Posted on 09/18/2005 9:48:01 PM PDT by Coleus
School official James Gandolfini
More than 400 people paid their respects Friday to James J. Gandolfini, the former director of facilities at Paramus Catholic High School, and the father of actor James Gandolfini.
Mr. Gandolfini died Wednesday at age 84.
The mourners turned out to view Mr. Gandolfini during afternoon and evening visiting hours at the Robert Spearing Funeral Home on Kinderkamack Road in Park Ridge. They included actors from the TV show "The Sopranos."
Mr. Gandolfini's son, James, known for his tough-guy roles, plays mob character Tony Soprano in the popular TV show.
Once his son became well-known, the father was frequently asked by friends and acquaintances about him, said daughter Leta Gandolfini of Westwood.
But he refused to play favorites.
"My father had a pat answer: I'm extremely proud of all my three children," said Leta Gandolfini, the vice president of a women's clothing firm in New York.
Mr. Gandolfini's other daughter, Johanna Antonacci of Montvale, is the manager of the Family Division of Superior Court in Hackensack.
"Both my mother and father were very supportive of any career move any of us wanted to make," Leta Gandolfini said. "The nice thing about my father is that he spent a lot of time with his children. We had a good time with my father."
People who met Mr. Gandolfini for the first time were sometimes surprised by his stature when compared with his burly 6-foot son. The father was 5-foot-7 and weighed about 145 pounds.
"He got that from my mother," Leta Gandolfini said of her brother's large frame.
Mr. Gandolfini served in the Army in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded on the front lines in France, Leta Gandolfini said.
He worked for Paramus Catholic High School for 40 years.
"It was a big part of his life," Leta Gandolfini said. "He opened the school [as facilities director] in 1965. He would get there at 6 a.m."
As testament to his popularity at the school, Paramus Catholic officials asked that the funeral Mass be held in the 800-seat school auditorium today.
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