{"id":9776,"date":"2013-11-27T08:28:46","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T13:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=9776"},"modified":"2013-11-27T09:49:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-27T14:49:58","slug":"centenarian-enjoys-adoration-of-family-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=9776","title":{"rendered":"Bountiful birthday wishes for beloved centenarian"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 100 gather to celebrate Mike DiPietro’s 100th\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea<\/span><\/strong>, Managing Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/a>

Mike DiPietro reads the many greetings that he received on his 100th birthday.<\/p><\/div>\n

On Sunday, people celebrated from as far away as Italy \u2013 jubilantly singing birthday wishes on the computer. The more fortunate revelers traveled to Kennett Square from near and distant, including Boston. A state representative and a state senator delivered special greetings. Even the White House chimed in.<\/p>\n

The occasion? The 100th<\/sup> birthday of\u00a0 Michele \u201cMike\u201d DiPietro, an unassuming, beloved borough resident who has crammed several lifetimes into one.\u00a0 In fact, long before most Kennett-area residents were born, DiPietro, who was drafted into the Italian army in 1933, had been deployed in Mombasa, Kenya, and endured five years as a British prisoner during World War II before finding his way home to Cesa, a village in southwestern Italy, in 1946.<\/p>\n

Since then, DiPietro, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1958, has continued to attract adventure, accomplishments, friends, and fans, many of them longstanding. About 100 people gathered at the Red Clay Room Sunday afternoon to honor him, generating a virtually nonstop series of superlatives.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_1294\"<\/a>

Mike DiPietro poses with 9-year-old Michael Fragale Jr., the son of DiPietro’s barber.<\/p><\/div>\n

DiPietro garnered accolades for being an outstanding friend, husband, father, godfather, adopted father, neighbor, mentor, worker, and winemaker\u00a0 \u2013 his coveted merlot took first place at an Italian American Club competition. He was also repeatedly cited as an inspiration. Laura Elliott, now a junior at Kennett High, interviewed DiPietro for an English assignment in middle school. \u201cThe teacher liked it so much she had her read it to the class,\u201d said her mother, Filomena Elliott.<\/p>\n

DiPietro has lived for nearly five decades with his wife, Teresa, in the Kennett Square duplex they bought after he sweet-talked her into leaving her homeland and marrying an older man. She\u2019s a youthful 85.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou couldn\u2019t ask for a better neighbor; I\u2019m truly blessed,\u201d said Virginia Mancino, whose home is the other half of the DiPietros\u2019 twin on West South Street. Mancino and her husband have lived next door for 28 years; the home\u2019s original owner was her husband\u2019s grandmother.<\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/a>

Mike DiPietro reads one of the commendations from local lawmakers held by his daughter, Lisa DiPietro, as Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino Jr. prepares to hand him another one.<\/p><\/div>\n

Prior to residing at the entrance to Harvey Circle, where DiPietro is affectionately known as \u201cthe mayor,\u201d he lived in Avondale, where he met Domenic Diubaldo 56 years ago. Diubaldo recalled his family\u2019s move to America when he was a young boy. A little less than a year later, DiPietro, who had been \u201csponsored\u201d by the same mushroom grower as Diubaldo\u2019s father, showed up. Although the families came from the same region of Italy, they hadn\u2019t known each other previously.<\/p>\n

The mushroom work was grueling – \u201cI remember one time they got paid $35 for working 90 hours\u201d \u2013 but Diubaldo said his family developed a close relationship with DiPietro, who eventually moved in with them. \u201cWe had a lot of fun,\u201d Diubaldo said. \u201cThis is truly a happy day.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, DiPietro downplayed the fuss, but his infectious smile suggested he wouldn\u2019t have wanted to be anywhere else. However, he did express minor disappointment that the card from the Obamas didn\u2019t include a check. \u201cMaybe I should send it back\u201d in case they forgot, he joked. Asked about the best perk of being a centenarian, he had a quick response: \u201cBeing surrounded by all these wonderful people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Enjoying<\/a>

Enjoying his 100th birthday party, Mike DiPietro is flanked by his daughter, Lisa, and his wife, Teresa.<\/p><\/div>\n

