Attilio Oliva

Attilio 'Til' Oliva of Elmsford, NY was called to God on June 3rd, after a brief and sudden illness surrounded by his family. He was 72.

Born to Orazio and Rosa in the village of Montessarchio in Naples, Italy, he and his family immigrated to White Plains, NY when he was very young. He attended St. Bernard's parish school, and went on to be a standout All County football player at Archbishop Stepinac (Class of '72). He went to the University of Bridgeport on a full football scholarship.

'Til' wed his high school sweetheart, the love of his life, 'Jo' -Joann (Iannibelli) in 1976. The couple was getting ready to celebrate 50 years of marriage and were going to be recognized for this momentous golden anniversary at St. Patrick's Cathedral this coming weekend. They loved listening to good music together, going to concerts, and trips to their 'second home' in A.C. at Oceans Resort. Mostly, they loved sharing time with family and found great joy in hosting family gatherings including the much awaited grilled stuffed lobster 'feasts'.

In the early part of his career, Attilio worked for various distributors including Wonder Bread, Pepsi, Boars Head and Coca Cola before retiring in his early 60s. More recently, when he was not golfing or working in his garden, he could be found on his corner serving as a school crossing guard for the Village of Elmsford. He also volunteered regularly with the hot lunch program at Our Lady of Sorrows School. And for the last five summers, Attilio was the lunch program manager at Elmsford Day Camp where he truly enjoyed working alongside his two daughters, Cristina and Marisa, not only preparing the lunch, but also creating and designing systems to make everything run efficiently. He also served as a mentor to the young people he supervised in this role.

He was a loyal NY Yankees fan, and NY Jets fan (J-E-T-S). But, his favorite team to cheer on was the Pearl River Pirates that his son Michael coached in both football and baseball, along with any and every team that his children and grandkids have played on or coached through the years. He was also an avid golfer, and he took great pride in both his vegetable and flower gardens. All of his grandchildren loved helping 'Grandpa' or 'P pop' with the garden. They will remember him as their biggest supporter for all of their sports teams and he gave the loudest applause (and laughter) when attending their theater plays and performances.

He was a part of many groups, and he will be remembered by these friends as someone who was of service to many in their time of need. He was a 'doer' and a 'helper' and as one recently shared he was a 'true example' for others.

Attilio 'Til' Oliva is survived by his beloved wife Joann (Iannibelli), and their three children : Michael Oliva ( Kristin) of Pearl River, NY, Cristina Kraemer (Tom) of Greenburgh, and Marisa Imhof( Nick) of Brewster; his cherished grandchildren: Christopher ( 14), Nicholas (12), Anthony (12), Emilia Faith (8), Lucas ( 5) and Thomas (4). He was also a bonus grandpa to Salvatore, Olivia and Julia.

Attilio is also survived by his four siblings: Tina Ackerly of Connecticut, Celia Mazziotti of Pennsylvania, Cathy( Bob) of San Diego, and Carmine (Stefanie) of New Rochelle; his mother-in law Gloria Iannibelli, and brother in law John Iannibelli Jr., both of West Harrison, along with many nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

He is predeceased by his parents, Orazio and Rosa, who he has now reunited with in heaven. He is also predeceased by a sister named Connie whom he never met and looks forward to meeting in heaven.

A loving husband, father, grandfather and friend- it brought Attilio great happiness when he knew those that he loved were happy.

He will be dearly missed.

He loved flowers, so those are welcomed, but in lieu of them if you prefer to make a donation in his name you can do so to Salesian Missions, Our Lady of Sorrows School, or a charity of your choice.