Obituary of Angelo Peter Costanzo

Angelo Peter Costanzo passed away peacefully on July 13, 2014. Born in Yonkers on June 19, 1937, it was there he grew up with his close knit family. Yonkers was a place held close to his heart no matter where life took him, be it NYC, Chicago or Cleveland. His roots were strong as were his ties to his family and friends. He fondly recalls spending his childhood playing with his brother and neighborhood kids in the hills of Yonkers, only surfacing when shouts of lunch from his grandmother brought them in for afternoon pasta. In his later youth Angelo moved to the Bronx with his parents and brother, working in the family candy store/soda shop. Again, there were many tales and fond memories from this time working in a soda shop in the early days. Known as Angelo to his close friends and family, he was known later in life and professionally as Peter. Peter married Emily Gallagher in January 1966. They were wed in the church of St. Agnes in New York City and followed the ceremony with a reception at Pete's Tavern. According to Emily, it was the best party she's ever been to. Peter and Emily went on the have 4 children, and 11 grandchildren. One of his lasting legacies is the large and loving close knit family that he created with Emily. Peter graduated from Iona college and embarked on a career as a successful banker. His career took him from NY to Chicago in the late '60's, and then Cleveland from the early '70s to the early '80s. He finally ended up working on Wall Street, retiring from Solomon Brothers in 1994. Always one to seize an opportunity, especially one that involved hanging out with the boys and smoking cigars, retirement didn't last long. In the summer of '94 he decided to open his own cigar shop and that's when Boston Road Cigars was born, and Peter became known as the legendary "Cigar Pete". Along with professional success, Peter was supremely skilled at enjoying life. His love and devotion to the game of golf is legendary. In order to secure the best tee time available, Peter was known to trade off sleeping overnight in the parking lot duties with his faithful foursome. In one memorable episode many years ago, he awoke early one Sunday morning to head out to the golf course only to discover that overnight his car was stolen. As he reached for the phone, Emily asked if he was calling the police. "no, I'm calling the cab, I gotta make my tee time". Music was always an important part of Angelo's life, and the tunes of Elvis, Roy Orberson and countless country western singers seemed to be a running soundtrack to his life. He was known for his unabashed enthusiasm is belting out 50's hits with his own style of guitar magic. He knew just enough guitar to get the party started, and could keep the party going to the wee hours of the morning. Peter also enjoyed going to the racetrack - likening it to the stock market, only with quicker results. He studied the pages with skillful intensity. The family enjoyed many summer trips to the Lake George area, ending the vacation with a trip to Saratoga to bet on the races, where he taught each of his children to make their best bets with $2.00 per race. Peter was a supremely generous human being and will be sorely missed by everyone whose life he touched. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 17, 2014 at Sinatra Funeral Home, 601 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, NY from 4-8pm. A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, July 18, 2014 at Sacred Heart Monastery Church, 110 Shonnard Place, Yonkers, NY at 9:30 am. Interment to follow at Ferncliff Cemetary in Hartsdale, NY. Donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.