Obituary of Edward L Smaldone

Edward L. Smaldone, Sr. GENEVA- Edward L. Smaldone, Sr. passed away peacefully on Wed. (Nov. 1, 2017), at Geneva General Hospital, surrounded by his family and with his loving wife holding his hand. Family and friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Sun. (Nov. 5), at the Palmisano-Mull Funeral home LLC, 28 Genesee St. Geneva. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Mon. (Nov. 6), at St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Geneva. Entombment will follow in St. Mary's Mausoleum, with full military honors. Contributions may be directed to Our Lady of Peace Parish, 130 Exchange St. Geneva, NY 14456, or the St. Francis De Sales - St. Stephen's School Education Fund, 17 Elmwood Ave. Geneva, NY 14456. Edward was born on May 12, 1925, in Geneva, NY and was a son of the late Edward J. and Louise (Cerone) Smaldone. He graduated from De Sales High School in 1944. Later, he was instrumental in Keeping De Sales High School open. Edward was drafted into the United States Army and served his country proudly in WWII. He was a member of the 272nd infantry 69th Division. Edward fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was rewarded the Bronze Star for saving the life of a comrade. Later, he wrote columns for the 69th infantry Division newsletter on his experiences in the Army. Edward was proud of his service and recently traveled to Washington D.C. on the Honor Flight with his son Rick. He enjoyed bowling, golfing, baseball, collecting coins and playing the stock market. He was the owner/operator of "Smaldone's", a variety store in Geneva, owned the Geneva Bowling Center and served as Town Councilman for over 30 years. Edward was responsible for bringing professional baseball back to Geneva and eventually purchased the Geneva Cubs in the mid 1980's. While he owned the team, Edward was the soul of baseball and was always seen in the concession stand bagging peanuts and popcorn. He was instrumental in keeping the Cubs in Geneva, until they left. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Ann (Rapini) Smaldone of Geneva; children, Edward L. (Mary) Smaldone, Jr. of Geneva, Rick (Jann) Smaldone of Geneva, Holley (Mike) Cragg of Geneva, Doug (Pam) Smaldone of Waterloo, J.J. (Tina) Smaldone of Geneva and Michael Smaldone of Sag Harbor, NY; grandchildren, Eddie (Becky) Kristian, Stefanie, Dina (Bob), Steven (Sarah), Jay (Kelly), Alex, Michael (Alyssa), Paul, Randalle (Jeff), Joe, Xavier and Tyler; great-grandchildren, Nolan, McKenna, Gianni, Tate, Bella, Lola and Weston; several nieces and nephews. Edward was predeceased by his children, Robert, Roberta, Nancy Ann and Kristin; brother, Henry "Hank" Smaldone; sisters, Eleanor Zappia and Mary Addona. The family would like to acknowledge the exceptional care given to Edward from the Geneva the General Hospital Emergency Dept., I.C.U. staff, special aide, Ginger Schutt, Dr. Jason Feinberg, Dr. Tim Malins and Barb VanDemortel.