Salvatore J. Conti

Salvatore "Sal" Conti of Old Bridge, New Jersey, 76, passed away peacefully in Manhattan on Saturday, June 24 th 2023 in the loving embrace of his family. Sal was born in Manhattan to the late Anthony Conti and Josephine Potenzano and was raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Sal would meet the love of his life, Lucy Sorrentino in November 1966. They were married in 1972 on Staten Island where they lived and raised their children for almost 40 years. They moved into their dream home in Old Bridge, New Jersey in January 2012 to be closer to their children, his work and hobby circles. Sal's entire working career revolved around ships. He was always adamant that they be called ships and not boats as "Boats are things you play with in the bathtub, these are ships!" He began working with the Moore McCormack Line in the early 1960s, then joined American Export Line which merged with Farrell Line and then moving to Cunard Line in 1983. Sal's time at Cunard was the crowning jewel of his purchasing career as served and sailed with the famous liner QE2 all over the world. His experience was in the capacity of Buyer across all of these lines ensuring that ships sailed with all of their required provisions, be it technical or edible. It was in the early 2000s that he partnered with Gargiulo Produce to expand their hospitality sector to serve the modern-day cruise line industry. He took his vast knowledge of what the industry needed as Buyer and transferred it into a Sales and Customer Relationship role. It was this switch from Buyer to Salesman and the strong team at Gargiulo that made the difference between working a job to live vs. building a career because you enjoy it so. He was working with the Gargiulo family up until literally his final days as was immensely proud of what they achieved together. When asked when will you retire and take it easy, his reply remained steadfast "Why in the world would I retire?! I have too much fun to retire!" But his career was not his only driver in life, he was the consummate collector of all types of antique toys and Lionel trains, which never tired of playing with, which earned him the nickname of "Peter Pan" amongst his immediate family. This hobby was in a very close tie with Sal's passion for Antique automobiles from the US including but not limited to Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Packard's. Taking a drive on a sunny day with the top down, 50s music playing on the radio and his young bride by his side was Sal's idea of a perfect day. These hobbies lead to the creation of the most wonderful circle of friends, many lifelong for both Sal and Lucy and enjoyed their company as often as he could. Needless to say, Sal was the ultimate family man and always wanted us to be "together" be it a dinner, a trip or something as simple as a phone call just to hear your voice. Sal is survived by his cherished wife of 50 years, Lucy, his eldest son, Christopher, his daughter in law Marissa and his youngest son John Paul. He is also survived by his younger brother, John, his cousin Celeste and countless nieces & nephews and grand-nieces & grand-nephews. Donations, in lieu of flowers, to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the American Heart Association in Sal's memory would be greatly appreciated. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html https://www2.heart.org/site/SPageNavigator/donatenow_lifeiswhy_att.html

Salvatore J. Conti

December 18, 1946 - June 24, 2023