by the turn of a century and huge technological changes and the Second World War that redefined a new global view of the world.

The six children of Filomena Passarella produced twenty-five children and all were born while Grandma Filomena was alive. Many, but not all, of the of the grandchildren had their baptisms, communions, confirmations, and marriages take place at Mt. Carmel Church on Lexington Avenue in White Plains, New York.  Marriages of many of these first cousins were family events and took place at the hall at Mt. Camel Church. The hall served as both a gym and a banquet hall. In those days, children went to wedding receptions where  sandwiches and drinks were served. Not the formal sit-down dinners that later evolved.

Interestingly, many of these twenty-five children lived and worked in White Plains and eventually other towns particularly north of White Plains, but still in Westchester Country. As the years proceeded this geographical nesting in Westchester County of the Passarella’s and Nannariello’s related families ended,  and particularly for the  grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Filomena.

Maria (Mary) Passarella Fusco

Mary Passarella Fusco ((4/5/1904-8/1/1987) married Mauricio (Morris) Fusco (1894-1981). They married in White Plains New York when Mary was 15 years old and Morris was 25 years old. Mary was born in Brewster,  New York and moved with her family to White Plains as a young girl. When first married,  they lived in the Ferris Avenue section of White Plains, which in that day and for many decades after, was the dominant Italian neighborhood in White Plains. Morris was born in Italy, immigrated to the United States and served in the United States Army during World War I.  Morris had various maintenance jobs and in later years worked in apartment houses as a janitor and maintenance man. He was a gentle man who rolled his own cigarettes with one hand and always wore a bow tie, and definitely did not rule the house. Raising nine children was a challenge and Mary was a loving and concerned  matriarch of the family.

Their nine children were all born in White Plains. The first seven children were boys and the eighth and ninth were girls. The children are listed in chronological sequence from oldest to youngest.

• Constantino (Stanley) Fusco (1920-2002) was the first of nine children by Mary and Morris Fusco. Stanley married Ruth Brennan (1920-7/25/1960). They had no children. Ruth came from Freeland, Pennsylvania in her early twenties to work as a nurse at the White Plains Hospital. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Denis Brennan.  She boarded with Charlie and Angie Nannariello at  Fairfield Street in White Plains while working as  an operating room nurse.  After World War II, Stanley owned a liquor store with Charlie Nannariello and eventually Charlie’s son Louis Nannariello became a partner with Stanley in the store. Stanley and Ruth lived in East White Plains (Silver Lake),  and Ruth died very young. Stanley served in the US Army during World War II.
• Pasquale (Patsy) Fusco (1922-) married  Millie Lonuscio. They had two children Patty Fusco and Karen Fusco. Patsy worked for the City of White Plains for much of his working career. Patsy served in the US Army during World War II.
• Morris Fusco (1925-2002) married to Lucille Drury, They had a child that died at a young age and a daughter Carol Fusco Reale. Morris worked for Union Carbide for many years. Morris had a second marriage to Elaine Fusco and retired to Palm Coast, Florida for many years, where he died in 2002.   Morris served in the US Air Force during World War II. Carol Fusco married Charlie Reale and they lived in Washington D.C. at one time and have a daughter, Robin Flanagan.
• Dominick Fusco (Dee) (1926-2017) married Rose Menca  and they had four children: Maureen Fusco, Frank Fusco, Nickolas Fusco, and Stanley Fusco. Dominic worked for Arnold Bakery in Portchester for many years. Dominic served in the US Air Force during World War II.
• Joseph (Joey) Fusco (1927-1993) married to Geraldine Bouvier.  Their children are:  Joseph Fusco, Paul Fusco, Michael Fusco, Karen Fusco, Lisa Fusco. Joey was a salesman and in the grocery business.  Joey served in the US Navy during World War II.
• Frank (Frankie) Fusco (1929-) married Margie Fusco. Their children are Frank Fusco, Robert Fusco, Caroline Fusco, and Linda Fusco Phillips.  Frankie spent a career as a manager for various Howard Johnson restaurants in Florida. Frankie served in the US Army during the Korean War.
• Rocco Fusco (1930-1980) married  Ellen Madugno and they had a daughter Ellen. They divorced and Rocco had a second marriage to Shirley Eanhof. Rocco owned and operated grocery stores first in White Plains and then Rye, New York.  Rocco served in the US Army during the Korean War.
• Marie Fusco Ronda (1934) married  Samuel (Sam) Ronda (7/27/1927-2015). They had two children: Christine Ronda Amendola  and Samuel Ronda II.  Sam was a White Plains policeman and retired to a chauffeuring career. Sam and Marie lived in the same house in White Plains for sixty years. Christine married Anthony Amendola and they have a daughter Elisa Amandola. Sam Ronda II  married Connie Rudicto and they have three children: Samuel Ronda III. Thomas Ronda, Emily Ronda.
• Phyliss Fusco Labriola  (3/23/1939-2018)  was the last of the nine children born to Mary and Morris Fusco. She married Lawrence (Larry) J. Labriola (10/20/1936-2014) on February 14, 1960.  Larry was born in Italy in the city of Avellino and in the province of Avellino. Avellino is the same province that the Nannariello family came from and immigrated to the United States.  Larry came to the United States as a young child. He operated a large landscape business for many years. Phyllis and Larry are interred in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.  Their children are: Rose Labriola, Lynne Labriola, Adam Labriola, Lawrence Labriola II, Laureea Labriola Martinez.

