Tiffany Tergesen
I have many fond memories of Mr. DiCicco. I grew up (from ages 4 to 11) next door to him and his family. While I imagine I was just the annoying little girl from nextdoor, lol, he had a large part in my making my childhood a wonderful experience. I used to spend a lot of time playing with Pauly and Danny at their house. My child's eye remembers Mr. DiCicco as this larger than life figure— tall, strong, quiet, kind— always working around his home or in the yard, keeping an eye on all us kids. Christmas on 54th Street always seemed magical because of the Christmas lights and decorations he'd put up. In the winter, he would light the fireplace and make popcorn. In the summer, he'd let us kids "help" him with whatever he was doing outside. I believe he even built the doghouse for their family dog, Princess, by himself. Pauly and Danny would brag (in a good way) about where their father worked and all the things he could do. Mr. DiCicco would let us run in the yard, climb trees, pick fruit, play on the porch, play.on the swing-set, dig in the mud, catch bugs, go swimming, etc- all without complaint. He allowed us kids to explore the world around us in ways a lot of other parents would not. I remember thinking how lucky Pauly and Danny were to have a father like Mr. DiCicco, and I will be forever grateful to him (and Mrs. DiCicco) for welcoming me into their home and being a safe space for me to hangout, eat, and play as a child. I know I plagued that poor man with a hundred questions about everything and anything, but he was always very kind and patient, and I learned a lot from him and Mrs. DiCicco.
