A Lifetime, A Legacy: Leonard J. Desiderio

Leonard J. Desiderio

Carmel and Leonard J. Desiderio

Leonard with his granddaughter Carmela

The life and legacy of Leonard J. Desiderio, “Mr. D,” could be made into a movie.

Exterior shot: Daytime. 1938. Ten-year-old Leonard is selling American flags in a cemetery in Newark, and will take the money home to his parents, Anthony and Jennie (Baratta) Desiderio.

The camera zooms in on the American flag. When the camera pulls back, we see handsome young Leonard in uniform. It’s the 1950s. The Korean War. The setting: Greenland, during Operation Blue Jay, a secret project to construct Thule Air Base. Cut to: Leonard returning home from duty, pulling his pretty young bride and high school sweetheart, Carmel, into his arms. They will marry on Oct. 22, 1950, and purchase a home in Nutley, N.J.

In a montage, we see a copy of the G.I. Bill of Rights; Mr. Desiderio entering Seton Hall University, where he will earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees; his and Carmel’s sons Leonard and Gerard entering the world. And in the last frame of this imagined film, the couple pack up their car, children in tow, and arrive at the entrance to Sea Isle City.

“Whenever I’d see Mr. Desiderio, I would say, ‘Mr. D, the greatest thing that ever happened in Sea Isle was the day that you and your family drove over that bridge,’” says Mike Monichetti, the owner of Mike’s Seafood.

Leonard J. Desiderio was born June 7, 1928. He was a hard worker, whether boxing or working as a salesman for Singer Manufacturing Company, fixing the machines and even sewing.

Mr. Desiderio was a Korean War veteran.

Leonard C. Desiderio, “Lenny,” the current mayor of Sea Isle City, says that when his father attended night school at Seton Hall, he worked two jobs.

“He worked every day. He worked in some fashion or form up to Jan. 1, 2022. Even at the age of 93 he would make phone calls, or place an order,” Desiderio says of his father’s contributions to the family businesses, the Sea Isle Inn and Kix.

“My father could talk as easily to someone sitting right here at this bar at Kix, now, as he could talk to the president of the United States, which he has done,” says Desiderio, recalling the time his father met and spoke with President George H.W. Bush.

But the company Mr. Desiderio liked to keep the most was with his family.

“From a young age, he took my brother and me with him everywhere,” says the mayor. “So, when my dad was working at the pool, we were at the pool, and my mother was there working.

“When we went to the go-carts, my brother and I were fixing the tires at a young age; I was 5 or 6 years old,” adds Desiderio, recalling some of the early family businesses such as the Sea Isle Swim Club, Sea Isle Go Karts, Sea Isle Kiddie Rides, Fun Town Arcade, Lenny’s Penny Arcade, and G’s Golf Course.

Flashback: When Mr. Desiderio first came to Sea Isle, businessman Carmen Freda took him in as a partner in several ventures. “They were partners on a handshake, Jersey style,” Lenny Desiderio says.

Mr. Desiderio and Freda were in business together until Freda died in 1974. Mr. Desiderio then became partners with Carmen Freda’s three surviving sons, Joe, Fred and Stephen, until the early 1980s when the Desiderios became the sole owners of the Sea Isle Inn and Kix.

When asked his thoughts and memories of Mr. Desiderio, Stephen Freda says: “I could say a lot of wonderful things about Mr. D. But the best thing I could say was that he was humble. And he was a worker among workers and a friend among friends.”

Mr. Desiderio worked tirelessly. But he didn’t do it alone. He had a secret weapon: Mrs. D.

“My mother was the backbone,” the mayor says. “For instance, when my father was going to school, 16 years, at nights, my mother typed his papers on an old Royal typewriter that they bought for $65. So, I’m missing half a team here. For 71 years, they worked hard to bring up a great family. And now it’s our job to continue their legacy. Both instilled hard work in my brother and me, and my daughter and nephews.”

His father also instilled the importance of education.

The Desiderio family (back from left): Gerard, “Mr. D,” grandson Robert L. in the arms of “Mrs. D” (Camela). Front: granddaughter Carmela, grandson Gerard Jr., and Leonard C., the mayor.

Mr. D is flanked by sons Gerard (left) and Lenny.

In 1962, Mr. Desiderio became a teacher at the Forest Glen School in Bloomfield, N.J. Three years later, he became the vice principal. Two years after that, he was the principal. And from 1970 until his retirement in 1995, he served as principal of Oak View School, also in Bloomfield. In addition, he was an adjunct professor at Seton Hall.