In the early years, the Fusco Family  lived in two different houses, both on  Orawaupum Street in White Plains, during the years the children were growing up. This portion of Orawaupum Street no longer exists and was torn down to make way for Urban Renewal after World War II.  Later Mary and Morris Fusco moved to the Battle Hill section of White Plains. Many of the Fusco family are buried in Mt Calvary Cemetery in White Plains including Mary and Morris, Stanley Patsy, Dominic, Rocco and possibly others.

See Personal Perspectives: Remembrance of Morris Fusco

Natalie (Lula) Passarella Altamura

Natalie (Lula) Passarella (1907-1979) married Joseph Altamura (1897-1963). Joe was a  pleasant man with a shock of gray hair and he worked as a mason. He was from Molfetta in  Bari, Italy. Some of the family referred to him as “Joe Barese” to distinguish him from his brother-in-law Joe Ferrer who was born in Spain and was called “Joe Spanish.”  They had  six children:

• Dominic Altamura (1924-1990) married to Helen Altamura.  Dominic served in the US Army during World War II.
• Rose Altamura Fusaro (1927-)  married Sal Fusaro and lived in Valhalla, New York
• Lucy Altamura (9/27/1925-4/26/2002) married  Carmen F. Rocco. Lucy graduated from White Plains High School in 1943.They had two sons Carmen F.  Rocco and Robert J.  Rocco.. From Carmen Rocco they had two grandchildren Andrea Marie Rocco and Christina Lucia Rocco
• Marian Altamura Portanova (1928-) married Rocco Portanova and lived in Valhalla, New York.
• Yolanda Altamura Zanni.
• Ennis Altamura Guglielmo  married  Carmen Guglielmo and lived in Shertz, Texas.

Angelina (Angie) Passarella Nannariello

Angelina (Angie) Passarella Nannariello (1909-1996) married  Canio (Charlie) Nannariello and they spent their entire lives in White Plains.  Angie married Charlie when she was nineteen years old. She and her four sisters were all married before being twenty years old which was common and rather traditional at the time. Charlie had a Bar and Restaurant business in the early 1930’s in White Plains that failed after several years.  During the Great Depression he was a short order cook, also called a counter man, in Scarsdale New York at the Scarsdale Diner for over twenty years. He worked all of his life in that type of work in and around White Plains. They had two children:

• Louis Stephen Nannariello (6/19/1928-2/18/1998) married Nancy Guardino. They had three children: Lynn Nannariello, Steve Nannariello, Gary Nannariello.  
• Richard Robert Nannariello (3/2-1933) married to Antoinette Mercatante from  1955 to 1985.  They had three children: Richard (1956), Robert (1957-1992), John (1962) Richard married Jean Hayes Nannariello in 1993.

