Ridgewood Remembers Peter Cardella, 97
Ridgewood seniors and civic leaders mourned the loss of Peter Cardella, co-founder of the local senior center that bears his name, who died last Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the age of 97 following an illness.
For much of his adult life, Cardella dedicated himself to serving people, from assisting earthquake victims in Italy to elderly residents in Ridgewood and surrounding neighborhoods. The son of Italian immigrants from Sicily, he also worked to promote Italian heritage and culture to New Yorkers.
Born in 1917, Cardella was among the inaugural graduating class at Ridgewood’s Grover Cleveland High School. He would later enlist in the U.S. Army and served stateside during World War II, according to his son-in-law Joe Ferretti.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Cardella opened up the Cardelmar ladies’ coat and suit factory, which operated along Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg. Meanwhile, he continued to reside in the Ridgewood area.
His factory played an important role in helping hundreds of Italian families recover from the devastating Belice earthquake that rocked northwestern Sicily in January 1968. The tremor destroyed four towns, killed at least 231 people and left more than 100,000 people homeless.
Ferretti noted that Cardella spearheaded an effort from the U.S. to permit the immigration of hundreds of Sicilian families stateside, offering many of them temporary jobs at his factory. Working with other New York City businesses, Cardella helped the temporary employees find permanent work elsewhere, then brought additional Italians to America and, subsequently, his factory.
These efforts led the Italian government to bestow upon Cardella the title of cavaliere- The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic-in a formal ceremony held at the New York consulate. It was just one of many honors Cardella received in his years of public service.
Following the earthquake, Ferretti noted, Cardella also recognized the need for senior citizens, realizing that many of them depended on their children during their golden years.
After the federal government enacted legislation paving the way for senior centers to open across the country, Cardella led the effort to open one of the first in New York City-then the Ridgewood Seneca Senior Citizens Center-during the early 1970s.
Launched at the former Pellegrini’s Restaurant at the corner of Fresh Pond Road and 67th Avenue, Ferretti noted, Cardella played an instrumental role in helping to purchase and develop the center’s permanent home at the corner of Fresh Pond Road and Catalpa Avenue.
The Ridgewood Senior Center opened its permanent home in September 1974 and initially served more than 3,750 seniors in Ridgewood and surrounding communities, providing daily activities and a daily lunch. Through continued support from Cardella, local elected officials and city agencies, the center’s services expanded over the past four decades and now includes breakfast and lunch service and Meals on Wheels for homebound residents.
Proud of his Italian heritage, Cardella was an active member of the Federazione Italo- Americana di Brooklyn and Queens, which sponsors the Fresh Pond Road street festival held every September. Ferretti noted that his father-in-law also helped establish the Italian Cultural Center at St. John’s University, raising more than $1 million toward educating students in Italian studies.
St. John’s University presented Cardella with its presidential medal during the 1970s and, 20 years later, awarded him an honorary doctorate.
Cardella also supported Princeton University’s archeological dig in the southern Sicilian town of Morgantina, where the ruins of an ancient Greek village were unearthed after hundreds of years.
Preceded in death by his wife Provivenza and his son Joseph, Cardella is survived by daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Joe Ferretti, two granddaughters and four great-grandsons.
A wake for Cardella was held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov.
Preceded in death by his wife Provivenza and his son Joseph, Cardella is survived by daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Joe Ferretti, two granddaughters and four great-grandsons.
A wake for Cardella was held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29-30, at Glascott Funeral Home in Forest Hills. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered on Monday, Dec. 1, at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills, followed by interment at Ridgewood’s Linden Hill Cemetery.
