Obituary of Chester R. Perrone

"A Man with Many Names"

In 1934, Nancy and Raymond became the proud parents of a boy named Chester Raymond Perrone. He was a true boy, he loved playing and doing all of the things little boys do. As time moves on, however, the inevitable happens, young boys become teenagers and eventually young men and become their own persons. This is where his story began.

Chester loved being out with his friends in Southwest Yonkers, mostly the Park Hill area. He was a bit of a wild child and loved being on the streets. Somewhere during this time Chester became known as "Sharkey". As I met people that knew him in his younger days, they would ask me "How is Sharky?." Everyone knew Sharkey back in the day and Sharkey knew everybody.

Then it happened, as a very young man Chester met the love of his life, Jean Sekinski. He was infatuated with her. Once he started to court her, that was it for him, there was no letting go and he was crazy about her. What's not to be crazy about, she was beautiful, smart and just what he needed. I heard stories about how he would hang out with the boys because that's what you did and then after he would meet up with his Jean. When he couldn't find her in her normal spot he would go nuts looking for her. He would drive up and down the hill, and if cars or people were in the way on the street, no problem, he would just drive on the sidewalk until he eventually found her. Who knows, maybe Jean played a little hard to get to test him out! They were madly in love and were married in 1955. Jean gave him another name she called him "Hun," you know, short for honey. To this day, I don't think I ever heard her call him anything else. Now I'm not going to say life was a complete bowl of cherries because it wasn't, but when they were served up with "lemons," as the saying goes, they made lemonade. Like with all marriages it is something to be worked on and I'm sure that Jean had a couple of other "pet" names she called him but they aren't fit for print! One thing I can say for certain is that she spoiled him, he never wanted for a meal or had to change the channel on the TV set. Jean did it all for him up until his last moment. They were truly in love with each other their entire lives together.

At some point while he was a young man, he became known as "Sonny." That is the name his mom, "Ma" as he called her, would use to get his attention. And so it was, family and friends would call him "Sonny." His brother-in-law's Ed, Bobby and Johnny would call him Sonny when they were together or just talking about him. He had a great relationship with his brother-in-law's and loved them dearly. They really were more like brothers, they grew up and aged together.

In 1960 Jean and Chet aka "Sharky, Hun and Sonny" were blessed with a beautiful little girl "Nancy" and luck struck twice in 1964 when they were blessed with a handsome little guy Chester Jr. When they were able to talk, a new name was bestowed upon Chester, probably his most favorite name of all. They called him "Dad." He loved his kids as much as any man could. He was strict, but gentle and wanted only the best for them. He was a loving father and nothing was more important to him then his kids. He absolutely adored them and found no greater joy then going to the park with them, teaching them things, and just messing around with them.

Throughout the years Chester had worked at a furniture factory making dining room sets in Garnerville, NY and he later worked for the State of NY at SUNY Purchase as a painter where he retired from.

Chester, in his younger days, loved to play cards and throughout his life he was a true a true Yankee fan. He loved them like nobody's business. He wouldn't miss a game and he would scream at the television one minute yelling and shouting at them as if they could hear him and the next he was cheering his team on and the whole neighborhood would know about it.

His daughter and son each met their "one and only" a few years apart. Nancy married Joey Solicito and in 1993 the first of four grandchildren would be born. He brimmed from ear to ear with the birth of each one. First came Danielle, born to his daughter Nancy. Danielle was the "apple of his eye" up until his death. From the moment she could speak he became known as "Poppy." He would babysit for her while his daughter, son-in-law, and wife were at work. He looked forward to this with arms opened wide. He would play games with her, feed her, or on nice days take her to the park. He would also help her on the swings and just enjoy watching her run around. His son Chester Jr. married Pina DeSantis and four years after his first granddaughter Danielle, his grandson Nicholas was born to his son and daughter-in-law Pina. His grandson called him "Grandpa" and he had yet another name. His grandson lived above him in an apartment on Prescott Street in Yonkers. Grandpa would put his grandson on the school bus and pick him up every single school day and it was one of those daily routines that he cherished. He would be blessed two more times with two more granddaughters, Nancy gave birth to Nicole and his daughter-in-law gave birth to Gabriella. All four of his grandchildren were each very special to him in their own special way. It was official, the names "Poppy and Grandpa were now etched in stone, and he loved it!

Chester aka "Sharky, Hun, Sonny, Dad, Pop, Poppy, and Grandpa" also loved dogs. He had many throughout his lifetime but I think his favorite was his last one, Sarge. He would walk Sarge or Sarge would walk him around Nodine Hill. Sarge was a big Rottweiler. Dogs loved him and I bet even the dogs had their own name for him. He truly loved walking through Nodine Hill with his dog and talking to everyone. He was the "Mayor of the Hill" and was quick to lend an ear or flash a smile.

Sonny (not sure which name to use, he had so many) loved going out with his wife and they loved to dance. They were quite the pair on the dance floor and his legs moved like Elvis Presley. Everyone knew them and they would cheer for them on the dance floor. He also loved Frank Sinatra and would sing his songs. He liked to sing to people, or himself and really cared about everyone and everything. He would often say, "like Frank Sinatra sang, I Did it My Way."

In the 1970's, he was a Yonkers Auxiliary Police Officer and loved wearing that uniform. He always wanted to be the real thing, but back then Jean put an end to that, as she was afraid to let him enter into a dangerous profession. So he did the next best thing, he served as an Auxiliary Police Officer and was happy to serve the City of Yonkers.

Later in life, Chester's faith in Jesus soared, he read the bible every day and always had a good thing to say or a smile to pass on. He always said he would meet Jesus and his mother at the "Gates of Heaven." His faith was strong; he was a true believer and while he may have had fears about some things, he was not afraid of dying. He knew he would be with Jesus and his family.

Chester died peacefully at home in Stony Point, NY, the morning of October 7, 2023 at 10:07am. At 89 and ½ years old, he was never sick, never suffered and had a wonderful life. He will be missed by everyone and remembered by all. We know he met Jesus and his Mom at those gates and is looking down on us, caring, loving and protecting his family. He would not want anyone to be sad, but would love to see everyone happy and celebrate his life!

Chester R. Perrone was many things to many people and he had quite a few names throughout his life. He loved life, loved to live and loved to eat, especially a good ravioli. He is survived by his wife Jean, children Nancy and son-in-law Joey, Chester and daughter in law Pina, grandchildren Danielle, Nicholas, Nicole and Gabriella, sister Donna Scott (Perrone), and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother Raymond "Chipper" Perrone.

Chester loved children and hated to see any child suffer. In Lieu of Flowers, he would prefer donations to be made to St Jude's Children Hospital. He always said if he hit Lotto he would give so much to St. Jude's.

Please consider making a donation by clicking here.