John Mirabile

John was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a loyal friend.  Born in Italian Harlem in 1930, John lived the first seven years of his life with his Sicilian parents, learning English in school while speaking Italian at home.  The sudden death of his father caused John, his mother, and his sister to move back to Tunisia to join the rest of the extended family at their industrial/residential compound.  There he met Margaret, the love of his life, where they grew up together until they were 18.

When John turned 18, he and his mother moved back to New York to seek their fortunes, and slowly the rest of a large extended family followed suit.  John found employment in the garment district, making dresses and coats, and forming the social network that would sustain him for the rest of his life.  When he was 23 he was married to Margaret, by this time in the States, and soon afterward he was drafted to serve in the US Army and was sent to Japan in the Quartermaster Corps.  After being honorably discharged, John found employment in airline industry food service, where he remained for his entire working life.  In 1962, John, Margaret, and their three sons moved to Houston, Texas for two years, and then to Redondo Beach, where he lived ever since.

John enjoyed a long, prosperous career with Air France for twenty years, and then another twenty with United Airlines.  John won countless awards for excellence in his field, and rapidly rose to executive status, finally managing the entire food service operation for United Airlines in El Segundo.

Food service was John’s passion, which he carried over into his personal life as the owner/operator of two local restaurants:  Piccola Italia, successful for about twenty years  (the present “Thai Rama” on Torrance and Anza); and the now defunct La Strada (formerly The Stable), on Crenshaw and Rolling Hills Road.   Ever the gourmet, John’s bookshelves remain well-stocked with cookbooks from all over the world.  He delighted in creating memorable feasts for friends and family.

Those who knew John will always remember his ready smile, his warm hospitality, and jovial disposition.  John was always up for an adventure, and was an ardent traveler and gourmand.  John taught the love of travel to his family, and taught them to appreciate the finer, funner things in life.  Good food, good music, good wine, and good humor were all part of what made John so beloved of his friends and family.

John was a valued executive, a creative chef, a good son, a doting husband, and an exemplary father.  John was predeceased by his beloved wife Margaret, and sons Bruno and Steven.  Left to cherish his memory are son John, daughter-in-law Patti, grandson Vincent, granddaughter Nicole, brother-in-law Gaetano (Margaret’s brother), and a host of cousins and friends all over the world.

John will rest side-by-side with his beloved Margaret at the VA Memorial Park in Riverside, California.