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Lou Caniglia's Family: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 First Yano and then Eli left the original restaurant to start their own establishments. Cirino died in 1952 and Giovanna became a much-loved presence at this now greatly enlarged restaurant. She had a favorite chair where she would sit and greet the many regulars who frequented this most popular eatery. To make her smile, you needed only to play Nat King Cole singing "Dance, Ballerina, Dance." She was very crippled with arthritis and she said, in her broken English, that in her dreams, Nat was singing that about her. She was at the restaurant nearly nightly until her death in 1980. Ross, Lou, and Al ventured into other fields. They had a frozen pizza factory at the corner of 16th and Vinton, sold their bottled salad dressings, and opened the Palazzo Italiano at 84th and Center. Ross, Lou, and Al returned to their roots, once again working at the Original Pizzaria. Lou and Al would later open their own restaurants while Ross remained at 7th Street. Lou and Pearl opened Lou Caniglia's Steak House and Little Luigi's Tower of Pizza at 88th and Maple in 1974. They closed the restaurant and joined Al and Mary Ann at The Top of the World in the Woodman Tower, and Yano and Mary at Mr. C's. In August 1979, they opened Little Luigi's at 112th and Dodge. As the business grew, they expanded to the Miracle Hills Shopping Center in 1987 where they opened Luigi's on 114th Street. During the years, their children worked at the restaurants. JoAnn moved from Omaha in 1961 and Joyce moved in 1972. Pat, Mik and Lou, Jr. were integral parts of the operations of the family restaurants. Lou had a wonderful singing voice (we thought he sounded like Dean Martin, but better) and he enjoyed serenading his patrons. You would often find him with a group around him while he sang, "That's Amore", or "O Sole Mio" or many Italian songs. He often improvised his own lyrics to the delight of his audience. He didn't have a shy bone in his body. He was a great storyteller. His biggest fan and most attentive listener was his lifemate Pearl. Lou and Pearl were incredibly close to each other, their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren. The family was, and still is, very close. They were happily married for 52 years. Lou had congestive heart disease and succumbed to it February 25, 1990. He was sitting in his favorite recliner in the den of the home he loved so much. The one he had helped to build in 1952. Pearl was at his side in her favorite recliner. The loss of her soulmate was intense and Pearl once again joined her beloved husband on July 20, 1995. She was in her favorite recliner in that same room where she fell asleep. For the second time she made a journey to meet her husband where he had preceded her. |
