John Anthony Onorato Sr.

John Anthony Onorato Sr. aka Johnny NY, Johnny "O," 79, passed away on March 17, 2007 where he now joins his wife, Phyllis who passed in 1980. John was born on October 10, 1927 in New York, NY, where he grew up to marry Phyllis Sciarillo and raise their family. Johnny tended bar for more the 30 years in New York after which he moved to Arizona in 1987 to be with his three children Toni Marie, Doreen, & Johnny Boy, his son-in-law Dennis, and daughter-in-law AnnMarie whom he now leaves behind. He is also survived by his five grandchildren Deena, Frankie, Nicole, Vincent (Lou), and Antonette, and granddaughter-in-law Amanda; his three great grandchildren Elias, Adison, and Hailey and extended family member Jeanette. You are home now Daddy, so rest comfortably.Written By John's Daughter-In-Law, AnnMarieJohnny, or Popa O as I knew him, was a very special person to everyone in this room. He touched all of us in his own unique way. He was a not just a father to his three children, my aunts ToniMarie and Doreen, and my father Johnny but so much more, he was their daddy. He was a friend and father-in-law to my uncle Dennis and my mother AnnMarie. He was a Grandfather and a Popa to my cousins Deena and Nicole, and my siblings Vinny or as he called him Lou, Antonette, and myself. He was also blessed to have seen three great grandchildren Elias, Adison and Hailey. Moreover, his family will continue to grow as he is now in heaven looking down watching over us all. And while it took his grandchildren having children for him to officially be a great grandpa, I know to all of us that's what he always was.  We can all find comfort in knowing he is in peace and in a better place now. He had quite a group of people waiting there for him. His mother and father and his wife Phyllis who I'm sure she will have plenty to say since she has waited 27 years to talk to him. As we sit here now he is probably up there cooking filet Mignon for all of them especially his beloved pampered pooch Rosie. As we all stop here to remember the man he was, we are reminded to not cry in hurt and sorrow but to smile in warmth and laughter that he always brought to us. He never hesitated to make a joke of every situation, even sometimes when he shouldn't have. We've all experienced one of his trademark roll of the eyes at some point in our lives, had the pleasure of one of his off the cuff comments or been dealt his favorite saying "Aww, for Christ sake," when you did something he didn't like. It's really funny how a simple sound a person makes can have such a lasting effect, none of us in this room will ever forget sitting on his lap as he bump bump bump bumped. He was a hard working man who worked all his life tending bar. Many people go through life working in a job out of necessity and never enjoy going to work each day. However, he truly loved what he did. He worked up until he was over 70 years old. He always showed his family to work hard, take care of your family and be a stand up person. He passed this lesson onto my father, who passed it onto me, and while I try to live my life by it, I hope to someday pass it on to my son. He missed out on things early on in life with his children because he worked so much. Nevertheless, he made up for it ten fold with his grandchildren. He was so proud of and loved all his grandchildren and very much. He was always so thoughtful of all the children.  He had a passion for cooking and music. He would think nothing of getting up in the middle of the night to broil a steak, brew a pot of lentils, or put a roast and potatoes in the oven. I remember numerous times that I would just stop by to say hi, and end up staying hours eating. He loved watching everyone eat and enjoy his cooking. Whenever you walked into his house, you would hear some Frank Sinatra, Benny, Basie, Sully Mason or his big band music playing and the aroma of garlic pouring out of the kitchen. When it comes to food, we can all laugh as we hear him now "this broccoli take like fish or this meat is flat." He enjoyed watching movies, game shows and sports on TV and we all know he loved doing his crossword puzzles. He drove us all nuts with them at times. At any given moment, he would look up from his puzzle through his glasses of his and say could it be this, and you never knew what he was even talking about. His later years he spent living with his daughter ToniMarie, the two of them were truly good friends aside from being father and daughter. They laughed and joked as much as they fought and argued. They even appeared to have a language of their own at times. We could sit and watch, as Aunt Toni would shake her head up and down, back and forth, he would wiggle his fingers and not a single word was spoken. Then they would both say ok and continue in a conversation with someone else in the room.  It may not be funny to anyone other than his daughter Doreen; however, it is always something they laughed about. When she walked into a room where she last left him with her baby Nicole in her rocker seat. "Dad where's the baby" as she sees the rocker seat empty. “The baby is right there.” Only to see an empty rocker and little Nicole who rolled out onto the floor behind the ottoman crying.  He was always there for everyone even if he wasn't asked. You could ask, "Hey Mr. O, I need five hundred. I can pay you next week,” only to hear him answer, “Pay me 20 dollars a week for the rest of your life.” Crumb donuts are simple and just a cake, to some they are a very special gift to others. Three times, he gave them as a gift and that will never be forgotten. My mother thanks you Popa. As we now lay you to rest, these final words come from, my dad, your son Johnny boy. “It was me who took and crashed the car, Dad.”You will be missed.Written By John's Daughter-In-Law AnnMarie Read By John's Grandson Frankie At John's Funeral