Armand D'Amato, father of senator, died
Seen in this April 4, 1993, photo, Armand M. D'Amato, the father of former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and a leading figure in the family's hometown of Island Park, died Dec. 28, 2010. He was 97.
Newsday's obituary for Armand M. D'Amato
Credit: Newsday File, 1993 / Dick Kraus
Those close to Armand M. D'Amato knew him as "Papa D'Amato," an eloquent man who presided over family meals with friends, political hopefuls and Republican party royalty at his Island Park home.
The father of former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato serenaded on piano both members of the local GOP and President Ronald Reagan, when visitors dined with his family.
In his quiet, unassuming way he played an influential role, as family and friends tell it.
"Every person in the 1980s and 1990s who was interested in politics on Long Island ended up having dinner or lunch at the D'Amato household," said Larry Elovich, a family friend and former Democratic Party leader in Long Beach. "You had to pass muster."
D'Amato died last Tuesday night at the Beach Terrace Care Center in Long Beach. He was 97.
Born in Newark, D'Amato was the second oldest in a family of nine, born to Italian immigrants.
Alfonse D'Amato, of Lido Beach, said his father "did not speak a word of English until after elementary school."
The elder D'Amato dropped out of school, but he was determined and talented. His son described him as "a violin virtuoso" who took piano lessons so he could land jobs playing at taverns.
D'Amato returned to school, graduated from Montclair State Teachers College as an English major in 1936 and later earned a master's in psychology from New York University.
During World War II, he was an infantryman with the Army in Fort Benning, Ga.
His father's life, said Alfonse D'Amato, was inspirational: "He is the spirit of what's made this nation so great - to overcome the fact that he couldn't speak English and did not have a lot. But he was from a family that had an abiding drive for education and hard work."
During his younger years, he played piano gigs and enjoyed drinking, his son said, but he ultimately quit the habit. After remaining sober for 53 years, he motivated others to quit and was "beloved in AA circles," Alfonse D'Amato said.
D'Amato, an insurance broker with a firm in Rockville Centre, founded and led the Island Park Chamber of Commerce in 1947, relatives said. He was also a founding member of the Five Towns Lions Club in the early 1950s and the Council of Nassau County Chambers of Commerce in the 1980s.
State Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos called him "a true leader" who helped "to improve the quality of life in Nassau County."
For all his rubbing elbows with people in power, D'Amato remained skeptical of politicians, his son said.
When Alfonse D'Amato told him that he was planning to run for the U.S. Senate, his father's fabled reaction was: "Maybe you should run to see a psychiatrist." But he was nevertheless a steadfast supporter.
D'Amato is also survived by his wife, Antoinette, of Island Park, whom he married in 1936; a daughter, Joann Ribeiro, of Evanston, Ill.; another son, Armand, of Lloyd Harbor; a brother, Albert D'Amato, of Atlanta; two sisters, Gilda Perry and Dora Greenwood, both of New Jersey; and 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at the Christopher T. Jordan Funeral Home in Island Park from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday. A 9:30 a.m. funeral Mass is scheduled Friday at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Island Park, with burial at St. Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale.
Snow totals may be less across the South Shore A winter storm is expected to pummel LI as artic air settles in across the region. NewsdayTV meteorologist Geoff Bansen has the forecast.
Snow totals may be less across the South Shore A winter storm is expected to pummel LI as artic air settles in across the region. NewsdayTV meteorologist Geoff Bansen has the forecast.
