Francesco Fevola

La misura giusta di un uomo e nella sua bontá - The true measure of a man is in his kindness

Francesco Fevola was born in Monte di Procida, Italy on April 10, 1933. The loving son of Michele Fevola and Livia Anzalone. He was the third of six children. They were Antonio, Filomena, Domenico, Maria and Veneranda. He leaves behind his sister, Veneranda Ferrara, who still lives in Monte di Procida. Francesco was born into Mussolini’s Italy; as a boy he described the struggles of growing up hungry and poor under the fascist regime. Education was important for him and he would tell of walking early to the train to go to school in Naples.

He grew into a young man, following his father and brother, taking to the sea, making a life for himself - working hard as a deckhand lugging heavy cargo on his back to proudly standing as a captain of his own ship. He served as a merchant marine captain on three ships: the Angelina, the Gerry, and the Carloforte, traveling throughout the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. He completed a high school education and studied at the Scuola Marittima in Naples, training to be a captain. He served in the Italian military in his early twenties in Cagliari.

Monte di Procida was and is a small town overlooking the Gulf of Naples where Delia’s family baked bread, making it available for sale to local families. Franceso would eagerly volunteer to go purchase the bread for his family, as he had his eye on the young woman conducting the sales. These interactions led to their eventual marriage. They wooed and were wed on April 24, 1960 in Monte di Procida.

He and his late wife Delia built a life and family for themselves in Italy. Growing their family with the arrival of Livia in the coming January, followed by the arrival of their sons Michael and Antonio. Francesco worked on the ships and would desperately miss his family at home while he was at sea. The family eventually decided to emigrate to America, leaving Italy by boat on March 3, 1969, arriving here on March 11. They were greeted by family and settled with them in Brooklyn. Francesco then embarked on the next chapter of his life, learning the skills of pizza making. He was an excellent pizzaiolo who consistently made THE best pizza.

After owning a pizzeria in Brooklyn, he took his family to New Jersey and operated a pizzeria in the Freehold area before finally establishing himself at Schiano’s Pizza in Lacey. He was a friendly face to all who came to eat there. He and his family moved to their home in Bayville where he happily gardened, took daily walks, and every morning would bring hot espresso to each family member to wake up to. For Francesco, it was the happiness of his family that mattered.

He and Delia worked at the pizzeria, side by side, into their eighties. As often as possible, they would return to their home in Monte di Procida where he was free to be more like his young self. They would visit friends and family, enjoying the fruits of his many hard labors. There, like everywhere Francesco was, everyone knew him and welcomed him genuinely as a friend. He was affectionately greeted as Capitan!

How do we know all these things about Francesco? Well, he told them to us, whether family or friend, each a little bit different of a story, over the years, with the addition of details not remembered earlier. He was a raconteur whose storytelling could be heard around the table while peeling an apple, offering a slice to everyone and sharing his life wisdom. Some of us heard his stories while having our after dinner espresso, or if he were at work, sitting in a booth at the pizzeria.

As a man, his life was full of challenges which he always met with humility. His love of his wife, Delia, as well as the strong love he had for his children and grandchildren are still felt. He was a gentle soul.

Francesco was a father who loved and cared for his family, and is survived by Livia and her husband, Giuseppe Lubrano of Bayville, Michael and his wife, Kate of Forked River, and Antonio and his wife, Carol, also of Bayville; six grandchildren, Francesco and his wife, Celia, Giovanni, Michael, Delia and George. There are also countless nieces, nephews and cousins, both here and in Italy, who are missing him now.

Visitation will take place Sunday, March 3, 2024 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Anderson & Campbell, 703 Main St. Toms River, NJ. A funeral mass for Francesco will take place Monday, 11:00 a.m. at St. Barnabas R.C. Church, 22 Woodland Ave. Bayville, NJ. He will be laid to rest at St Joseph's Cemetery, Toms River, NJ.