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FRANCESCO GIUSEPPI VERSACE was born in 1919 to Giuseppi and Carmela
Versace in a cold-water flat on 96th street on the East-Side of New York City. Frank’s
father died when Frank was 9-years-old, leaving him alone with his immigrant mother.
ZIA NINA managed to run a rooming-house on 72nd street on the Upper East-Side
where Frank grew up, went to school, and graduated MANHATTAN COLLEGE in
1942.
He met my mother, PAULA, in 1940, and we all lived together in Nonny’s rooming house.
All the time, Frank was a travelling salesman for an electric motor company in Dayton, Ohio;
and every morning, Frank would rise early, jump into his 1941 light-green Plymouth and
cross the Hudson River on his appointed rounds throughout his New Jersey and
Pennsylvania territories, returning at night--sometimes in-time for dinner and sometimes
not--followd by, what seemed to me at that young age, endless reports on his daily sales.
In 1949, my brother, JOE, was born and, two years later, Frank moved us to Newark, New
Jersey, and from there to Montclair, New Jersey, an idyllic suburb about a half- hour north
of Newark--where he continued his travellin’ ways, always providing for his mother, me,
Paula, and Joe--in these happy days of our lives.
in 1964, Frank travelled once more with--Paula and Joe--3000 miles cross-country to
LAKEWOOD, CALIFORNIA. What I never understood is exactly how Frank managed to
keep his 2-car caravan together over the highways and through the city streets of America.
But my father was a “travellin’ man” and, evidently, knew what he was doing.
Once in LAKEWOOD, Frank blossomed into his new surroundings--buying and running a
liquor store in Paramount (with the help of my now grown-up brother Joe and ever-
supportive Paula) and moving into his first real “California home”--a two-story dwelling on
Whitewood Avenue right behind the LAKEWOOD MALL. During this time , his liquor
store burned down, after which he became known--affectionately--among his many
Kawanis-club buddies as “the torch.” Personally, I never believed that Frank burned
it down since he seemed to be genuinely at-home interacting with his many and varied
clientelle, his ever-present “audience”: you see, Fank loved to talk--to anyone who would
listen, especially if that someone was from “back-East”--and if you were Italian to boot,
well,then, you had a new friend for life. Fank missed his New York-New Jersey roots and
all of his Italian friends that he grew up with. But all of his new California friends made him
feel at-home--and, so, he talked to them, too.
Tthe rest, as they say, is history, today being the final chapter in my father’s history here
on this earth. Fank remarried--after Paula died in 1988--to BERNICE, who stayed with him
for 18 years.
What does Frank’s life MEAN and what was the essence of this “travellin’ man”?
To me, Fank was an ENDURING man who worked all his life, always providing for
those he loved, while managing to serve his adopted hometown of LAKEWOOD as a
city-commissioner, as well as serving on numerous committees, and lastly, as an
enthusiastic and dedicated volunter for MEALS ON WHEELS, which he and Paula
started and which he and Bernice served for years.
In 1997, Fank was honored at L.A.’S MUSIC CENTER in a ceremony in the DOROTHY
CHANDELIER PAVILLION for service to LAKEWOOD. Frank was in his glory that day,
and his head shined with pride as he accepted his award and the congratulations of his
many LAKEWOOD friends.
Frank leaves behind me and my brother Joe, two grandsons--MARCO and NICO--and
nine-year-old great-grandaugher, FRANCA, and four-year old great-grandaughter, NIKE, all
of whom live in GERMANY. He was thrilled to meet FRANCA in 2007 when NICO
brought her for a visit and whom he commented upon that “she was always drawing.”
May Frank and Paula’s memory ENDURE, and may we all--one day--dance together
among the stars.
Your son,
LUIGI
JUNE 25, 2009
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