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He had just turned 89 years old the previous month There he met the love of his life Grazia “Grace,” who was born in the same village The couple married in 1954 and immigrated to America in 1961 They first lived in Lynwood before relocating to Downey Charlie initially worked as a mason and then as an equipment operator at Container Corporation of America in Irvine Charlie and his family joined Our Lady of Perpetual Church where they weekly sat in the same seat at the 5pm Saturday mass Charlie was also an avid member in the Downey Bocce Club He will be forever remembered by his sons Anthony (Christine) and Joseph (Elise); grandchildren Melissa (Tyler) He is preceded in death by his wife of 58 years Grazia and their daughter Fransceca The rosary was held at Miller Mies Mortuary on July 15 The funeral mass was the following day at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church He was laid to rest at All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach Copyright © 2023 The Downey Patriot Newspaper By Jan Uebelherr of the Journal Sentinel Palermo Pizza founder Gaspare "Jack" Fallucca a Sicilian immigrant who built a frozen pizza empire from a small east side Milwaukee restaurant Fallucca's business started at Palermo Villa on the east side a place known to draw performers such as Frankie Avalon and James Darren and where Fallucca was known to move from table to table Palermo Villa also was known to the late-night club and theater crowd for its pizza bread It was a request for the bread from Sendik's on Downer Ave that got Fallucca thinking of making pizza full time Grocery store owner Sal Sendik wanted some of the bread for his workers on a Saturday morning "I told him at 10 in the morning it would be too much trouble to warm up the ovens just to make a few slices of pizza bread," Fallucca told The Milwaukee Journal in 1991 "He told me I should make it ahead of time and sell it frozen." Fallucca sold the restaurant in 1979 and plunged into the frozen pizza business There they made the sauce and the sausage that went on the pizzas he introduced 12-inch round pizzas and a slogan: "Dat's da best!" It's now a trademarked company phrase Fallucca also gave himself a new name: Papa Palermo It was the last in a series of dreams for an immigrant who came here just after World War II and learned English on his own "He was probably one of the hardest workers I've ever known in my life - an immigrant who lived the American dream," Piano said Fallucca came to the United States from San Cipirello with his parents in 1949 and settled in Detroit They'd met in Sicily and reconnected in Milwaukee in the early 1950s His first job was as a dishwasher at the Pfister Hotel but always dreamed of owning his own business "When he first started out in construction Fallucca also worked in local Italian bakeries with his nephew the Falluccas opened Palermo Bakery on the east side cannoli and a specialty called cassata cake "I was so busy that for two weeks straight I slept on flour bags in the back," he said in a 1980 interview with the Journal they opened Palermo Villa restaurant at 2315 N "All these businesses were seven days a week and about 18 hours a day," he added He eventually turned the business over to his sons The frozen pizza business outgrew its south side operation and added a larger bakery in 1983 Palermo was the first Milwaukee manufacturer to develop a site in the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center bringing the headquarters to roughly 250,000 square feet and internationally through Costco and on-base military stores Palermo is the fifth-leading brand of frozen pizza in America The company has been involved in a high-profile labor dispute centered on workers' efforts to organize a union and issues of immigration Fallucca and his family were longtime supporters of Festa Italiana and the Italian Community Center He said Fallucca was a man with "a huge personality" who was driven at work but still managed to put his family first "It is the story of all immigrants who have come here and who have worked and have created a business," Spano said It's the thread that brings this whole country together." Piano will remember a man with a gift for talking and making friends "And he loved to sing," Piano said Jan Uebelherr writes obituaries about a wide range of local people who have died She won the 2009 National Headliner Award for best news series Death notices: Paid death notices or memoriams may be placed in the newspaper and on JSOnline.com by calling 414-224-2121 News obituaries: Journal Sentinel staff writers choose to write obituaries about a wide range of local people who have died. If you would like to suggest a news obituary, please contact the newsroom at 414-224-2318 or jsmetro@jrn.com More There are approximately 32 characters per line The name line at the top does count as 2 lines and only fits about 24 characters Online is a required $45 charge. 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