Arturo Gismondi

GISMONDI-Arturo, of Boca Raton, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 22, 2005, surrounded by his loved ones. Arturo was born in Sora, Italy, on August 1, 1920. Seeing the opportunity for a better future, he departed from his family and restaurant business in 1955 to start a new life in America. His dream was fulfilled when he finally opened the doors of his first Arturo's Restaurant in St. Albans, Queens. Later he moved to Bellerose, Long Island, and in the early '80s he finally settled in Boca Raton. He spent his last 25 years enjoying life and doing what he liked best: spending summers in Italy, fishing, gardening and, most of all, singing Italian songs in his beloved restaurant with a glass of red wine in his hand surrounded by his family and friends. He was well liked for his charisma, sense of humor and passion for life. His legacy lives on in the lives of his wife Angela, sons Giuseppe and Vincenzo, daughters-in-law Gabriella and Rosaria, his grandchildren Cinzia, Angela, Arturo, Elisa, Giulia, Claudia, Roberta and Sabrina; his great-grandchildren Claudio, Gabrielle, Timothy, Isabella, Arianna and Lilliana; his siblings Settimio and Trusiana from Toronto, Canada, and all his nieces and nephews. Friends may call from 2-4 and 6-8 PM on Sunday, April 24, at Babione Funeral Home (East Chapel). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 PM on Monday, April 25, 2005 of St. John of Arc Catholic Church. Entombment will follow at the Boca Raton Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, the family graciously requests expressions of sympathy be made in his name to Pope John Paul II High School Foundation, 4001 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33431.