Carmine Falcone

Dad's Story . . .



Our father was born in lower Manhattan in 1931 during the Great Depression. Dad grew up in Little Italy and the Bowery until he and Mom got married and saved up enough money to move to an apartment in Brooklyn. Dad was an only child and born to Joseph and Anna Falcone, who lived on Delancey Street for most of their lives and who were New York Italians through and through.

Dad loved to tell us stories about his childhood during the Depression-when clothespins served as the "toys" he got to play with and a marble or a "steely" held untold value among his friends in the neighborhood. Dad was a young boy during World War II, and he graduated from Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side in 1949. Dad met Mom at Coney Island not long after graduation. They were young and couldn't get married for a number of years, but Mom and Dad sneaked their first kiss on the Coney Island "Wheel of Wonder" Ferris wheel. It obviously made a lasting impression, as Dad set out to marry Mom as soon as he got out of the Marines!

Doris came along in 1954; Joe followed soon thereafter in 1957. Paul held out for a while but ultimately made his way into the world in 1963. Dad became a Grandpa in 1982 and had such love for his six grandchildren – Jay, Dennis, Michael, Christina, Nina, and Sam. Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September 2003, and the whole family enjoyed a seven-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera – memories that we'll never forget.

When people ask us about our father, the first thing that comes to mind is funny. Dad was always the life of the party. He didn't necessarily have more jokes than anyone else-he just seemed to find a way of making the same jokes funnier and funnier each time that he told them. We all learned early on that a healthy sense of humor was one of life's most important blessings. Dad was also the hardest worker we ever saw. After spending 20-plus years with the New York City Department of Sanitation and then 20-plus years with the L.A. County Municipal Courthouse, Dad retired when Mom passed away in 2006-54 years after they were first married. Dad taught us all how to work hard, put our noses to the grindstone, and always put our families first. He lived the example that we've emulated ever since.

We lost a lot of Dad in 2006 when Mom passed away. She was the love of his life, and he was never the same afterward. Last September, our sister, Doris, passed away-Dad's oldest child and only daughter. Once Doris joined Mom in heaven, it was Dad's time to unite with them. Yet Dad's scorecard was incredibly impressive for one lifetime: a 53-year marriage, three children, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren, a very stable career and incredible work ethic, and an outstanding athlete-paddle ball was his game, and no one could sink more free throws in a row in a game of basketball than Dad. He was a man who truly took care of his family in every sense. Dad clearly made the world a better place.

Dad is our hero, our role model, and someone who taught us to always "Get the ball back to the wall"-no fancy trick shots or shortcuts, just a solid focus and dedication to everything he did. How can we say thank you to a man who gave us life, taught us how to navigate it, and loved us unconditionally? There is no way, of course, other than to share with the world the blessings of his lifetime. We'll sure miss you, Dad, and the world will be so much quieter and less without you. Until we meet again, Papa . . . -- Joe and Paul