Asheville NC – Jack J. Santangelo, 97, of Asheville, NC and Naples, FL, passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2015, in Asheville, North Carolina. He was born on December 3, 1917, in Mamaroneck, New York, where he grew up and enjoyed being a Boy Scout. He later lived on the family farm in Pawling, NY and then in Hammonton, NJ. He graduated from Mamaroneck High School, and later from New York University with a BS Degree in Accounting, where he was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon – International Trade Fraternity, the Newman Club, and was an editor of the NYU Journal of Accounting. He was a veteran, having served in the US Army during WWII. Jack was a member of Westchester Country Club, Harrison, NY, and The Country Club of Naples, Naples, FL. He was a member of the Rotary Club, and the Knights of Columbus.
Jack worked as an accountant with CPA firms in Wall Street. He began his own accounting firm in 1948, in Mamaroneck, NY. In 1971, he retired from public accounting and acquired Palmer Instruments, a Cincinnati, Ohio manufacturer of industrial thermometers and pressure gauges, which was later relocated to Asheville, NC in 1987. In 1997, the family business acquired Wahl Instruments of Culver City California, a manufacturer of digital temperature measurement equipment and relocated it to Asheville, they formed a joint venture in Bejing, China, and entered into partnerships with several European companies.
Jack was preceeded in death by his parents, Jack and Jennie Accurso Santangelo, both of Mamaroneck, NY, and Hallandale, FL, his brother Tillio Santangelo, US Navy, who was killed on April 22, of 1945, on the SS Isherwood, and his sister Ann Wright, of Mamaroneck NY.
Jack is survived by his wife of 67 years, Rosemarie Marriello Santangelo. He was her perfect soulmate, “tall, dark, and handsome husband who smoked a pipe, (and later cigars), was a great dancer, and had a great sense of humor!” They were blessed with four children, and with 12 grandchildren: son Robert Santangelo, Sr (Diana) of Mars Hill, and children: Michelle, Nicole, Robert Jr, Jack and Ryan; daughter Jacqueline Santangelo Schwartz (Howard) of Boston, MA, and children Nadia and Nicholas; son Stephen Santangelo (Anne) of Asheville, and children Elizabeth (Andy) and Michael; and son Richard Santangelo of Asheville and children Jonathan, Daniel (Traci) and Jennifer (Adam). He is also survived by his brother Steve Santangelo, of Harrison, NY, and his sister Marge LaBrusciano, of Mamaroneck, NY.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, August 10, 2015, at St. Eugene Catholic Church, 72 Culvern Street, Asheville, with Father Pat Cahill officiating. Internment will follow at Lewis Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 4:00 until 6:00 pm on Sunday, August 9, 2015, at Morris Funeral Home, 304 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville. www.morrisfamilyfuneralhome.com.
