STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On Sept. 11, 2001, a Staten Island resident who owned a pizzeria in lower Manhattan didn’t hesitate to help strangers fleeing from the attacks on the World Trade Center.

John A. Sorrentino, of Castleton Corners, opened the doors to his Maiden Lane restaurant -- My Daddy’s Pizza -- which was just half a mile east of the World Trade Center, to provide refuge to those fleeing the scene. He gave food, water and shelter to strangers, expecting nothing in return. The only thing he asked was to keep the phone lines clear.

The hero to so many passed away Monday at the age of 73.

“I was there that day and my dad…he was waiting to hear from me and my sister and even after the debris fell, he let everybody into the store that day,” recalled Katherine Coletti, Sorrentino’s daughter. “He said, ‘You can do whatever you want, take whatever you want, just leave the phone alone because I need to hear from my girls.’ I remember him saying that.”

She recalled that her father had refuse to leave the pizzeria on 9/11 until he knew where she and her sister were. In the days after the attacks, he worked to clean the store to open his doors again as soon as he could.

“He loved what he did and loved talking to his customers in lower Manhattan,” said Coletti.

Larry Vitellaro, who worked for Sorrentino for 20 years, said he remembers first trying to reach the pizzeria owner after the attacks on Sept. 11.

“When 9/11 happened, the first one I had to contact was him to make sure he was okay,” recalled Vitellaro. “I got through to him, believe it or not, with an old cell phone that was digital."

That following Christmas, Sorrentino received a bottle of champagne from four brothers he had helped on the city’s darkest day. It read: “Thank you very much for your help on 9/11. Happy Holidays." He never opened it.

The Christmas after Sept. 11, Sorrentino received a bottle of champagne from four brothers he had helped on the city’s darkest day. (Courtesy/Katherine Coletti)

Born in Italy in 1946, Sorrentino came to the United States as a young child and was raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from Lincoln High School and attended Kingsborough Community College. He was drafted and served in Vietnam as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the war, earning a Bronze Star Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to service members for heroic achievement or service or meritorious achievement or service in a combat zone. The Army Commendation Medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguish themselves either in combat or non-combat action by meritorious achievement or service.

When he returned home from the service, Sorrentino opened his own business, first in Brooklyn on Avenue X as Ciro’s Pizzeria. He later opened three pizzerias in Manhattan as My Daddy’s Pizza, and was known to serve customers with a smile and a joke every day. The pizzerias closed in 2010.

“He was, to me, a brother, father, best friend, and rock,” recalled Vitellaro fondly. “He showed me how a father should raise kids, years before I would even have one. If you were a worker of his, you were family. Good or bad, he was there for you… To have that kind of friendship, relationship, bond with him – no one should be without.”

Sorrentino is pictured here with friend and employee Larry Vitellaro. “He was, to me, a brother, father, best friend, and rock,” recalled Vitellaro fondly. (Courtesy/Katherine Coletti)

Sorrentino’s hobbies included collecting model trains, taking long rides in his car, listening to old music and watching old movies. In his younger days, he enjoyed playing soccer.

Most importantly, he enjoyed spending time with his family.

“My dad was one of a kind,” said Coletti. “His family was what was most important to him. He was a very hard worker and loved by everyone. He will truly be missed by everyone who knew him.”

Sorrentino is survived by his daughters: Isabella Sorrentino; Phyllis Carollo and her husband Andrew; Nicola D’Agosta and her husband Gregory, and Katherine M. Coletti and her husband Thomas. He was the grandfather of Samantha, Gabrielle, Alexa, John, Gianna and Alexander. He was the brother of Joseph and Louis Sorrentino, and the late Nicholas Sorrentino and late Anthony Sorrentino, and late Maria Caponi. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

“I don’t have the words to describe what a great man he was,” said Samantha Corallo, Sorrentino’s granddaughter. “He loved his family and he touched all of our hearts. He taught me how to do math, even though it wasn’t always right, and he showed me how to make a pizza, even if more flour ended up in our hair than on the pizza.”

Sorrentino is pictured here in one of his pizzerias with his granddaughter Samantha Carollo, who told the Advance: “I don’t have the words to describe what a great man he was. He loved his family and he touched all of our hearts." (Courtesy/Katherine Coletti)

Joseph Sorrentino said his brother showed him how to be a dedicated worker.

“He did not believe having a 102-degree fever was an excuse to stay home,” said Joseph Sorrentino. “I learned a lot from him on dealing with people in a kind way. Like customers are always right. So many great and funny times we had working together. I miss his sense of humor and some of his sayings.”

Deborah Bisconti, a friend of Isabella Sorrentino, said John Sorrentino was a father-figure to her and always welcomed her into his home.

”There was always laughter, good food and warmth provided when you were in his home as family or a friend,” she recalled. “He would joke ‘Who left the door open and let that one in!’ To which we would exchange a huge smile and hugs. He was always happy to have company.“

She continued: “And when things were difficult financially, John hired me to work at his pizzeria on Trinity so I could to help with my school expenses. He always made me feel welcome and like an ‘adopted daughter.’”

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Wednesday, from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m., at Matthew Funeral Home in Willowbrook.

A mass will be held on Thursday at St. Teresa’s R.C. Church in Castleton Corners at 10:45 a.m. Interment will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.

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