Obituary for James Gerard Mustich
James Mustich (1928-2022)
James Mustich, known to all as Jimmy, a six-decade resident of Pleasantville, passed away peacefully in his home on August 17, 2022 after a long illness. Jimmy was born in The Bronx on October 17, 1928 to Joseph and Angelina (Serrilli) Mustich. He attended Evander Childs High School, where he met Annette DiStasio; the high school sweethearts were wed on September 30, 1950. It was the start of a marriage of true minds and independent personalities that would last more than 70 years, until Annette’s death in February 2021.
After high school, Jimmy entered the grocery business, running co-op stores in Harlem, Greenwich Village, and, eventually, in Pleasantville, where he and Annette and their two small children moved in 1957. After his co-op store at the corner of Marble Avenue and Bedford Road was destroyed by fire, Jimmy opened a small butcher shop at a nearby location, and then, with his long-time friend and partner Dom Monea, operated Jim & Dom’s Bar & Grill on Marble Avenue (on the site of the current Paulie’s). Serving local business people at lunch, tradesmen at the close of the working day, and students from the then Briarcliff College in the evenings and on weekends, Jim & Dom’s was a vibrant hub of good cheer, good food, and good stories—a locus for much camaraderie nourished by Jimmy’s convivial spirit, native wit, and extraordinary generosity. At the end of the 1960s, Jimmy began a third career, going to work for the Helen Whiting dress company and Ultrasport sportswear on Tompkins Avenue, where he remained until his retirement. In every venue, his gift for making people feel seen and encouraged, whatever their station or status, made him a treasured friend.
In 1969, Jimmy and Annette and their two children moved from their apartment at 210 Marble Avenue to their home for the next fifty years on Mountain Road, where both lived until their deaths. Jimmy is also predeceased by his siblings, Louis, Anna Walsh, Luisa Gliatta, Celeste Farina, Peter, Joseph, Anthony, and Angelo. He is survived by his daughter Cathy Guy, his son James Jr. and daughter-in-law, Margot, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The family asks that any donations made in his name be directed to Hospice Care of Westchester and Putnam (https://www.hospicecarenetwork.org/donate-now/).
A funeral mass in memory of both Jimmy and Annette will be held at Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville at 10 AM on Saturday, August 27.
James Mustich, known to all as Jimmy, a six-decade resident of Pleasantville, passed away peacefully in his home on August 17, 2022 after a long illness. Jimmy was born in The Bronx on October 17, 1928 to Joseph and Angelina (Serrilli) Mustich. He attended Evander Childs High School, where he met Annette DiStasio; the high school sweethearts were wed on September 30, 1950. It was the start of a marriage of true minds and independent personalities that would last more than 70 years, until Annette’s death in February 2021.
After high school, Jimmy entered the grocery business, running co-op stores in Harlem, Greenwich Village, and, eventually, in Pleasantville, where he and Annette and their two small children moved in 1957. After his co-op store at the corner of Marble Avenue and Bedford Road was destroyed by fire, Jimmy opened a small butcher shop at a nearby location, and then, with his long-time friend and partner Dom Monea, operated Jim & Dom’s Bar & Grill on Marble Avenue (on the site of the current Paulie’s). Serving local business people at lunch, tradesmen at the close of the working day, and students from the then Briarcliff College in the evenings and on weekends, Jim & Dom’s was a vibrant hub of good cheer, good food, and good stories—a locus for much camaraderie nourished by Jimmy’s convivial spirit, native wit, and extraordinary generosity. At the end of the 1960s, Jimmy began a third career, going to work for the Helen Whiting dress company and Ultrasport sportswear on Tompkins Avenue, where he remained until his retirement. In every venue, his gift for making people feel seen and encouraged, whatever their station or status, made him a treasured friend.
In 1969, Jimmy and Annette and their two children moved from their apartment at 210 Marble Avenue to their home for the next fifty years on Mountain Road, where both lived until their deaths. Jimmy is also predeceased by his siblings, Louis, Anna Walsh, Luisa Gliatta, Celeste Farina, Peter, Joseph, Anthony, and Angelo. He is survived by his daughter Cathy Guy, his son James Jr. and daughter-in-law, Margot, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The family asks that any donations made in his name be directed to Hospice Care of Westchester and Putnam (https://www.hospicecarenetwork.org/donate-now/).
A funeral mass in memory of both Jimmy and Annette will be held at Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville at 10 AM on Saturday, August 27.