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Weekly Bulletin November 21, 2021
by Terrie Evans
The next San Antonio Family to introduce and honor on Sunday, December 5th will be the Lucia family. Pasquale Lucia (1883-1953) came to the United States from the Province of Salerno, Italy. Pasquale and Grace Tedesco Lucia (1887-1939) were married in 1905, and had their first son, Anthony J. Lucia in Italy on Oct. 25, 1906. It is thought Pasquale booked passage on the SS Neckar with $29.00 in his pocket and arrived in New York in 1907. In 1910, Pasquale was living as a boarder in the Dominick and Mary Morra home along with their daughters Angela and Palma Morra, their uncle Silvano Minella and Donato Tedesco, a relative of Grace Tedesco Lucia. He then moved to Lucerne County, Pennsylvania to live with Helen (Tedesco) and Tony Marsico, Grace’s sister, and husband, at #4 Teasdale and to work as a miner at the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company.
In 1930, the Lucia family was living on Queen City Avenue when Pasquale was employed as a Streetcar Repair Man. In 1930, son Anthony (1906-1987) was 23, daughter Angela Mary (1912-1984) was 17, son Herman Anthony “Muscle” (1913-1980) was 16, daughter, Rose Mary “Deet” (1915-1995) was 15, son, Noble “Buck” (1916-1973) was 14, and daughters Mary Constantine (1918-1984) who was 12 and Anna (1920-2004) who was 10. Sadly, on August 3, 1939, Grace (Tedesco ) Lucia died at the age of 52. Her Requiem High Mass was held at the 2nd San Antonio Italian Church with many members of the Little Flower Auxiliary No. 244 and the Knights of St. John in attendance. In the neighborhood of Little Italy in South Fairmount, there was a widow with young siblings in need of a father to guide them. Mama to four, Lucia (Ciasullo) Soldano (1894-1976) at the age of 45 and Pasquale (1883-1953) who was 54 married in 1940 with the Soldano siblings, John 22, Carmella 14, Michael 12, and Samuel 10 joining the Lucia Family at their 1970 Queen City Avenue Homestead, a large brick home built in 1872. At that time, Pasquale was working at the Dixie Terminal Building. The Lucia and Soldano sons and daughters went on to marry and have families with many of the weddings and baptisms taking place at San Antonio Church. Before his passing in 1953, Pasquale and Lucia would spend the next 13 years enjoying their blended family.
The Lucia siblings: Anthony Lucia (1906-1987) married Lillian Griffith (1916-1998) children the late Patricia (Griffith) Newsome and Carolyn (Grrifith) Young . Daughter, Angela Mary Lucia (1912-1984) wed John DeSalvo (1909-1972) children Mary (1934-1935) JoAnn, Frank (1936-2018) who wed his German bride Elisabeth Probst he met during the War, and they welcomed 7 daughters, and Grace Ann (DeSalvo) Rusk (1938-1998). Son, Herman Anthony “Muscle” Lucia (1913-1980) wed his World War II Italian bride, Umbertina Carla Crozzoletto from Bologna, Italy on June 7, 1947, at San Antonio Church and their family consisted of Grace,Tony, Carol Ann, and Tim Lucia. “Muscle” worked as a mechanic before serving in the Signal Operations Company during the war and played in the American Softball Championship tournament at Camp Livingston, Louisiana.
Over the years, Herman “ Muscle” set up all the booths and wiring for the many festivals held at San Antonio along with Anthony Schiesz and Carmen “Ski” La Coritglia. Daughter, Rose Mary (Lucia) Hohlt (1915-1995) wed William F. Hohlt (1908-1985) in 1940, their Children Marcia Phillips and Leslie Drake. Son, Noble John “Buck” Lucia (1916-1973) wed Ruth Marion Eisenecker (1922-1992) children Dottie Dorsch, Patrick Lucia, and Lou Lucia. Ruth Marion Eisenscker Lucia helped raise her brothers Earl and Gus and her younger sister, Helen after their mother passed away at the age of 23. Gus was the youngest and he was welcomed as a member of the Lucia family. The youngest daughters, Mary Ann Lucia (1918-1984) wed Robert Koetters (1915-1947) in 1940 and he was employed by the Queen City Printing Company before the war. They lived at 1958 Queen City Avenue before he passed away at the VA Hospital in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky. Mary Ann Lucia Koetters then married Daniel Weigel (1929-1967). Youngest daughter, Anna Lucia (1920-2004) married truck driver Benjamin Harrison Weber, Jr. (1922- 1990) and had son Benjamin Harrison Weber, III before marrying Joseph Rector, a jockey at the Hazel Park racecourse in Michigan who started riding when he was 15 years old.