Remembering Joe: Respect And Family

To the Editor:

When I heard of the passing of Marino Pelino (Joe the Barber), I wondered if the people of Newtown who knew him realized how fortunate and blessed they were to have known him.

One thing that comes to mind when I think of Marino is respect. The respect came in the way he greeted you as you walked into his shop. If you were a regular customer he would greet you by name, with a “Good morning, John” or “Good afternoon, Mike” and if you were a new customer he would say, “Good morning, sir.” He always respected you and thanked you for your business.

The second is the subject of family. When you sat in his chair he would say, “How are you today and first things first, how is the family?” which he probably knew by name. And he was proud of his family as well. With pictures of his six grandchildren from his three loving daughters and a picture of his mother (who had passed away many years earlier) that he said a prayer for every day when he opened the shop, were all reminders of how much his family meant to him. That was the reason Marino retired, to be around his family.

These are just two of the many qualities of Marino that stand out and I know there are many more. Marino Pelino was my friend, and I have been blessed to have known him, and I hope that you were too.

L. Romano

7 Sugarloaf Road, Sandy Hook                                   January 8, 2009