Eugene “Gino” Romano, 96, of Baden, passed away peacefully on March 9th, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.
He was born in Pizzo, Italy on September 24th, 1929, a son of the late Eugenio Romano and Vittoria Malerba Romano, and a loving, devoted husband to the late Ezia Romano. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Pino Romano and Vincenzo Romano, his 16-year-old sister, Benedetta and his infant sister, Antonia Romano.
Eugene came to the United States in 1948 and met his beautiful Ezia while they were both learning English at Ambridge High School. It was love at first sight and he proclaimed that he was going to marry her. He and Ezia were married for over 72 years and were completely devoted to each other. They both sang in the church choir and loved to travel together in their retirement years. He was an avid gardener and was proud of his vegetable garden as well as his roses and hydrangeas. In his retirement years, he could be found singing his Italian songs from his Memories of Italy CDs at local festivals and nursing homes and sharing his homemade wine and biscotti with friends and neighbors. He continued to sing his Italian favorites on Facebook live, delighted that he was able to entertain and make more connections through social media. Everyone who met he fell in love with his magnetic and lively personality and enjoyed being treated to his world-famous cappuccino, which he learned to make at the age of 10 at the café where he worked in Pizzo. His grit, bravery and determination brought him to this country that he loved and helped him teach his children to work hard and embrace his Italian heritage.
He is survived by his children, Elizabeth (Fred) Fattore, Loretta Romano and Gene Romano (Anne Marie) and Tina Romano (Shannon Beckwith), his grandchildren: Ian Cipriani, Melody (Hayes) Perdue, Ali (Phil) Bourque, Nicki (Micah) Ninteman, Joey Yarwick, Tori Romano (Conner Ducey), Nico Romano; as well as his bonus grandchildren, Jesop Fattore, Alexis Fattore, and Grace Megela. He and Ezia were extremely proud and found great joy in their great-grandchildren, Nate Perdue, Sam Perdue, Anna Perdue, John Perdue, Lydia Perdue, Kameron Cipriani, Ellis Bourque, Beau Bourque, Zoe Ninteman, and bonus great-grandchildren Aiden Fattore, Maddox Fattore and Phoenix Fattore. He is also survived by his brother, Frank Romano and his nieces and nephews. He lived for his last few years at Ridgecrest in Cranberry Township, where he was appointed ambassador. He enjoyed singing to the other residents and sharing his biscotti and pizzelles.
The family is thankful for the staff at Ridgecrest and Bridges Hospice for their care in his last days and for his friends Jim Blanarik, Tim Waxenfelter, and Judi Chester for their kindness.
When asked how he would like to be remembered, he responded “singing selections from his Memories of Italy CDs and making people laugh.”
A Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 10th from 1-3 P.M. & 4-6 P.M. in the John Syka Funeral Home Inc., 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge, who was in charge of his arrangements, and where prayers will be offered on Wednesday, March 11th at 10 A.M. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 A.M. in the Good Samaritan Church, 725 Glenwood Avenue, Ambridge.
Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent in Gino’s memory to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Eugenio “Gino” Romano, please visit the floral store of the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc. by clicking here.
