Willie DeLuca
My friend died of a heart attack Sunday, too soon. If Willie was going to leave us at age 58, it would have to have been the way he did. If Willie weighed 300 pounds, 299 of them were heart. Willie was blessed with a wonderful affliction: The inability to say no. There wasnt a softball team in Norwood that didnt benefit from Willie's generosity. There wasnt anyone who went to his restaurant that didnt get something for free. Most will remember him as The Guy Who Balanced Stuff on His Nose, or for the sports memorabilia he collected. Willie had more junk than Fred Sanford. I will recall his abiding generosity, and a spirit even larger than he was. Rest peacefully, my friend. Heaven is a better place today.
posted by Paul Daugherty at 9:08 AM
6 Comments:
at 10:19 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 11:44 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 2:45 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 11:41 AM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 11:37 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
at 11:27 PM 
Anonymous said...
-
-
Post a Comment*I doubt you will find anyone that mentions "Wall Street" and "Sorrento's Pizza" in the same sentence together, but the two will always go hand-in-hand in my mind. For years, our stock club gathered monthly at Sorrento's to discuss our portfolio, talk to Willie, and have a few beers and great pizza. Stocks, bonds, and Sorrento's...oh my!
Several of us would ususally arrive a bit early and have a beer at the bar, and talk to Willie on a variety of topics. I loved looking down past my beer bottle at the top of Willie's bar. There, forever encased in a thick layer of clear polyurethane, were hundreds of ticket stubs. With Willie providing the naration, those stubs became a living scrapbook of great Cincinnati sports history. Great stuff. Willie, you will be missed!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the DeLuca family.
That's awful news Paul, my prayers are with you and Willie's family. I'm sure it's pain like no other losing a loved one. Being only 34 I've had the fortune of not having to walk that path. Sounds like Willie lived his life the way most of us should. The world would be a better place if we did. Best wishes!
Our world needs more men like Willie DeLuca. His was always a happy presence at Sorrento's in Norwood. I think he made the pizza taste good. He will be sorely missed.
Chip Lapp
Kenwood OH
I had known Willie since the early 1960s. His life was an inspiration for everyone to enjoy each other. He was on Norwood City Council too, and tackled more than a few problems there.
Willie's favorite movie was It's a wonderful life. This was probably no secret to anyone. He will be missed by many.
I am trying very hard to find the words that would express how sad my family is about the loss of Willie Deluca.
My family and the Delucas knew each other before I was even born and I am 38. My mother Michelle Scarlatella was friends with Willie when they were young. I had to be the one to tell her. She was crushed, as we all were. We had said all week we have to go see Willie and tell him we love him and see how he is doing. We each drove past Sorrentos when we found out he was gone. I just wanted so badly to see Willie and his dear Mama sitting outside on the front steps of her home talking to each other.
The last time we saw Willie he was funny and charming just as he had always been. He was throwing out one-liners till tears came to our eyes from laughter. We walked around Sorrentos remembering years prior. We talked about the fire.
Willie could make even a stranger feel like an old friend.I remember him being so awesome when I was a child and wanting to go to Sorrentos to eat and see what Willie was doing. He had called me a little over a month ago to see if my husband was okay from a fall he had suffered earlier in the year.He had just met my husband a few months before when we reconnected at an auction after probably 10-15 years of not seeing each other. My husband was always so surprised that Willie would take the time to call and see how we were. That was just Willie. He had wanted to take us to the ball game when my husband was better. We never got to go. I have learned in the past few days to not wait anymore. If I am thinking about just saying hi or stopping by to see someone I want to do it and not make excuses. My father says it is a privelege to be a part of another persons life. Willie it was a great privelege to have known you. You are missed. We love you.God Bless You and your beautiful family.
Alana Messer
* Our online blogs currently are hosted and operated by a third party, namely, Blogger.com. You are now leaving the Cincinnati.Com website and will be linked to Blogger.com's registration page. The Blogger.com site and its associated services are not controlled by Cincinnati.Com and different terms of use and privacy policy will apply to your use of the Blogger.com site and services.
By proceeding and/or registering with Blogger.com you agree and understand that Cincinnati.Com is not responsible for the Blogger.com site you are about to access or for any service you may use while on the Blogger.com site. << Home