Obituary of Aldo C. Corso

Aldo C. Corso died on March 4, 2017 in New Jersey after a brief illness, surrounded by Rose (Sangiorgio), his beloved wife of 67 years, his children and grandchildren. Born in the Bronx in 1925 to Salvidore and Angilena (Iemma) Corso, he was raised in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn along with his older sister, Evelyn, who predeceased him. Al also had two older sisters who died in early childhood during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19. He served in the US Marine Corp ('43-'45) and the reserves (until 1950), attaining the rank of staff sergeant. Al met his future wife, Rose, as she emerged from the surf on the beach at Coney Island, with the unparalleled line, "do you have a match." Nearly 60 plus years later, Al fondly recalled this initial encounter with a twinkle, as he described Rose in "her blue bathing suit." On this same trip, Al's best friend, Tony Verdi, met his future wife and Rose's best friend, Kitty (Spitale). Al and Rose married in 1949 at St. Rosalie Church in Bensonhurst (Brooklyn) with a reception at the Hotel Bossert. Although an aspiring photographer, a pursuit that continued as a lifetime passion, Al went to work manufacturing women's apparel with his brother-in-law (John Sangiorgio) in Dallas, Pennsylvania, where his son, Glen, and daughter, Gail, were born. He subsequently moved his family to Queens, where his son, Gary, was born, and then to Massapequa, where he raised his family and another son, Gregg, was born. For many years, the couple hosted an annual July 4th backyard picnic for extended family and friends, beginning at 8 am and lasting late into the evening. Al joined Stylecraft, Copiague, NY, a women's clothing manufacturer. He later worked for Perry Manufacturing, a North Carolina manufacturer of private label woman's apparel, where he headed the New York design/sales office in Manhattan's garment district until his retirement in 1992. The couple subsequently moved to a retirement community in New Jersey, where he and Rose were active in their local Catholic parish and pursued many activities over the next two decades, including making regular pilgrimages to Manhattan with a group of close friends to attend the theatre in Duffy Square and visit art museums. Al's greatest passion was spending time with his family, including his 9 grandchildren – Amy, Paul, Sara, Laura, Robert, Ellie, Joe, Alexa and Matthew, and 4 great grandchildren - Jeremy, Bryce, Mason and Parker, with two more on the way. Al's love of family, sense of humor, gentle manner, kindness and modesty touched all those whom he met. He will be greatly missed. Services will be held at St. James the Less in Jamesburg, NJ on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 11:30 am.