Vincent Giannone, 89, Huntington Sta. barber, activist

Vincent Giannone, a longtime Huntington Station barber and community activist, died Sunday evening surrounded by family at his home in Marco Island, Fla., one month shy of his 90th birthday.

Known as Jimmy, Giannone died from "complications of old age," said his son, Joseph, also of Marco Island.

Born in Brooklyn, Giannone was 10 when he began working in his uncle's barber shop, shaving customers. By the time he was drafted into the Army during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, his hair-cutting talent was so well-known that fellow soldiers would drop by for a trim, his son said.

Returning to Brooklyn after the war, Giannone joined a five-barber shop. In the early 1950s, one of his partners brought in a copy of Newsday and Giannone saw an ad listing a barber shop for sale in Huntington Station. He bought the shop at the corner of New York Avenue and Depot Road and ran the Depot Barber shop for the next 47 years. Giannone and his wife Isabella moved their family to a home nearby.

In Huntington, Giannone became involved in politics and community affairs. "My dad helped out a lot of people in his barber shop," his son said. "A lot of people came in and talked to him about different situations. He and several others tried to keep Huntington Station as beautiful as they could."

Giannone's efforts earned him the title of "unofficial" Mayor of Huntington Station, according to his son and a local newspaper.

"He was a terrific partner and a very good man," said longtime partner Michael Ambrosio of Huntington.

Giannone retired in 1998 and moved with his son, Joseph, and his family to Marco Island. His oldest son, Barney, of Setauket, took over the barber shop, closing it two years ago, Joseph Giannone said.

"He was very warm, very loving, a great father, a great grandfather," Joseph Giannone said. "Most of his attention while he was working was on his community. He loved his Huntington Station."

Giannone his survived by his wife, two sons and three grandsons.

A wake will be held Thursday at the Hodges-Josberger Funeral Home on Marco Island, with services Friday at the San Marco Catholic Church, followed by burial in the Marco Island Cemetery.