Sammarco, Armando F. 1919-2011

SAMMARCO, MOIO, NORRIS

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 10/14/2011 at 16:13:00

Armando F. Sammarco
June 1, 1919 - September 28, 2011
Mr. Armando Sammarco, age 92, of Orange City, passed away on Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at the Royale Meadows Care Center in Sioux Center.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, October 8, at 11:00am, at the Dover Avenue Alliance Church in Orange City. The Rev. Jeffrey Keady will officiate. Interment will be prior to the service at the West Lawn Cemetery in Orange City. There will be a prayer service on Saturday, at 10:00am, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Orange City. Visitation will be after 4:00pm on Friday, with the family present from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the funeral home.

Armando Francys was born on June 1, 1919, in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of Louis and Stefanina (Moio) Sammarco, who were Italian immigrants. He was raised in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where he attended high school.

During World War II, Mr. Sammarco served in the United States Army from April of 1941 to September of 1945. He received his basic training in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and served in the European Theatre for almost three years.

On August 15, 1942, Armando married Ruby Lee Norris in Dillon, South Carolina. After the war, for a short time, they lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In November of 1949, they settled in Paramus, New Jersey remaining there for fifty-four years. In October of 2003, after Mr. Sammarco suffered a stroke, the couple moved to Orange City, where they eventually lived at the Landsmeer Ridge Retirement Community. In August of 2004, they transferred to the Crown Pointe Independent and Assisted Living in Sioux Center. In May of 2008, he joined his wife at the Royal Meadows Care Centre in Sioux Center. Ruby passed away on September 26, 2009, in Sioux Center.

Mr. Sammarco accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in February of 1998. While living in
Iowa, he attended the Dover Avenue Alliance Church. In New Jersey, he attended Paramus Baptist Church and was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Mr. Sammarco worked as an appliance repair man for 33 years, and he was the head maintenance man at the Montvale, New Jersey, Ramada Inn for twenty years. He enjoyed his job as a Mr. Fix-it, liked working in his yard, building birdhouses, playing piano, and cooking. He was known for his sweet tooth, sense of humor and love of children. In later life, he looked forward to "eating out" and spending time with family.

Survivors include his two sons, William Sammarco, of Elizabeth, New Jersey; and David Sammarco, and his wife, Terri, of Encino, California; a daughter and her husband, Denise and Dennis Olson, of Orange City; three grandchildren, Jason Olson, and his wife, Claire, of Mounds View, Minnesota; Michael Olson, of Orange City, and his fiancé, Bailey Soderstrom; and Joseph Sammarco, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; two great-grandchildren, Jonas and Freya Olson; three brothers and a sister, Mario Sammarco, of Florida; Louis Sammarco, and his wife, Fannie, of Tennessee; Rudolph Sammarco, and his wife, Doris, of North Carolina; and Joan Casper, of Virginia. Armando was a loving brother, husband, father, and grandfather and will be missed by his family.

In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by one brother and two sisters, Thomas Sammarco, and his wife, Gertrude; Ann Nolan, and her husband George; and Lena Maddaluno, and her husband, Louis; a sister-in-law, Lee Sammarco; and a brother-in-law, William Casper.
Source: Oolman Funeral Home, Orange City, Ia., obit.