Jim Barton, who taught in the Bloomfield Public School District the same time as Mr. Desiderio, became a principal in the district in 1974, after Mr. Desiderio had become principal at Oak View.

“He kind of adopted me when I first came in as a principal,” says Barton. “I have nothing but praise and thanksgiving that I had him as a mentor, because when you are a new principal there’s a lot that you think you know that you didn’t.”

Dr. Gina Rosamilia, principal of the Watsessing Elementary School in the Bloomfield district, says Mr. Desiderio, who mentored her, made his mark at Oak View.

“Mr. Desiderio is an icon,” she says. “Mr. Desiderio was so proud as a principal, of the kids. He knew every student’s name. He knew their brothers’ and sisters’ names. And he knew their parents. Quite a character. Charismatic. Entertaining. He was the people’s principal. Everybody loved him. He was well-respected. He didn’t forget a name. He always made you feel like you were the most important.”

It’s a trait that Mr. Desiderio passed on to his son, the mayor, and his granddaughter Carmela, who earned a business management degree from Stockton University, and is the third generation helping to run the family’s enterprises.

Carmela’s cousin, Robert, son of the mayor’s beloved late brother, Gerard, is also a hard worker at Kix. It’s an ethic ingrained in the Desiderio character.

“My grandfather liked going to church,” says Robert, who wears a cross around his neck.

Over the years, Mr. Desiderio enjoyed private time with God. His family says he often slipped into a pew at St. Joseph Church when no one else was there. “My grandfather was always caring,” adds Robert. “He always checked up on me.”

Mr. Desiderio’s other grandson, Gerard Jr., feels his grandfather “always had his back.”

Mr. Desiderio with wife Carmel, granddaughter Carmela, and his son the mayor.

Says Carmela: “My grandfather was a very hardworking man. He instilled education in us. He instilled hard work in us. He taught us that the dollar is not always in your pocket. You have to work hard for where you want to be in life.”

Mr. Desiderio called Carmela “the baby.” And they shared many the grandpop-granddaughter day. Since her grandfather’s passing, Carmela visits him at the cemetery daily.

“I say, ‘How are you? I know you’re with my Uncle Gerard. And I know you’re doing good,’” says Carmela. “I know he sends me signs because I see cardinals. And I know he’s here working with us.”

Since the patriarch’s death on Jan. 10, the mayor has also had conversations with his father: “I talk to him out loud. ‘Hey, dad,’ I say, ‘There’s a lot of people in town today, it’s really crowded. Watch over us this weekend.’ Stuff like that. I talked to him for 65 years, more or less every single day, so I don’t want to stop.”

The loss of Mr. Desiderio is being felt by many.

Terry DeGange, 94, and her husband Lou, 93, are friends of the Desiderios way back from their days in North Jersey. “He was a wonderful man,” she says.

Also feeling the loss are Netta and Danny Otto. “He was a very lovable man,” says Netta. “Very well-respected, and he was a very generous soul.”

Mr. Desiderio with grandsons Gerard Jr. and Robert.

The Ottos met the elder Desiderios when they moved to Sea Isle in 1988. “They befriended us,” recalls Netta. “They wanted to know if we were animal lovers. And we said, ‘Yes,’ and they said, ‘You’re in,’ because they had a dog, Mugsy, that they absolutely adored. So, we are animal lovers and we got close with them. And stayed close ever since.”

“He was a class act,” says Sea Isle resident Mike Boyle. “He was bright and funny. He reminded me of my father.”

The accolades about Mr. Desiderio are countless, and come from every part of the community.

“Mr. Desiderio, ‘Mr. D,’ served on 1st Bank’s board of directors from 1995 to 2004,” says Larry Schmidt, president and CEO of 1st Bank of Sea Isle City. “In addition to his business acuity, I feel his unique value was providing the board and management team keen insight into company culture, employee mentoring, and community responsibility. Mr. D’s influence remains woven in the very fabric of 1st Bank even years later.”

Sometimes silence speaks volumes.

“Mr. D, I don’t know … boy, that’s tough,” says Sea Isle native Nick Screnci, taking a moment to pause. “I just don’t know if I can put into words what a special man he was.”

This might seem like the end of a life well-lived, an honest life, and a hardworking life. Only it’s a life that keeps giving, by informing the lives of his family, and those who had a chance to know him. For to know Mr. D was to love Mr. D: a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, an educator, a businessman, and a mentor to countless people.

Before Mr. Desiderio passed away, he told his son Lenny, “Take care of your mother.”

Says the mayor, with a smile: “We take care of each other now.”