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Sag Harbor native John Cilli died at home on August 18, about two months after a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. He was 87.
Mr. Cilli was born after his parents purchased what is now known as part of Cilli Farm. Two months premature and weighing only 3 pounds, he was wrapped in cotton and placed in a shoe box on the open oven door of an old wooden stove, which served as a makeshift incubator. He worked for many years at Cove Side Dairy, the family-run dairy farm now known as Cilli Farm. In his “retirement,” Mr. Cilli recycled scrap metal and gave away hundreds of his handmade stools and trivets, telling the recipients they had officially joined “The Club.”
Known for his striped railroad hat, suspenders and truck with a horn that made an ah-OOH-gah sound, Mr. Cilli was a regular at a local deli where he met friends for coffee and conversation. Quite the raconteur, he would regale friends, relatives and strangers with tales from his past.
Mr. Cilli is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Anita; and daughters, Karen Sperling and husband Ray of Sag Harbor, Beth Castor and husband Ed of Texas, and Janet Christiansen and husband Ed of Pennsylvania; grandchildren, Nicholas, Emily and Rebecca Castor, and Kathryn and Sarah Christiansen; a stepdaughter, Diana Morana and husband Dominick; and a step-great-grandchild, Dominick Morana. He is also survived by a sister, Ange Cole of Southampton; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by siblings, Vito “Red,” Dominick, Rose, Jean and Nick.
A funeral was held at St. Andrew’s Church in Sag Harbor on Saturday, August 22. Interment followed at St. Andrew’s Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Box 2725, Sag Harbor, NY 11963 or East End Hospice, Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978.
on Aug 24, 2015