Angie was born Angelina Passarella, but was always called Angie. Very often names fit the people they belong to and on some occasions a name does not fit. Angie’s name was a perfect fit. She was an “Angie” and  was born in Brewster Heights, Putnam County on December 19, 2009.  Putnam County is north of Westchester County which is north of and adjacent to New York City. Many years ago, as Westchester evolved, the county grew from the south as an urbanized extension of New York City,  and flowed farther north and became more and more rural. In 1909 Brewster Heights was farm country that eventually opened up as the New York Central Railroad progressed north and past White Plains. Initially the railroad ended at White Plains was extended to Brewster and eventually the end of the line was extended to Dover Plains and Wasaic in Putnam County.

Angie was baptized in the St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic Church. Father Lawrence McKenna started the church in 1871 in a converted house on Prospect Street in Brewster Heights, which was later expanded. A new church was built on the same site in 1915. The six Passarella children were born between 1902 and 1916, and we assume all were baptized  and received their Catholic sacraments in the local church.  It was after the untimely death of Pasquale Passarella in 1916 and several months after the birth of Frank Passarella,  that the Passarella family relocated to White Plains. They lived in the Italian section of White Plains that was defined by its main street, Ferris Avenue, though the area encompassed many streets. After the  World War II and beyond,  Ferris Avenue was still predominantly occupied by Italians.

Angie graduated from White Plains High School. This was the original White Plains High School on Main Street between Mamaroneck Avenue and Broadway. Later that high school was relocated to the Highland section of White Plains.  

Angie and Charlie lived in a number of homes over the years before they bought their first home.  She was an excellent cook and cooked many traditional Italian dishes. It was not unusual to have pasta of some type several times per week. She never had a career or worked at a job until later in her life. Charlie had opened  a liquor store as a partner with his nephew Stanley Fusco shortly after the Second World War. Stanley managed and worked in the store full time. Charlie and Angie and their two sons worked in the store part time.  Holidays and busy times, the entire family worked as needed. Angie was the initial backup for Stanley and continued for many years starting back in the late 1940’s. She worked in the store for several hours each day from late afternoon to the early evening hours.

Angie could have a pleasantly stubborn and focused approach to what she wanted to do. In those early years, very few women drove cars and certainly few owned a car. None of Angie’s sisters ever drove a car. Sometime in the 1960’s she decided to learn how to drive. Charlie resisted and eventually relented,  permitting her to take driving lessons, but certainly not from him. She took a number of driving lessons from an instructor and after several months passed the official driving test.   She did not get any support from Charlie about driving his car and certainly not driving with him in the car. The last time Angie drove a car was the day she passed her driving test. She was very pleased to show anyone of interest her driving license. One of the early signs of women’s liberation!

Angie was an extraordinary Mother and with great patience and care for her sons, Louis and Richard. When Charlie was less understanding about  an issue with his sons or some issue about the house,  she was always the one who would pacify and bring calm to the issue. She was an excellent person to have as friend and also to be a friend to.  She always had many warm friendships with many of her nephews and nieces and family members and neighbots. These relationships grew and matured as she and they all got older.

Nothing pleased Angie more than having company and making a pot of coffee and talking to friends and family. She drank black coffee  and had a sweet tooth for pastries and good bakery cakes. She had been a smoker for many year and there came a time she stopped smoking. However, under the right circumstances she would occasionally light up one cigarette and then not have a cigarette  again for many days. But she would light up that cigarette only if there was company and black coffee and cake.

Angie and Charlie moved into their condo on Greenridge Avenue in the late 19780’s. This was their last home together. Charlie had issues with dementia,  which prompted selling their home on South Lexington Avenue in White Plains. They quickly adapted to condo living, which was less demanding for upkeep and maintenance. Charlie’s  dementia was eventually diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. Angie was extremely patient in caring for Charlie and the effort had significant  physical and mental demands for both of them. Charlie spent his last two year in the Ruth Taylor Institute in the Grasslands Medical Institute  when it was not possible for Angie to care for him. It was not a decision that was easily or quickly made. Angie and her sons would visit Charlie at the institute, but unfortunately he was completely detached from the reality of his family and the world. Charlie died in September 1988. One of the many sons of Calitri that immigrated and made a life in the United States.

Angie continued to live in the condo until her passing in January 1996. She always lived independently and meticulously maintained her home. In the condo she had her first dish washer and one can be assured that she would meticulously wash all the dishes in the sink before loading them into the dishwasher. We reminded her that she need not, but one does not change the mind set and tradition of washing dishes with someone who has done it all their lives.