Lois Zunino, who\u2019s known the family for years, said she told the guest of honor that she was honored to participate in the festivities, and DiPietro immediately reversed the sentiment, insisting that the honor was all his. \u201cThat\u2019s just the type of guy he is,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her husband, Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino, said his ties to the family date back 40 years when Zunino\u2019s brother worked at Hewlett Packard with DiPietro. \u201cHe\u2019s just an\u00a0 amazing guy,\u201d said Zunino, who delivered commendations from Rep. Chris Ross and Sen. Dominic Pileggi.<\/p>\n

DiPietro started working for Hewlett Packard in the late \u201860s. He retired at age 70 after 20 years with the company. Despite spending two decades with a computer giant, DiPietro never joined the internet world, said his daughter, Lisa DiPietro, who organized Sunday\u2019s celebration. She said her father, who worked in the machine shop, was far-removed from desktops and laptops. \u201cHe\u2019s absolutely amazed by the technology,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Virginia<\/a>

Virginia Mancino, a longtime neighbor, congratulates Mike DiPietro on reaching the century mark.<\/p><\/div>\n

For example, he loved seeing his overseas relatives sing \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in Italian online. And he was equally wowed when Patty Lawton, who had traveled from Boston, held up her cell phone so that DiPietro could watch and listen as her 9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son crooned \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d using Facetime. She said DiPietro was so moved that he reached over to touch the screen. \u201cIt was so sweet the way he did that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lisa DiPietro said people routinely question her father about the secret to his longevity. \u201cHe will tell you there is no secret: Just live a good, healthy life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Well, maybe there is a small one, Mike DiPietro acknowledged with a grin. \u201cI drink a glass of wine every day,\u201d he whispered. What kind? \u201cMy own,\u201d he said, his smile widening. He no longer makes the annual trip to South Philadelphia to purchase the ingredients, but friends are happy to provide that service so that his wine-making can continue. His tip for a prize-winner? Mix some muscat grapes with the merlot.<\/p>\n

Mike DiPietro describes himself as being “in pretty good health.” He’s not as mobile as he once was, but even that has \u00a0some advantages: His barber, Michael Fragale Sr., now makes house calls.<\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/a>

Mike DiPietro chats with well-wishers during his 100th birthday party at the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square.<\/p><\/div>\n

Lisa DiPietro, the couple\u2019s only child, said she started planning the birthday bash in September, but she had lots of help, especially in the baking department. Her mother prepared her signature cream puffs, which were enjoyed along with an assortment of Italian cookies that rivaled any bakery display. On the birthday cake, her father blew out four candles, one for each quarter-century.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad has lived an amazing life and I am so very blessed that he is still a part of my life to this day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Pam Lane, a longtime friend, said the community is blessed by the presence of the DiPietros. \u201cThey\u2019re just a phenomenal family,\u201d she said. But she did have\u00a0one complaint about the party: Finding the right birthday card was a challenge. \u201cI kept seeing the same 100th<\/sup> birthday card everywhere I went,\u201d she said, adding that she didn\u2019t want DiPietro to end up with multiple, duplicate cards. In the end, the struggle spotlighted his unique status.<\/p>\n

In her essay on DiPietro, Laura Elliott explained his philosophy: \u201c\u2026to try to be the best person he can, try to meet nice people and learn from them, and to care for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is the man who loves to laugh and can light up the room with his smile,\u201d she concluded. \u201cHe has been a friend of my mother\u2019s family for many years, and I am proud to know him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many Kennett-area residents feel exactly the same way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About 100 gather to celebrate Mike DiPietro’s 100th\u00a0 By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times On Sunday, people celebrated from as far away as Italy \u2013 jubilantly singing birthday wishes on the computer. The more fortunate revelers traveled to Kennett Square from near and distant, including Boston. A state representative and a state senator […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[16,3616,2578,1002,1130],"class_list":["post-9776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","tag-kennett-square","tag-michele-mike-dipietro","tag-police-chief-edward-a-zunino","tag-red-clay-room","tag-rep-chris-ross"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}