Romolo Pede Obituary, Death – On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, 79-year-old Romolo Pede Sr. passed into eternal life surrounded by his devoted family. One of the seven children of the late Ignazio and Sofia (Paolucci) Pede, who were born on December 4, 1942, in Castellari, Italy. In Rome, Italy, Romolo had a job as a teenager making his own pasta. At this point, Romolo started to become passionate about making pasta.
Romolo immigrated to the United States in 1963 at the age of 21 and settled in Schenectady. Romolo met Rose, his wife of 56 years, soon after arriving in the United States (Sbardella). The love and support Romolo and Rose share are unwavering. With determination and vision, Romolo founded Pede Brothers Italian Specialty Foods in 1967. Romolo put a lot of effort into giving his customers the highest-quality Italian pasta and specialty foods.
Romolo was pleased that Pede Brothers, which is celebrating 55 years in business this year, has successfully continued the family business started by him. Romolo enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He treasured their winters in Naples, Florida, where he lived with Rose. Romolo eagerly anticipated his Thursday nights spent playing cards and chatting with friends at the Sons of Italy.
Romolo took great pleasure in sharing his Italian winemaking heritage with the neighborhood during the fall months by selling wine grapes. He took great pride in producing wine and especially enjoyed sharing a glass of his prize-winning wine with others while instructing them in the craft. Romolo’s loved ones who will carry on his legacy include his cherished wife Rose; his adored children AnnMarie, Romolo Jr., David, Christine (Rico), and Lisa; and cherished grandchildren Amber (Camron), Danielle, Alexis, Tara, Sophia, Nina, Luke, and Ava.
They also include his brother Roberto (Eleonora); sisters Gilda and Italia of Italy; Maria (Orazio) of Canada; brother-in- Father-in-law Raffaele and mother-in-law Colomba, brother Sante, sister Yolanda, sister-in-law Santinela, and in-laws Ettore, Donato, and Pietro all predeceased Romolo. For his generosity and tenacity, he was adored and esteemed by many.
He was a father and grandfather who imparted a wealth of knowledge to his offspring in the hopes of upholding family traditions. Romolo handled his health issues and other difficulties in life with dignity and tenacity. He was determined not to miss any of the wonderful life he and Rose had built for their family. The love and care that our mother, Rose, showed to Romolo contributed to the quality of his life.
Our family would like to thank our father’s doctors for their outstanding care. Our family expanded to include Drs. John Nolan, Thomas Schumacher, and Cindy Chan. We are grateful for the years of care our father received from the staff at Fresenius Kidney Care-Capital District Dialysis. The Gabriele D’Annunzio Lodge 321 Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America was a group that Romolo was proud to belong to.
Donations can be sent to the Sons of Italy, Lodge 321, 2984 Hamburg Street, Schenectady, NY 12303, in honor of Romolo Pede Sr. and designated for the scholarship fund.