Her grandchildren from her son Louis were Lynn, Steve, and Gary. Her grandchildren from her son Richard were Richard, Robert and John. They were her blessings and her joy. She had the added blessing of having two great grandchildren born while she was alive, specifically Jimmy and Stephanie Nannariello, the children of Steve and Barbara Nannariello.

There came a time when  she did not feel well and the diagnosis indicated she had a cancerous growth on one of her lungs. It was not operable at her age and she received chemo treatments After some hopeful signs that she was getting better, the problem occurred again. She passed in her home on January 29, 1996 with her Family by her side.

Charlie and Angie rest in a mausoleum in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.  

God love them for their lives and the footprints they left on the lives of so many people.

See Personal Perspective:  Angie Nannariello’s Pearls

See Personal Perspective: Remembrance of Angie Nannariello

Rosa (Rose) Passarella Ferrer

Rose Passarella Ferrer (1910 -2003) married Joseph Ferrer (1910-1981). They had two children:

• Gloria Ferrer Cipolla (6/1/1929)  married to Thomas Cipolla who died 2014.  They had three children: Joseph (1951), Thomas (1955), Stephen (1957)
• Janet Ferrer (12/27/1933-2018) Married and divorced from Casey Woloszynck. They had one child,  Paul Woloszynck, who belongs to a religious order in Texas.

Joe Ferrer came from a small town near Valencia, Spain  called Alicante and came to the United States when he was sixteen years old. Joe was a border in the home of Filomena Passarella in White Plains. Filomena had five daughters, the youngest being Rose. Joe and Rose were the same age, both born in 1910, and after a brief courtship they eloped and married.

Joe had immigrated to the United States from Spain when the country was conscripting young men to go into military service. The Spanish government under Francisco Franco requested his return to Spain to do his military service. He was not prepared to return to Spain, but wanted to stay in the United States. Therefore, he was not able to return to Spain until Francesco Franco was out of power in the 1960’s. Joe returned to Spain rather frequently over the years. Years later when his last brother died, Joe was given the family home in Spain. He returned to Spain and gave the home to his sister-in-law. Joe was a mason and self employed contractor who had his own business and a truck. Joe had a very pleasant light accent, and was affectionately called “Joe Spanish” to distinguish him from his brother-in-law, Joe Altamura, who was affectionately called “Joe Barese” because he was from Bari.

Frank (Gobby) Passarella

Frank (Gobby) Passarella (1915-11/13/1969) married Verna Kristopovich Passarella

(1915-8/18/2002) in 1938. They had three children and raised them in White Plains.  Gobby was one of six children of Filomena Farninacci Nardolillo Passarella Grillet Tucci and her only son. After many years of marriage, Gobby and Verna lived apart and  then divorced.  Gobby married for the second time years later and Verna never married again.  Gobby married Yvonne Silvain Young Passarella in August 17, 1962 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.  

Gobby was a four-letter athlete in White Plains High School in the early 1930’s. Also, he played semi-pro football for the White Plains Bears for two years in 1936 and 1937. He was a White Plains policeman for many years and his Shield number was 88. He was drafted in the Navy during World War II and served in Panama.  Gobby was a constant  follower of sports and an avid sports gambler. That gambling probably on occasion caused financial problems.  Gobby died in 1969 in East White Plains, or what is called Silver Lake  at a very young age. He rests in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in White Plains, New York, not far from his Mother and Father.

Verna and Gobby had three children.

Jane Passarella Junjulas  (1939-2021) married  James (Jimmy) Junjulas on May 4, 1964.  They had two children that were born in White Plains, New York. Jimmy was an electrician. They lived in North Salem for many years. They moved to Glens Falls, New York and joyfully operated a “gentlemen’s farm” for many years.  Jane was an office manager in a Doctor’s office for more than thirty years while living there. Jimmy died in 1997 at a very young age. Jane gave up the farm and relocated and lived the last sixteen years of her life in in Queensbury, New York.

During the development of this Ancestry, Jane died after a brief and fatal illness in January 2021 at the age of 81. She had participated in providing information about her family for this Ancestry. She was a vibrant woman with a special connection with people and a sincere love and addiction to exercising and working out. Her telephone voice was much younger than her years. It was disappointing for  some of us that had not seen her for many years and did not meet with her before this Ancestry was completed.  Jane and Jimmy Junjulas had two children,  Christopher and Perry.

