Gerardo Damiano

Gerry Damiano passed away peacefully at his home with his family on January 1, 2022.

Gerry is survived by his wife Rosa of 61 years and his son Nicola and daughter Angela. Gerry has 5 grandchildren, Isabella, Acacia, Teddy, Sofia, Marco, daughter-in-law Manuela and son-in-law Sam.

Gerry was born in Italy. He married Rosa at the age of 25 which was considered old at the time. Soon after marrying, they went to work in Germany but then returned to farming in Italy.  Nicola and Angela were born, and they all lived with Gerry’s parents while in Italy. Gerry was ambitious and hard working. As said by his son, Nicola, Aquilonia was too small for him, for someone who was a true capitalist at heart. Gerry and Rosa and their young family came to the US by boat in 1970. Within two days of his arrival, he was already hard at work at the local junkyard with his brother-in-law Dominick Luongo and nephew Vito Luongo. Two days later, Gerry bought a car because he would not take a bus to work, and he ended up as the designated driver for his family.  Within the next year, he went to work for Frank DiPietro at his landscaping business. This is where he learned about landscaping and running a business.

In his 50s, Gerry started his own business, Damiano Landscaping. Work was his passion. Gerry enjoyed working hard. He always wanted his money to work for him. He would say that his money could not stay in the bank and he invested in his business and in rental houses. He only retired from landscaping at the age of 79.  His business stayed in the family and is now owned by his nephew Joe Portonova. Although he had retired from landscaping, he continued to manage his rental properties.

Gerry was old school. He instilled his great values to his children and grandchildren. He was proud of all he had accomplished and leaves a legacy of success through hard work.