Beloved Matriarch Mary Ferrante, 105

Little Gram's obituary

Mary (Taormina) Ferrante, a beloved matriarch whose perseverance, piety, generosity and sheer goodness inspired all who met her, died on Monday, July 14, at the home of her granddaughter, surrounded by her family. She was 105.

Maria Concetta Ferrante was born on December 8, 1902, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, in Sicily, the fifth of six children of Francesco and Giuseppa Taormina. The family lived in Sicily until she was seven years old, when they sailed from Palermo to Ellis Island, New York.

The Taormina’s settled in Youngstown, OH, where Mary enjoyed an idyllic childhood. At her brother Andrew’s wedding in Philadelphia, 16 year-old Mary traded youthful bliss for joy of another kind when she met a handsome soldier named Frank Ferrante – the bride’s brother. Soon, the bride’s brother and the groom’s sister became husband and wife themselves. Their first child, Angelina Nora (Angie), was born in 1920, followed quickly by Josephine Ann (Jo Ann); Rose, who tragically only lived 2 years; James William (Jimmy) who passed away in 2007; and her fifth child, Frank Joseph, born when Mary was just 23 years old.

Frank, Sr., was an underemployed carpenter; so Mary found work as a seamstress, sometimes holding two jobs. It wasn’t until their four surviving children had grown up and moved out that they bought a bungalow in Pennsauken, and began fixing up their dream home. But their empty-nest happiness was short-lived. In 1946, Frank died of a broken neck after a fall, leaving Mary a widow at 44. Left with almost no money, Mary went to work again, this time in the alteration departments of Philadelphia clothing stores. Later, she found work closer to home at Strawbridge and Clothier in Cherry Hill and continued to work until she finally retired at age 80. By then, she had moved from Pennsauken to Sicklerville, where she lived by herself, proudly making and washing her clothes, cooking, baking homemade bread and cleaning, until she was well past 100.

In addition to her indefatigable work ethic, Mary was known for her deep faith in God and in the Catholic Church. Until she was no longer physically able, she attended Mass regularly but was neither maudlin nor zealous in her beliefs. She simply believed.

Mary Ferrante is survived by three of her five children: Angelina Lorren, Jo Ann Endner, and Frank Ferrante, six of her eight grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 23 great-great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing Thursday eve 7:00 – 9:00pm at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Rd., Washington Twp. Funeral Mass Friday 10:00am at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 642 Market Street, Camden. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, PA.

Mary's 8th Grade Graduation Class.
Mary is sitting next to the teacher on the left.

Brother Andrew's wedding.
Mary is sitting next to the bride.
Her husband to be is standing her.

Mary with her husband Frank.

Mama with her four children - Angie, Jo Ann, Frankie, and Jimmy.

Grandma with five of her grandchildren,
Claudia, Pauline, Stanley, Johnny, and baby Janis.

Little Gram with one of her 22 great-grandchildren, Leah.

View / Print Frank and Mary's decedent chart - La Familiga Ferrante

Rest in Peace Little Gram

My Last Conversation with Little Gram

Little Gram died today. A few days ago she fell and broke her hip. We all agreed that surgery was out of the question so she left the hospital and went to my mother's home to die. Today, while sleeping and resting comfortably, she simply stopped breathing. She was surrounded by her daughters and my mother and some of her other grand children. In what may be the first of a many posts about a remarkable woman I'd like to share a story about my last conversation with Little Gram.

The last time I spent any real time with Little Gram was two weeks ago. My boys and I went to my mother's home for lunch. As soon as we arrived I made my way out to the deck to sit with Little Gram and Big Gram.

Whenever I saw Little she'd always ask about Lisa and my family. Then she'd ask about my job and what I did for a living. I told her about my recent trips to India and Seattle and she asked about how I liked to travel.

After talking about the ups and downs of business travel I told Little about some recent family tree research I uncovered. I told her that I discovered that at one time she and her family lived in New York City. She immediately recalled that her older brother Felix was living with a friend named Lawrence Maletta and his wealthy family. This family lived in Brooklyn and "their house was beautiful." Even more impressive was the fact that this house had indoor bathrooms. Little Gram told us that this was the first time she ever saw a toilet in a home. The year was 1909 and Little Gram was 7.