• Christopher Junjulas (1967) married Jeanus Meyer in 1996. Christopher has a government job for the US Court system. Also, he has spent many years working at football officiating which is much more than a casual interest. They live in Clifton Park, New York. They have three children
o Daughter Mackenzie Junjulas (1998) is heading for Law school.
o Son Declan Junjulas (2001) joined the Navy and attends Georgian Tech.
o Heather Junjulas (2003) attends Assumption University and has significant ability and passion for softball and is a very accomplished player.
• Perry Junjulas (1965) and his partner Reverend Tony Green (DMIN, MDW,BCC) live in Albany, New York. Perry earned a Doctorate and his vocational interest is being the Executive Director of the Damien organization that supports various philanthropic HIV and related efforts. Tony is a reverend in a Church and also is the Director of Pastoral Care and Volunteer Services at the Ellis Hospital.

Frank (Butch) Passarella (9/2/1943) was born in White Plains, New York. He was  married to and divorced from Elaine Grimsey.  He was married and divorced (1984-1993) from Helen Teitz  and they have a daughter Amanda Passarella. He married Christina Van Ranssalear in May 7, 2000 and live in a rural part of New York in Narrowsburg, not far from the Pennsylvania state line. Frank’s daughter Amanda Passarella (6/8/1989) currently lives in Austin Texas.  She graduated from Boston College in 2011 and earned an MBA from the University of Texas in 2019.  She currently works for Ernst and Young and does a lot of traveling for her job.

Robert (Bobby) Passarella(1950-6/17/1992)  married  Denise Fanelli  Passarella in in White Plains. Bobby was the department Superintendent of Water for Harrison New York. Bobby was unfortunately killed in an automobile accident at too young an age in June 17, 1992. Bobby and Denise had three children.

• Adam Passarella (12/4/87)) works for the Town of Harrison in the Highway Department.
• Corey Passarella (6/28/89) graduated from Syracuse College with a degree in Finance and Accounting; and from Harvard in 2020 with an MBA. He has an Information Technology startup company in New York City.

Oral history from Gobby’s sister Angie Nannariello  provided the following story of how Gobby received his unique nickname. Gobby received his name as a young boy because of his unusual blond hair for an Italian American. He lived in an Italian American neighborhood of dark-haired young men. Being blond, he was called “Cappelli Biondi” which in Italian means “blond hair.” Biondi got dropped and Cappelli got shortened to possibly “Capi” and eventually became “Gobby.” It was a very unique name and people seldom called him Frank.

Personal Perspectives Frank (Gobby) Passarella

By Butch Passarella and Jane Junjulas

Following are recollections and anecdotes collected from  Gobby’s children, Frank (Butch) Passarella  and Jane Passarella Junjulas. The Passarella’s lived on Hillside Terrace in White Plains, which was literally across the street from the house where  Grandma Filomena lived  on Hillside Avenue.  Gobby and Verna’s first two children, Jane in 1939 and Frank or Butch in 1943, were born  in Hillside Terrace.   They have shared some of the following recollections about Grandma Filomena. They are two of the approximately thirty grandchildren of Filomena, but the proximity of their home certainly provided more intimate and personal experiences with Grandma then many of the other grandchildren.  

Butch has vivid recollections of every Saturday  spending the day with Grandma. He was the “prince” in being the first son of Filomena’s only son. He was unique among all of Filomena’s grandchildren to have the experience and opportunity of living across the street.   On some Saturdays Grandma and Butch would walk  the several blocks to downtown White Plains and to Main Street to see a movie at the Strand Theater. The Strand Theater was  called the “Ranch House.”  Many of the people  mentioned in this Ancestry from the Passarella and Nannariello  families grew up going to the Ranch House. It was named appropriately because the two features with every performance, included a “Cowboy” movie.  These movies included the likes of: Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Lash Larue, Tim Holt, Tex Ritter, Randolph Scott, etc. It was appropriately named the Ranch House. A walk back home and possibly a stop at the local store that sold candy would complete a perfect day.

