Cosmo Romanelli

When Cosmo Theodore Romanelli walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Cosmo was and how he impacted those around him. Cosmo was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Cosmo wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Cosmo was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

Cosmo was born on February 28, 1935 at New York Hospital in New York, New York. He was the son of Theodore and Rachele Romanelli and they raised Cosmo in The Bronx, New York. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Cosmo might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Cosmo was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

Cosmo was raised with three siblings; he had an older sister, Carole and two younger sisters, Leonore and Marie. Cosmo was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Cosmo was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Cosmo well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

As a young boy, Cosmo was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew him into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Cosmo was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with his peers. He was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. Cosmo enjoyed taking part in street games, such as Ringolevio, Three Steps to Germany, marbles, and Points. In his spare time he liked riding his bike, reading comic books and playing with friends. Cosmo's memorable achievements included being a child entrepreneur by selling sodas and snacks to local factory workers for pocket money as a teenager. Cosmo had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity he and the many childhood friends he shared might discover.

During his high school years, Cosmo responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Bronx Vocational High School in June of 1953. Cosmo was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Cosmo absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. During this time, he developed excellent carpentry skills. For Cosmo, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Cosmo a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought him an endless stream of friends, Cosmo was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Cosmo was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. He always seemed aware of what was going on with people around him and throughout his life he made many, many friends. While growing up, some of his best friends were Alby Garcia, Angelo and Lenny Lenoci, Louis Diaz, and Sam Roumas. Later in life, he became friends with Rocky Torino and Paul DeBeau.

On August 28, 1973 Cosmo married Gloria Frances Mega by the Justice of the Peace in Queens, New York. Cosmo's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Gloria's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Cosmo was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

Cosmo was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Cosmo, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Romanelli home. Cosmo's skill at understanding his child's feelings, his sensitivity to his needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Cosmo was blessed with one son, William. He was also blessed with two grandchildren, Amanda and Adam.

Cosmo was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation for 20 years was as a self-employed distributor for Tropicana Juice. After retirement and moving to Las Vegas, he became a charter bus driver. Cosmo was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Cosmo had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Cosmo's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

Cosmo was also an Army veteran. He was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1954-1956. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Private First Class. His fellow soldiers could count on him for being able to make adjustments to any situation as needed.

Because Cosmo loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were singing, home improvement projects, and telling stories and jokes. He could also imitate accents and mannerisms of others perfectly. He truly had a gift for entertaining and making others laugh. He was the life of the party.

Cosmo derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Cosmo was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list was boxing.

Throughout his life, Cosmo was actively involved in professional and community organizations. He was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Cosmo seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Cosmo usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with him, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Politically, Cosmo was a strong supporter of the Republican Party.

Cosmo's love of improvising in his daily life was a perfect fit for his enjoyment of traveling. His favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit his personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Cosmo took his vacations seriously, well, as seriously as he possibly could. Favorite vacations included Italy, Canary Islands, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

Cosmo was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. A few of his favorite dogs included: Major, a German Shepherd; Sunshine, a Llhaso Apso; Fritz, a Schnauzer; Bubba, a Shepherd/Rottweiler mix; and Alfie, a Schnauzer, all of whom were best friends for many years. His family was rounded out by his cat, Pretty Girl. Because of his love for animals, especially dogs, Cosmo was an active member of the Humane Society of America.

When Cosmo's retirement from Tropicana finally came in 1992, Cosmo handled it the way he usually did. He adapted and, like everything in his life, made it satisfying. Because he was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Cosmo to master. His new life involved relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994. In retirement, he found new pleasure in cursing at the television, particularly at liberal political shows. Even in retirement, Cosmo continued to stay in touch with his old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

Cosmo Romanelli passed away on December 4, 2010 at his home in Henderson, Nevada after fighting a brave battle against colon cancer. He is survived by his loving wife, Gloria, son, William, daughter-in-law, Anne Marie, grandchildren, Amanda and Adam, two sisters, Lenore and Marie, cousin Michael Minafo, and many nieces and nephews. Services were held at Palm Mortuary, Eastern Chapel, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Cosmo. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Cosmo Romanelli for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Cosmo was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with his loved ones.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Eastern Funeral Home, Las Vegas, NV.