André Ferrara
Obituary Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.
André Ferrara, 88, Mount Kisco, passed away on Apr. 2 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.
André was born on Oct. 31, 1935, to Andrea Ferrara and Giuseppa Giuliano in Martigues, France. When he was four years old, André’s father passed away in a tragic coal mine explosion where he worked. His widowed mother was unable to receive welfare, so André spent the next four years in an orphanage during World War II where he endured a great deal of abuse.
Once the war ended, he was reunited with his mother and three brothers and three sisters.
In 1956, he was drafted by the French Army and was trained as a paratrooper fighting in the French-Algerian War for 27 months.
After the war he went into the restaurant business in France’s Côte d’Azur, which led him to work in Bermuda and eventually New York. In 1964, André met Armella Guadagnini in New York City. André and Armella went on to have two children, Joselyn and Liliane.
André retired as a union carpenter in New York City and spent his time gardening, drawing, tinkering, volunteering at his church, the Mount Kisco Food Pantry and the local hospital. He was also involved with the Mount Kisco Historical Society and Beautification Committee. In addition, he sold his artwork at local street fairs, and most recently, the Mount Kisco Farmers Market. On a weekly basis, he donated boxes of pastries to the fire and police, the Highway Department and the senior center.
André was predeceased by his lovely wife, Armella, and his six brothers and sisters. He is survived by his daughter, Joselyn; her husband, Nicholas, and his beloved grandchildren, Michael and Ksenia Chernjawski; his daughter, Liliane, and her husband, Larry Schonert; and his son, Joshua Schonert, their daughter-in-law Molly and their twin daughters, Aubrey and Alyson. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Dr. Jean-Pierre Guadagnini, and his husband, Dr. Jacques Bolle.
Services were held at Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Home on Apr. 8 and at the United Methodist Church on Apr. 9.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider planting a tree in his honor (please see information on the Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Home website) or donating to a pancreatic cancer research organization of your choice.
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