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Salvatore D. Ficara of Sag Harbor died at his home on March 28. He was 91.
Born in Brooklyn on February 15, 1923, to John and Antoinette Ficara, he was the second oldest of five children. The midwife present at his birth recorded his birthday as February 25 and so, for the rest of his life, Mr. Ficara happily claimed and celebrated two birthdays—his real one and his legal one. It was great relief to his kids, who, if they missed the first, had the second one to rally for.
Mr. Ficara spent 33 years at the New York Post in charge of all purchasing, from printing presses and compositing machines to pencils and erasers. In the ’60s, working closely with publisher Dorothy Schiff, he oversaw the daunting move of the entire plant and its operations from West Street to South Street. Survivors said he worked alongside his brother and his uncle and that if you asked them, they would say they ran the place.
As a boy, Mr. Ficara spent time with his father, a general contractor, and learned construction. After moving to the East End, he returned to those roots and spent time building spec houses. Survivors described him as a small man with a big heart, who, as an act of love, built houses for each of his children and a grandchild.
Mr. Ficara lived in Massapequa with his family for 25 years before moving east to Hampton Bays. In 1976, Mr. Ficara bought and operated The Edgewater Resort, which reminded him of the cottages on the Connecticut shore where he and his wife, Mary, spent their honeymoon. Five years later, he sold Edgewater and moved to East Quogue, where he and his wife lived for 30 years.
Five years ago, to be closer to their children, they moved to Sag Harbor.
Ever civic-minded, Mr. Ficara was president of the Biltmore Shores Civic Association in Massapequa and was president of the Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce. In the spring of 2010, Mr. Ficara co-founded, along with friends Steve Marciw and Rich Van Houten, the Southampton Bocce League at Southampton Youth Services. Mr. Ficara helped to grow the league from eight teams to 24 in two years.
He loved feeding the birds in his yard, boating, fishing and crabbing on the dock with his grandkids. He loved poker, or, more accurately, winning at poker, late-night Trivial Pursuit at Christmas, charades, bocce, a fat Havana, a tumbler of scotch on ice, a good book, old movies and a good laugh. He loved chocolate—especially his granddaughter Leslie’s chocolate cake—and licorice. He loved his wife’s crab sauce and his red Perry Como sweater. But mostly he loved his family, survivors said.
Survivors added that he was a devoted, loving ever-present mentor and supporter to his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. They said he adored his wife of 70 years and cared for her devotedly through her challenges with Parkinson’s. He was blessed with a great sense of humor, tremendous optimism, laughed a lot and never found a restaurant whose chef could cook better than his wife, survivors said. His favorite saying, which he believed and lived, was, “And this too shall pass.”
He was grateful for every day and was happiest driving in his truck, a cigar in his mouth, the windows rolled down, the radio on and a tin of Charms sour balls at his side.
He is survived by his wife, Mary; his four children, Annette, John, Sal Jr. and Richard, and their spouses, Nadia, Dana and Will; five grandchildren, Leslie and husband Rich, Christian, Francesca, Kelsey and Devin; and two great-grandchildren, Nicholas, his formidable checkers opponent, and Ellie, who, at every family event, asked to sit next to her PopPop.
A wake was held on March 31 at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton. A prayer service took place at the funeral home on April 1, with Father Peter Devaraj officiating. Interment followed at Oakland Cemetery in Sag Harbor.
Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, or the Southampton Bocce League Scholarship Fund,
P.O. Box 224, Southampton, NY 11969.
on Mar 31, 2014