During some of his stays with Grandma, Butch recalls Grandma carrying him on her back as she walked around her third floor attic apartment and reciting the Stations of the Cross. We are not certain she did the Fourteen Stations, but can assume it was a wonderful ride for Butch. Filomena with her Italian and Catholic tradition would  possibly say a brief Hail Mary with each stop. Butch would spend the day with Grandma and it would be certain that she spoiled him and gave him plenty of sweets. Of the approximately thirty or so  first cousins generated by the Passarella siblings, Butch had the rare experience of  living across the street and being able to have these very personal experiences with Grandma Filomena. And over seventy years later, that memory is now shared with others and possibly with some sense of joy and envy.

Gobby was a four-letter sportsman in White Plains High School playing baseball, football, track and basketball. He played football with the semi-professional White Plains Bears in 1936 and 1937, which was playing in an AA league. Records from the NFL record him as weighing 180 pounds, 5 feet and 11 inches, playing the End position, and wearing number 21.  For those times, a rather big guy. There is much oral history from family and friends about Gobby being a gifted athlete. He did not go to college and  married young and never had the sports opportunities that may have been his. In a family get together in 2020, Michael Passarella, then about ninety seven years old, recalled Gobby playing baseball at Geaney Field in White Plains. Mike’s eyes lit up as he shared his recollection of Gobby hitting a ball out of the park, possibly sometime in the late 1930’s.

Being the last of six children and the only boy, Gobby had five older sisters who spent their lifetimes, before and after their marriages, loving him and spoiling him immensely. It was their pleasure to share this sibling affection.  At one time he lived with his sister Lizzie Mucci on Borneman Place in White Plains. Later he lived for several years with this sister Angie Nannariello on Lexington Avenue in White Plains. Both of these situations of living with sisters was before his second marriage. We can speculate that Gobby really enjoyed and possibly took some advantage of this  lifetime of endearment by his sisters.  He was well loved and well treated by his sisters.  

On  Sunday mornings it was not unusual for Gobby to phone  two or more of his sisters, specifically asking what they were cooking for lunch that day,  and with little  concern which sisters would be disappointed and knowing that his decision would be accepted and he would be forgiven. He would select the food, not the sister, that seemed to be his  best choice for dinner. They were all good cooks and any choice was a winner. This really happened and his sisters had no problem with it. That was Gobby!

A relative of Gobby was stopped by a Policeman one day on a street in White Plains for some infraction, and when he revealed that his last name was Passarella, the Black police officer proceeded to tell the following story. The date was probably sometime in the 1950’s and there were only two black cops on the White Plains police force. Gobby’s superior officer did not treat the two black police officers as well and the same way as the other police colleagues. The officer was not timid about showing his bias. Gobby had a confrontation with the superior officer and challenged him verbally and physically to stop treating the two black fellow officers differently and unfairly. Gobby did not stand down and could have had charges made against him. The officer who shared this story,  revealed that things got a little better after this confrontation by Gobby.  Also, the officer did not give the Passarella a speeding ticket. Again, recall this was the 1950’s and Gobby was ahead of his time in dealing with an important social issue of discrimination that is still pertinent to this day.

Gobby was a very active sports gambler. He loved all sports and  played a lot of sports, and bet a lot of money on sports. The following scene was witnessed by many of his family. Gobby sitting in a room with a television on and two radios simultaneously blasting away sports events. Listening to the radios and television at the same time, and talking out loud to all of them and encouraging “his team” to win the game that he bet on and hoping to cover the betting spread. He knew his sports and he bet on sports heavily  and he loved every moment of the participation. And we can imagine all too often he came up short on the bets,  and possibly bills were not paid and child support came up a little short. He was Gobby, less than perfect, and playing the part he lived so well.

World War II

During World War II every male within a range of years was subject to being  drafted. Women could volunteer for the various women services associated with each branch of the Military. There were over twenty-five million people serving in the military and most of them were drafted, though many enlisted.  Members of both the Nannariello and Passarella and related families went off to war.

The Fusco family had seven boys and five were old enough to serve. The tradition in the United States during World War II was to proudly display one star in the front window  of your house for every person serving in the military. We can imagine that possibly the five stars in the Fusco front window on Orawaupum Street in White Plains was in limited competition as a record for any family in White Plains.

