July 26, 1939 - June 3, 2024
Giovanni was born in S. Biagio Platani, Sicily, Italy He grew up working on a farm with his brothers taken care of sheep, cows, goats and horses He and his brothers got the milk for the family by milking cows Giovanni and his family came to the United States in 1956 on the Queen Federica. The trip took 11 days Giovanni and his family lived in Newark, New Jersey with his family. In America, Giovanni quickly learned the English language and got his first job delivering telegrams, using his bicycle that his mom got for him. Giovanni wanted a better job so he applied for a job at a local grocery store, in the meat department as a butcher. He told the meat manager that he had experience chopping meat back in Sicily. The manager liked Giovanni and gave him the job. He was hired and was trained and worked as an Apprentice for one year. It wasn't long until he learned the trade. Within a very short time, he became the Assistant Meat Manager and not too long after that, he was offered a Meat Manager job at another Super Market Store. During his early years working as a butcher, Giovanni got an award for his performance by being awarded a check for $1,000. His mom was very proud of Giovanni and was happy to see that her example of working hard and trying your best brings success. Life was not always a bed of roses for Giovanni. One day while working as a butcher he cut his finger and sliced it in half. He went to the ER holding his cut finger. He had to wait 7 hours before he was treated. Giovanni enjoyed singing gospel songs with his brothers. Sal would lead the group and Giovanni and his brothers Joe and Jerry would follow Sal. Giovanni's Mom loved hearing her boys sing. She always invited her boys and their families to spend every holiday with her. She wanted her sons to sing while she was preparing dinner. Betty, Sal's wife, would play the piano and Joe, Giovanni's brother, would play the accordion. Watching Mom's boys singing gospel songs brought joy to Mom's heart. When Mom moved to Arizona to be with her grand-kids, Lisa and David, Giovanni missed his mom. So he quit his job as a Meat Manager and moved to Arizona too In Arizona, Giovanni got CPR training and volunteered his spare time in the city driving an ambulance and handling emergency calls He met Pat his wife in church and they were married on September 1990 Giovanni and Pat purchased a summer home in Prescott and they lived there for many years, enjoying the cool weather during the summer months in Arizona Giovanni retired and lived in Sun City, Arizona with his wife Pat After Giovanni retired, he did not just sit down and watch TV. He got a job as Cross Guard at a local High School In Prescott, he volunteered his time delivering food to the needy with an organization called, "Meals on Wheels" and traveled up to 25 miles to deliver food to the seniors in his community After Giovanni retired, he enjoyed life with his wife Pat by traveling in a motor home across the USA and Canada for about 10 years Giovanni fulfilled his dream by going on world cruises with his wife Pat. They traveled to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, Scotland, Ireland, Asia, South Korea, Russia and Alaska Now Giovanni is in Heaven with Jerry, Sal, Dad and Mom.