Amendola Family

Raymond Amendola was born in Naples, Italy and his wife (nee Morselli) was born in Sicily, Italy. They settled in New York City in the early 1900's, then about 1910 they bought property in Central Park. The property consisted of about six acres, Broadway to Lexington Avenue and from Nibbe Lane back to the Powell Avenue School (now the Bethpage Library). Their first home was the hotel on Broadway (in 2006 the building still stands) where John Amendola was born. John remembers that each room had a suite number above the door with gas lights in the hallway.

John has a vivid memory of growing up in Central Park/Bethpage. Back to a time which was free of the hustle and bustle we know today. He remembers the Ralston General Store, a barber shop, the German Fortsch Brothers Butcher Shop, Mr. Simone's Shoe Repair Shop, Gulf Gas Station on Broadway all north of the railroad tracks, and the Parisi, Mazzara and the Jarvis families lived south of Powell Avenue in large homes on Broadway. The steam locomotives ran through the center of town, and Mr. Greco manned the gates to stop the traffic. Mr. Greco had a small building to protect him from the weather, complete with a pot belly stove for his comfort. South of the tracks on the west side was Procidia's Barber Shop, Cava's Drug Store, and the library. East side of Broadway was a tavern and down to Central Avenue was a German bakery which had the best French Crullers!

Raymond Amendola served on the school board with Mr. Cava, Louie Maggi, and John Klug. John remembers the "dony brook" meetings they had for money was tight and they had to keep a watchful account on the budget. Raymond also pitched in to help build St. Martin of Tours Church, with other parishioners, in the early 1920's, and how they dug out the basement with a horse and scoop. There was a donation to the church and there is a stained glass window by the alter with the Amendola name on it.

The family house was built on Nibbe Lane in the 1940's and the second house in the 1950's across from the Uccellini family (now in 2006 the home of Lenny and Laura Mulqueen). The Amendola children are: Raymond, Antinette, John, Frank, and Marion. John joined the army in 1947-1950 and was activated when the Korean War broke out in 1952. He married Phyllis Pinto in 1951. They settled on Concord Avenue where they purchased their home for $13,500.00 in 1959 where they raised four children: Janet, John, Phyllis and Robert, and they now (2006) have twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren. John was employed by Grumman and was a volunteer fireman in the Bethpage Fire Department. (Information taken from an interview with John Amendola by Louis Uccellini at a family reunion in the summer of 2005)