Page created by: Antonio Paparella

In 1954, at the age of 19, our father came to the United States from Italy. Barely speaking English and with no money, he lived with his aunt and uncle in New Jersey where he worked in construction.

In 1955, our mother came to the United States from Italy with her parents. While in Italy, our parents lived only blocks away from each other. They knew each other's family, however, they never met in Italy. Our mother brought a package from Italy for my father from his family. Our mother was 16 years old and our father was 19 years old. After they first met, they never left each other's side.

After a few years in New Jersey, he opened his own construction company and was quite successful.

In 1960, my mother and father were married. They had their first son, Gino, in 1961 and a daughter, Enza, in 1963.

In 1972, our father had to close his construction company due to medical reasons and our family moved to Florida.

In 1974, they had their son, Michael, and our father opened a grocery store in Hollywood, Florida, Gino's Italian Market. The market was a fixture in Hollywood for 45 years.

A few years ago, our father was diagnosed with Parkinson's and dementia. Within a few short years, the diseases consumed him. He lost the ability to walk, talk and move.

He passed away on Monday, January 6, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. He will be greatly missed. Our father was an amazing man. He had the fortitude and foresight to imagine a life outside of his native Italy. We are all eternally grateful for his wisdom and choices.

We ask for donations to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to hopefully find a cure for this terrible and debilitating disease.