Plainedge deli owners, Antonio D'Ambrosio and Angela Pulisciano, remembered for hard work, community spirit

Antonio D’Ambrosio and Angela Pulisciano treated their friends and customers like family.

The couple, who police said were fatally stabbed last week by their son at the A&A Italian Deli in Plainedge, were remembered Friday during a funeral at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Seaford, less than a mile from their store.

Their three other sons and daughter filled the front pew of the church, sitting before a portrait of the couple and a green, white and red floral arrangement of the Italian flag. Two coffins were carried into the church, blessed with holy water and draped side by side in a funeral pall.

"We need to acknowledge the cause of death of Tony and Angela," the Rev. John Derasmo of St. James said. "The fact is there have been times when things are clearly not OK, and this is one of them."

D’Ambrosio, 70, known to the community as "Tony," and Pulisciano, 62, were killed Dec. 4 when police said their son, Vito D’Ambrosio, 30, came into the deli and began arguing with his parents in a back room. Vito D’Ambrosio is charged with murder, accused of stabbing his mother in the neck and then turning the knife on his father.

Police said D’Ambrosio waited outside the deli on Hicksville Road for police to arrive. Police found him with blood on his hands after D’Ambrosio told a customer he stabbed his parents.

Police said D’Ambrosio was estranged from his family after being charged in a domestic incident with a sibling weeks earlier. He pleaded not guilty during a hospital arraignment last week and is being held without bail. His attorney, Raymond Queliz, said D'Ambrosio was waiting to be arraigned on a grand jury's indictment but otherwise declined to comment. 

During the service, Derasmo said there was nothing he could say to ease the pain of the tragedy, but recalled the joy the couple brought to the community and their generosity, which included donating pizzas to the church.

"I've heard so many stories of their friendliness with their customers, many of whom are here with us today," Derasmo said.

One of their loyal customers, Joseph Garcia, of Farmingdale, spoke during the funeral about the deli as a hub for the community, where people gathered for breakfast and lunch, sharing in the family's spirit.

"Tony and Angela were two of the hardest working people I know," Garcia, 43, said. "Many people from the outside may wonder why so many of us felt so closely, or even find it strange how deeply we all care about the owners of a small deli where they work 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week. ... It's because they treated us like family."

Garcia said he would take his three children to the deli, where Garcia's grandfather was holding court with friends. He described the deli's bustling atmosphere — the Italian family working the grill and friends gathering over chicken cutlets, eggplant and egg sandwiches.

"Every trip to A&A felt like stopping by your parents’ or grandparents’ house. They fed you when you were hungry. To us that is a deeply personal thing," Garcia said. "They knew your family and always asked how everyone was doing."

D’Ambrosio's and Pulisciano's kindness was well-known, Garcia said — the couple covered customers who were a few dollars short, provided helpings of sandwiches at a cheap price and apologized if they had to temporarily raise prices. During the pandemic, they bought extra milk and supplies for people who needed it.

They only closed to take family trips back to Italy or for family events.

"The deli was so much more," Garcia said. "Even I am a little surprised how much the deli and its owners could mean to us. In a town without even a ZIP code, they gave us a place that felt like a community."