Michael A. Lepro

Lifelong Staten Islander Michael A. Lepro, 63, of Castleton Corners, an ice cream wholesaler and distributor and the owner of many successful area businesses, died Monday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, after a short illness.

Born in the former Staten Island Hospital in Tompkinsville, he grew up in Port Richmond.

After graduating from McKee High School, Mr. Lepro enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for four years, stationed stateside at Fort Benning, Ga. After his active duty stint was complete, he spent several years in the Reserves.

He attended St. John's University, Grymes Hill.

Mr. Lepro met his future wife, Yvonne Alfaro, after his father, Biaso, set up a date for them. The couple wed in 1983 and settled in Castleton Corners in 1989.

In the early 1970s, he invested in a fleet of Lickety Split ice cream trucks, and operated routes on Staten Island and in southern New Jersey for 40 years. He simultaneously owned and operated Mike's Ice Cream Service Co., spending 20 years distributing wholesale ice cream to area vendors.

Over the years he also was involved in other businesses, including Stephanie's Deli, 3 Angels Florist, Corner Luncheonette and B&M Laundromat, all located in Port Richmond. In his younger years he invested in a West Brighton car wash and operated a newsstand near the Staten Island Railway's Annadale station.

His leisure time was devoted to his family, and Mr. Lepro cherished being with them. He enjoyed fishing every weekend and occasionally going deep-sea fishing off the Coast of North Carolina. And he liked early-model muscle cars and had a fondness for Corvettes, owning several different models of the classic American sports car over the years.

"My father loved my mother and all his children more than anything else in the world," said his son, William. "Nothing made him happier than having his family together for dinners, holidays and special occasions. He also enjoyed time spent with his son-in-law, Brian. My dad was a truly special man and will be dearly missed."

Along with Yvonne, his wife of 31 years, and his son, William, surviving are his son, Brian; his daughter, Stephanie Auer; his son, Vincent; his mother, Margaret Lepro, and his sisters, Joanne Otterbeck and Donna Abbruzzese.

The funeral will be Friday from the Casey Funeral Home, Castleton Corners, with a mass at 11 a.m. in St. Rita's R.C. Church, Meiers Corners. Entombment will follow in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp.

Arrangements under the direction of Casey Funeral Home, Staten Island, NY.