I asked what led to her arrival to the States. Little told us about her father, Francesco (Frank). I learned her father was a tree surgeon in Sicily and that he worked for a Prince. Frank took care of all the trees in the olive grove. The prince became ill and died and Little's father took care of a lot of the estate chores for the Princess including cooking. She said that many of the recipes handed down over the years were learned during the time her father worked for the princess. Now, the princess was a gambler and one day she lost the estate and Little's father was out of a job. It was soon after this that Little and her father made their way to the United States to meet up with her older brothers Felix and Andrew.

It was at this time that we went into the kitchen to have lunch. On the menu that lovely Sunday was one of my all time favorite Little Gram meals - potatoes and eggs. When I was in college I had a few semesters when I would visit Little Gram in between classes. She'd always make me potatoes and eggs. It's a simple dish - potatoes and eggs fried together with olive oil. Just typing about it is making my mouth water. I'm so glad that my last meal with Little was this dish.

When it was time to go I noticed that Little asked my mother to fetch her purse. Little pulled out some money and handed Michael and Joey $5 each. "Go and buy yourselves a funny book." With that I thanked her and gave her a big hug and told her I loved her. She kissed me and said I love you too.

That was my last conversation with Little Gram.

1967 - Celebrating birthdays 65 and 2.

1989 - Celebrating birthdays 87 and 24.

2005 - Celebrating birthdays 103 and 40 and Joey's birth.

My Uncle, Jimmy Ferrante

Jimmy Ferrante

My Uncle Jimmy died this week. After a battle with cancer he passed at the age of 83 surrounded by his family. Uncle Jimmy (aka James W. Ferrante) was my great-grandmother's oldest son and my grandmother's brother. Uncle Jimmy was something of a celebrity in our family. He lived in Guam and would visit the East Coast once or twice every ten years or so. Every time he showed up it was an event. The whole family would converge to my great-grandmother's house to see Uncle Jimmy and hear about what exciting things was going on in his life. From what I can gather, Jimmy was a jack of all trades and master of none. Ask a any member of the family about what Uncle Jimmy did for a living and you'd hear a different answer. He was baker, an entrepreneur, a small-business owner, an importer-exporter, a boxing commissioner, and a butter sculptor.

As a kid I didn't care what he did. All I knew was he wore fancy clothes, drove expensive cars, and gave us presents. As an adult I learned that when he did come to visit he'd leave my grandmother with $300 phone bills and the presents he gave us were nothing more that gifts he received from liquor distributors. I also learned that some even questioned the validity of his stories. Frankly, I don't care. Whatever the truth may be, no one will ever deny the fact that when Uncle Jimmy showed up it brightened up our every day lives. He brought excitement and a sense of real accomplishment and pride to our Italian family. But even more so, when Jimmy came to town he brought the family together and we ate and laughed and ate some more.

Rest in peace Uncle Jimmy and thank you for the Member's Only jacket.

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Remembering Jimmy Ferrante KUAM takes a look back at the accomplishments and life of the former Guam boxing commissioner.

Guam has lost one of its most influential and well-respected members of the athletic community with Monday's passing of the 84-year-old chairman of the Guam Boxing Commission, Jimmy Ferrante. Be it resurrecting pugilism or fostering a culture of excellence for all athletic events, his mark will be felt for years after his death.

A product of the ethnically diverse steel mill community in Youngstown, Ohio, Ferrante was headed for a childhood full of trouble. Fortunately, at the age of 9, a police officer known to the boy as Officer Traffican introduced him to the world of boxing. The young Ferrante formed a passion for the noble art, which he spread for 60-plus years on the island.

"He liked boxing because it is a man's sport, because it's a way of survival. You know, guys like Rocky Marciano and Joe Lewis. The sport taught individuals to survive and overcome challenges," said friend and owner of Saralu's Boxing Team of Champions, Jose Saralu.

Arriving on Guam in 1944 as part of a U.S. military construction battalion, he proudly served during World War II. Before fighting in Iwo Jima, the then-21-year-old Ferrante fell in love with future wife Kitty Tenorio (who he would go on to marry in 1946). Ferrante was a heavyweight champion while in the military. Going under the nickname "Blackie," his wife still referred to him by the name even in his twilight years.

Guam became his new adopted home and he wasted no time bringing professional athletes to the island. Friends of Ferrante heard his countless stories of how he produced athletes such as Joe Lewis and Joe DiMaggio on Guam. "He was always bringing up those stories," said Saralu.