Following is a list of the family members serving during World War II. Any corrections for omissions and errors are appreciated.

• Stanley Fusco- Army
• Patsy Fusco- Army
• Morris Fusco- Air Force
• Dominic Fusco-Air Force
• Joseph Fusco-Navy
• Louis Nannariello – Army (son of Larry Nannariello)
• Carmen Rocco-Army, se Married to Lucy Altamura
• Dominic Altamura – Army
• Frank (Gobby) Passarella-Navy
• Michael Marinaccio- Army, Married to Phyliss Mucci, wounded in Europe, died in VA hospital in New York City
• Michael Passarella-Navy
• Bud Gormley-Navy, Married to Frances Nannariello and served in the Pacific.

We are indebted and appreciative of everyone’s service as we are for those who served in the military during  World War II and after. Obviously, other generations in these families served later in post- World War II, Mithe  Korea War and the War in Vietnam. That  goes beyond the scope of this topic which includes only World War II.

World War II Gathering and Photo

The following  photo was taken Circa 1942, during World War II,  in the home of Mary and Morris Fusco on Orawaupum Street in White Plains, New York. It was a sendoff family gathering  for  Patsy Fusco who was drafted in the Army and was now being assigned after completing his basic training. There were a number of these family gatherings during World War II and often another affair for the returning serviceman  at the end of the war. These photos provided a limited and interesting cross section of the family. There were certainly more people at this gathering, but all of them did not appear in the photo. During  the 2022 final development of this Ancestry, only Frank (Butch) Passarella (the baby being held on the floor by Mary Mucci) is a survivor of those in this photo.

Sitting down on the floor in front
• Mary Mucci (Lizzie Mucci daughter) holding Frank Butch Passarella
• Butch Passarella (son of Gobby and Verna Passarella) held by Mary Mucci
• Jane Passarella (daughter of Gobby and Verna Passarella)

Middle with five people sitting or kneeling behind those sitting down
• Patsy Fusco (Mary Fusco son) in Army uniform
• Filomena Farninacci Nardollilo Passarella Grellett Tucci (Grandma Passarella)
• Sunny Marinaccio (son of Mike Marinacci who has hands on his shoulder)
• Seated woman not identified
• Kneeling man not identified

Next row left to right starting with sitting woman on extreme left
• Sitting women not identified
• Standing woman white blouse not identified
• Mary Passarella Fusco (mother of Patsy Fusco)
• Lizzie Mucci (Sister of Mary Fusco)
• Louis Mucci
• Mike Marinacci (later drafted in the Army, wounded, died in VA hospital)
• Phyliss Mucci Marinacci (wife of Mike Marinacci)
• Charlie Nannariello standing behind Phyliss Mucci
• Rose Passarella Ferrer face slightly blocked
• Angie Passarella Nannariello
• Women behind Angie Nannariello and not identified
• Lula Passarella Altamura
• Women to the right of Lula and not identified

Back left side standing in the corner
• Verna Passarella
• Sadie Mucci daughter of Lizzie Mucci

A personal note by Richard Nannariello on the Matriarch of this Passarella Family, specifically Filomena  Farinacci Passarella. In this photo Filomena, or Grandma or Mama  to all of us, was about 61 years of age at the time. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 19, never to see her Father again who died in Italy. She survived being a widow three times, and two of the times she lost her husband several months after the birth of a child. When her daughters were in her presence, one could feel the love and respect and reverence they held for her. Her grandchildren were brought to her for visits in which they felt this reverence.  As a child you only needed  to observe the affection between your Mother and your Grandmother.   

Passarella Sisters at a Wedding

Following is a photo that was taken at the wedding of Phyliss Fusco (1939-2018) and Larry Labriola (1936-2014) on February 14, 1960.  The photo is unique and possibly one of the few photos taken of the five Passarella sisters, the daughters of Filomena Farinacci Nardolillo Passarella Grellett Tucci, and their husbands..  

Morris Fusco appears in front right with a tuxedo next to his wife Mary Passarella Fusco to his  left. The tradition at that time, and possibly that tradition continues, is that the Bride’s parents would sit with their immediate family. In this case,  Mary Fusco and her  four sisters  and their husbands.  

Sitting around the table are the five Passarella sisters and their husbands. Starting in the front on the right  and proceeding to the left and around the table.

