John R. Spingola

A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday April 9th at 2pm at St. Francis Roman Catholic Church in Clearfield by Monsignor H. Desmond McGee. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Clearfield. Viewings for Mr. Spingola will be Tuesday April 8, 2014 from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm at the Bennett and Houser Funeral Home, 312 E. Locust Street, Clearfield, PA.

Born June 11, 1935 in Clearfield, he was the fourth son of John William and Lena (Ballestrere) Spingola and grew up in the East End neighborhood of Clearfield with his family.

John married his wife of fifty plus years Mervine Palumbo on November 2, 1963 in Winchester Virginia and they have two sons John of New York City and Timothy of Clearfield. They have one grandchild, Charlena, the daughter of Timothy and Mamajoro Spingola.

In 1966, John purchased the St. Charles Cafe and expanded the business from a bar to include a full scale dining room and later a banquet facility that has become a vital part of the community hosting many events. Mr. Spingola at St. Charles in the sixties and seventies was a pioneer in take out beer and food including pizza and full dinners to go and was among the first places in the area to do Sunday take out beer sales. A fan of sports, Spingola through St. Charles sponsored teams in Little League Baseball, wrestlng, basketball, touch football, bowling, pool, softball and racing. He also active in various local charities including Ducks Unlimited and hosted many of their events.

John loved the Clearfield County Fair, especially when the James E. Strates Show's train caravan would set up on the railroad tracks on Third Street in Clearfield and his place would be the unofficial headquarters of the carnival's personnel. St. Charles also did the catering backstage for the various performers for many years.

He enjoyed playing poker and shooting pool with his friends. He loved hunting and target shooting. He was a huge movie fan and loved going to see live entertainment including many Broadway productions and headlining nightclub stars.

Mr. Spingola was member of the Sons of Italy Due Palme Lodge 189 for over sixty years and was a bartender there early in his career. He also was a member of the Elks Club for many years. In the late seventies, he was a Penn State Basketball booster under Coach Dick Harter.

He is preceeded in death by his father and mother and brothers, Frank, Bobby and Dominic (Coke) Spingola.

He is survived by his wife Mervine, sons John and Timothy and his daughter in law Mamajoro, granddaughter Charlena and his brother William (Bill) Spingola of Syracuse, New York.

In lieu of flowers, please make any memorial contributions to the Clearfield Hospice, 438 W. Front Street, Clearfield, PA 16830 and/or to St. Francis Roman Catholic Church Endowment Fund, 212 S. Front Street, Clearfield, PA 16830