Pasquale DiTerlizzi

1923 - 2020

(News story) Pasquale DiTerlizzi, who became a community fixture on Upton Avenue after working for 73 years at his business, Pasquale's Shoe Repair, died Dec. 8 at ProMedica Flower Hospital. He was 97.

He was hospitalized and died after contracting the coronavirus, his family said.

Mr. DiTerlizzi's son, Dino, said his father continued working at the family business for years after passing it to his children, doing whatever work was available. But two days before Thanksgiving, he said his father became ill and was taken to the hospital.

"He worked every day that we were open, he was right there, and if you didn't pick him up - because he didn't drive - he would call somebody and find a way to get to that shop," his son said. "He never relaxed, he worked every day that he could at his shop, And it wasn't like he would sweep; he would glue things and still take things apart and have zippers taken out of jackets so I could sew them, or he would clean the shop and emptying the machines.

"He was an amazing man and I truly think that kept him alive because he didn't stop working."

Mr. DiTerlizzi was born Sept. 2, 1923, to Mauro and Lucy Saccucci DiTerlizzi, who were immigrants from Italy. He graduated from Libbey High School and went into the Armed Forces, serving active duty from 1941-1944 as a welder.

In 1947, he then opened Pasquale's Shoe Repair on Upton Avenue. where, with the help of his wife and six children, he built it to become a community mainstay.

At the time, Dino said there were five shoe repair businesses in a two-to-three mile radius and his father, like many businesses at that time, struggled to stay open. His daughter, Tina Hill, said all six children were put to work once they "were tall enough to touch the counter," doing everything from helping to clean to eventually doing the same work as their father.

But early on, Mr. DiTerlizzi struggled to attract business and found himself traveling to different firms to see what he could do for them and also offering to repair about anything leather or with a zipper, his son said. From boots and shoes to purses and saddles, his father almost always was willing to try his hand at fixing whatever a customer brought in.

One item he made that unexpectedly made him famous was a belt he made for a DeVilbiss High School student. Dino said a teen came into his father's shop and was having difficulty keeping up his pants. Mr. DiTerlizzi quickly took a white leather strap, fastened a buckle and on, and sent the teen on his way. Soon, Dino said his father had other teens coming into his shop asking for belts just like it. It became known as a "Pasquale belt."

"They were white, like snow white, and it was a big hit," Dino said. "My dad said he was selling these Pasquale belts and that basically started his business and kept him afloat when he was struggling.''

Mr. DiTerlizzi took his passion for helping others a step further by offering orthopedic shoe services, helping those with shortened legs or who otherwise had difficulty walking.

As if he wasn't busy enough, he was also active at St. Anthony's Church and School, working various fund-raisers and dinners to help raise money for both.

Mr. DiTerlizzi is survived by his children: daughters Patsy Rhoades, Tina Hill, and Mari Beck; sons Mark Hartzell, and Dino and Mario DiTerlizzi; 16 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

A private Funeral Mass will be at St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Temperance, Mich., followed by burial in St. Anthony's Cemetery. Military Honors will be conducted by Lambertville VFW Post 9656.