Obituary of Gennaro V. Calvi

 Gennaro V. Calvi, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home beside his family on Thursday, May 6, 2021. To those who loved him most, he was a builder, a financier, a winner, and a preservationist.

     Gennaro is best known in the area of building; he would construct relationships one smile at a time. He built his business too from nothing, opening a pizzeria in Yonkers, aptly named Gennaro’s, where pinball was as popular as the pizza, and the high-score yielded a prize. A restaurant in Scarsdale came next, known for its Eggplant Parmigiana, its original double-pizza Fugazza, and its owner who knew what his customers wanted to eat, even before they did. 

     In financing, he excelled, counting up his bounty from selling slices and such, to get his three children through college and grow a beautiful life with his wife, Rosa. These skills, he learned in Martone, a small village on the top of a hill in southern Italy, overlooking a grove of olive trees. He owned the only bar in town, where he served homemade pastries and espresso, and where if a customer didn’t have enough money to pay, he’d serve them anyway.

     A winner in many arenas, his weekly basement poker matches resulted in enough winnings to bring the players’ wives into Manhattan once a year, limo and all. Gennaro also had the largest of bowling trophies from a yearly tournament with him and his friends, and he hosted a Scopa championship for his grandsons and nephews. He was ever so proud of his military service. Still, the area he took the most pride in was winning at life, for he married his first love in a quaint Italian ceremony more than 60 years ago with a procession that followed reminiscent of ones seen on film. They had three children, Jerry, Roseann, and Mary, who married Claire, Artie, and Mike. His grandchildren lit up his world- Danielle, Michael, Eric, Alyssa, Dana, Michael, Alexandra, and Christopher. He gave his family lessons, without a class, on love, on being well-dressed at all times, and growing the perfect peppers in the backyard garden. 

     Preservation to him was an art form, meticulously picking those hot peppers, cutting them up to a precise length and width, and jarring them for use when needed. He made these, not just for him, but for anyone else who wanted them. 

     Gennaro was a weekly lotto player who won a Pick 4 before his last payment for his daughter’s wedding, and though he never won the big prize, he never despaired, for he would say he had something better than anything money could buy; he had his family. 

     Services for Gennaro will be held at Sinatra Funeral Home located at 499 Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers from 3-7 pm on Monday, May 10. Gennaro’s funeral will be held at St. Ann’s Church at 854 Midland Ave in Yonkers on Tuesday, May 11, at 10 am.

     In lieu of sending gifts or flowers for Gennaro, his family kindly requests that his friends consider making a contribution in his honor to New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Donations can be made at give.nyp.org.