He quickly fell in love with the island and successfully fought to bring boxing up to par with the rest of the United States. As boxing commissioner in his later years, Ferrante fought a final uphill battle to bring boxing back to the prominence it formerly possessed on the Guam. "He was hell bent on getting boxing back on Guam," said Kontenda's Gym owner Brant McCreadie.

Events such as the First Amateur Boxing Classic 2004 were created by Ferrante to develop a ranking system for local fighters and eventually have them participate in the Olympics. He had a hand in jumpstarting boxing gyms in and around the island and was a leader in showing the MMA promoters how to put on an event and prepare the sport for future growth.

"He had a lot of Guam pride and he didn't want to set our standards lower than anywhere else," said Roman Dela Cruz, a representative for Fury MMA. One such example was his adoption of the strict event standards of the Nevada Boxing Commission. "He really saw our potential to grow as a big-timer and made it so we're ready if we get into that field," added Dela Cruz.

The final boxing event Ferrante had his hand in planning will take place August 18. "I'm sorry that Ferrante won't get to be at the event," said Saralu.

Be it in the future, the renewed interest of boxing on Guam or the hand he had in shaping the MMA events that are so prevalent today, Ferrante's actions will continue to be felt and appreciated by the athletes and spectators of the island.

Hanging out with my Uncle Jimmy

Jimmy with his mother, Mary, sisters. Angelina and Josephine, and brother, Frankie 

Looking for a Great Italian Meatball Recipe?

If you're looking for a great Italian meatball recipe then wrap your lips these balls.

I've known Tom Hartman since first grade. That means we've been friends for a long time. Since childhood, Tom has always come across as a "worldly" type of fellow. He's always been very knowledgeable in politics, sports, the arts, history, and music. Especially music. He and I have listened, enjoyed, and argued about music for thirty years.

Tom also knows a lot about food. He lives in Philadelphia and enjoys eating out often. Name the food and Tom tasted it somewhere in Philadelphia or New York or around the world (Tom travels a lot. When it comes to food -- Tom has tried it all including Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Thai, French, and Italian. Now, given his background, experience, and his fondness for food I value his opinion and his recommendations about such matters.

I told you about Tom so you'll understand my disbelief when he told me that my meatballs were the best he's ever eaten. My meatballs? Tom has eaten thousands of meatballs in hundreds of restaurants in and around Philadelphia, New York, and other places, yet my meatballs are his favorite, "...the best I've ever tasted." Wow, what a compliment. Thank you Tom.

So given my new found respect for my meatballs I want to share my recipe:

The Best Italian Meatball Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 24 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound combined beef, veal, pork (must be fresh)
3 large eggs
1-cup grated Romano Locatelli Cheese
1-cup bread crumb
1-clove garlic - minced
1-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon parsley

Preparation
(All mixing is done be hand) In a large bowl mix eggs, garlic, salt and parsley.  Then add beef/veal/pork. Mix.  Then, add 1/2 cup of bread crumb and 1/2 of cheese. Mix.  Add second 1/2 cup of bread crumb and cheese.  Mix  Now, it's time to roll up the balls. Average size is roughly 2 inches in diameter. I usually get around 18 to 20 meatballs per pound. IMPORTANT! Do not cook meatballs in your pasta sauce! Meatballs cooked in sauce lose their flavor.*  Rather than fry, which is perfectly acceptable, I cook them in an oven. Heat oven to 390. Place meatballs on a rack - then on a cookie tray. Bake for 12 minutes on one side then 12 minutes for the other.

I freeze the meatballs in bags and take out what I need per dinner. I just drop the meatballs into the sauce as if heats up.

*Years ago, I came to the conclusion that cooking meatballs in sauce sucks the flavor out of them resulting in a bland tasting meatball. However, cook them independent from the sauce and you'll taste something so good you'll fall out of your chair. If you want a flavored sauce add seasoned ground beef, chicken, pork, or beef tips.

Buon Appetito!

Looking for a great Italian sauce recipe?

It's a boy, Mrs. Altobelli, it's a boy.

My wife and I are expecting a baby in December. Today we found out the sex. It's a boy! My daughter and son will now have a baby brother. We're all very excited. However, I feel a little cheated knowing the sex. It's sort of like looking in your parent's closet at your soon-to-be wrapped Christmas presents. You know what I mean? Be that as it may, the doctor confirmed that the baby is healthy and everything is where its supposed to be.

I leave you with a flash back to my radio days.