STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It seemed like business as usual on Wednesday afternoon at Ariemma's Italian Deli in Dongan Hills. Customers were stopping in for signature sandwiches and homemade soups and placing catering orders for Christmas and New Year's.

But a sign on the door indicated otherwise.

"We will be closed for business on Saturday due to the passing of my dad, Mario. We will be open until 3:00 on Christmas Eve."

Mario R. Ariemma, the son of Italian immigrants who peddled produce in his longtime neighborhood of South Beach before opening the successful deli at the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Buel Avenue now run by his son, died Tuesday morning at home in Monroe, N.J. He was 89.

For Mr. Ariemma, the customers always came first, said his son, Mario A., 62, who started working by his father's side at the age of 5. Regulars visited the store to chat with the owner as much as they did to buy capicola and provolone.

"It's not easy. It's Christmas and we have so much to do" before the funeral on Saturday, including catering jobs in Manhattan and Queens, his son said as a customer offered him a condolence hug.

His father wouldn't want it any other way, he quickly added.

NEW DORP HS GRADUATE

Born at home at 253 Sand Lane on Sept. 6, 1928, Mario Ariemma attended PS 39 and PS 46 before graduating from New Dorp High School in 1946.

The small-framed teen didn't qualify for the New Dorp football team, but enjoyed playing baseball and football for the South Beach Robins.

He started working on produce trucks while still in high school, at a time when there were few grocery stores and it was customary to buy fruits, vegetables and eggs from private vendors. He knew every customer on the route by name, his son said, and would let them know he was in the area with a honk of the horn.

Mr. Ariemma eventually acquired his own truck and would rise before dawn to take the ferry into the produce markets in downtown Manhattan to purchase his goods.

"He was a produce encyclopedia," his son recalled. "He knew the best time to buy oranges; he knew about fruits that came from all over the world."

Mr. Ariemma also sold and delivered eggs under the name of "Ary," a shortened version of his surname.

After a bout of rheumatic fever made working outdoors ill-advised, Mr. Ariemma purchased an apple farm in Dongan Hills in 1956 with help from his father, Alfredo, and started the deli business in a one-story building at 1791 Hylan Blvd.

His wife, the former Ruth Kuczera, helped manage the store while raising their family of seven children.

At first, the deli occupied only half of the building; a real estate agent rented the other half to help the Ariemmas make ends meet. Two doors for the separate businesses are still visible today from the sidewalk.

In 1966, Mr. Ariemma moved his family to Old Bridge, N.J., and the deli continued to thrive through the decades.

Even while slowing down in recent years and handing over most of the operation to his son and grandchildren, Mr. Ariemma visited frequently to chat with customers or sit on a stool behind the counter and enjoy his favorite lunch of fried flounder or eggplant parmigiana.

THE PERFECT BOSS

Elias Gomez, head chef at the deli, remembers when he first met Mr. Ariemma, on Nov. 17, 1987.

He was 16 and had just arrived from his native Mexico in search of work. A friend mentioned the deli and he stopped in to apply.

Gomez was hired on the spot at $3 an hour, and received a raise the very next day, quickly becoming an all-hands worker in the store.

Mr. Ariemma treated him like a son and sponsored him for U.S. citizenship, Gomez said.

"I asked God for a nice boss, and he gave me one," he added gratefully. "[Mr. Ariemma] told me I was family."

Today Gomez prepares the deli's three dozen specialty sandwiches, which include the "Golden Girl," with oven gold turkey and Swiss cheese; the "Cara Mia," with turkey breast and American cheese, and the "Belly Philler," with steak, fried onion rings and sauteed mushrooms.

The "My Way" sandwich, acknowledging an Ariemma family devotion to Frank Sinatra, combines ham, soppressata, provolone and mortadella.

The store doubles as a museum with memorabilia, newspaper clippings and photos posted around shelves and refrigerated cases -- perfect reading material as customers wait for their orders. They can also shop around for specialty foods imported from Italy.

A large photo of Mr. Ariemma at the cash register, taken shortly after he opened the store, was added to the counter on Wednesday in memory of the entrepreneur and patriarch.

As Mario Ariemma pointed out the photo to a customer, he expressed appreciation for his father's wisdom, work ethic and kindness.

"I always loved being with him," he said, tearing up. "He was a legend. It's not easy to follow in his footsteps."

SURVIVORS AND ARRANGEMENTS

In addition to his son, Mario A., Mr. Ariemma is survived by another son, Alfredo; five daughters, Catherine Ostrander, Christina Ariemma, Lisa Ariemma, Marion Ariemma and Gina Rockwood; a sister, Marion Falcone; 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren with two more on the way.

His wife of 62 years, Ruth, died in 2014.

A wake will be held Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at A. Azzara Funeral Home, South Beach. A funeral mass will take place Saturday at 9 a.m. in St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank. Burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery, West Brighton.