1. Morris Fusco,  husband of Mary Passarella Fusco, sitting front right in a tuxedo
2. Mary Passarella Fusco,  the wife of Morris Fusco, in a white dress and turning to face the camera
3. Louis Mucci the husband of Lizzie Passarella Mucci
4. Lizzie Mucci,  the wife of Louis Mucci
5. Joseph Altamura,  husband of Lula Passarella Altamura
6. Lula Passarella Altamura, wife of Joseph Altamura
7. Rose Passarella Ferrer,  wife of Joseph Ferrer
8. Angie Passarella Nannariello,  wife of Charlie Nannariello
9. Charlie Nannariello,  husband of Angie Passarella Nannariello
10. Joseph Ferrer,  husband of Rose Passarella Ferrer

Following are  some  oral history comments on weddings around  White Plains, New York after World War II and prior to the 1960 wedding depicted in this photo.  These comments do not apply the wedding depicted in this photo which was fifteen years later and wedding traditions had changed.

The five Passarella sisters in the photo had twenty two children among them, who were all first cousins. All of these Aunts and Uncles lived in White Plains, and their  children were born and raised  in White Plains.  After World War II ended  in 1945 and during the next ten years or so, most if not all of these first cousins came of age in terms of being of marrying age.  None of them were married until after the end of World War II. We have no documentation,  but some  of them were married in White Plains and at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Lexington Avenue. This was a Catholic church that had a significant Italian congregation. Others not married in White Plains were married in nearby towns and there was the tradition of the marriage taking place in the parish church of the bride.  

Mt. Carmel had a church hall that served as both a gymnasium and a hall for special events, such as weddings. The gym was used by the CYO, or the Catholic Youth Organization, that most churches conducted with a focus on athletics and other activities for boys and girls.  These “hall wedding” were held in the church hall. Basketball and other events would occur during the week and on Saturday. When there was a wedding on Sunday,  the hall was prepared with tables and chairs and supporting furniture to conduct a wedding the next day. It was a very pragmatic and simple and  appropriate format for conducting affordable weddings in the local church.  Families would look forward with great anticipation to these “hall weddings.” Some of the protocols and traditions for the “hall weddings” included:

• Children of many ages attended and for them it was a playful and fun event
• There was no sit down “cooked”  dinner,  but prepared sandwiches and drinks
• A large wedding cake and various Italian pastries and cookies were provided
• The bridal dais was at the end of the hall for the newly  married couple and the  bridal party
• There was a pecking order among the guests as to where they were positioned near the bridal dais because of their position and/or age and other mysterious protocols

Near the end of the wedding, there was a wedding  coordinator that organized a grand march properly choreographed by the coordinator, so that everyone at the wedding got a chance to march with the bridal party. The source of the music was a  small band that made a lot of music for a large hall that had very limited acoustic niceties. At the end of the Bridal march, the band would play music for the tarantella and some of the aunts and uncles  would participate. This was particularly enjoyable for the younger people to see this traditional dance performed. The cutting of the cake and passing out of wonderful Italian cookies, many of them being the traditional almonds, were a treat for adults and children. It was a festive occasion with everyone involved.

Before and approaching the end of the wedding, the guests would approach the bridal couple and provide the “la busta” or literally “the envelope” which was more commonly expressed in  the Italian slang  as the  “aboost.” This was a cash gift to the bride and groom. After the wedding, some self-appointed family member would make a list of the guests and the “la busta” amounts and have opinions about their generosity as related to comparisons with lists from previous weddings. All part of a traditional game that was played.  These weddings were  appropriate for the times, and in hindsight very simple and extremely family oriented and modest in costs and pragmatic.

The wedding reception represented in the photo above was a later time, when weddings moved from the Church halls to local restaurants. The new and evolving format had more  formality and no children attending and many other changes. Both the “hall weddings” and the transition to the more formal weddings were wonderful times to remember and reflect upon. This photo documents an actual event with some of the people who were fundamental to this Ancestry; and reminds those of us who lived through these times about  the wedding transition described above. Traditions evolve and change and it is significant that the traditions are some of the building blocks of our heritage. It also, informs those people who did not live these traditions  to  experience  a piece of history  that has passed and now lives in the memories of  oral history.