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First Posted: 1/2/2014

Our hearts were heavy and our stomachs were full.

Greater Pittston lost 1140 people according to obituaries published in the pages of the Sunday Dispatch in 2013. The total is inexact but it is the same number of deaths published in the Dispatch in 2012.

Our list begins with two who fed us for more than half a century: Greater Pittston pizza pioneers Mike Savokinas of Savo’s Pizza and John Sabatini of Sabatini’s Pizza.

Savokinas, 71, of Pittston Township, died Sept. 20, following an illness. A co-founder of Savo’s Pizza with his brother, Ray, they forever changed the Old Forge-dominated pizza landscape in the region.

“People here are really picky when it comes to pizza,” said local historian Mike Dziak. “But Mike made great pizza. It was a tribute to him and his family.”

The brothers opened Savo’s on Main Street in Pittston at the urging of anther pizzeria owner, Pete Be, who moved his business to Exeter.

“Pete told us it would cost us about $800 to open the pizza business,” Mike had said. “Well, it ended up costing us about $8,000. I still scorch Pete about that.” Be died in 2001.

The first year, rent was $100 a month, which included heat and water. When it opened, Savo’s was popular with high school students after school and on weekends. They also did a booming business with factory workers.

Pizza at Savo’s was 10 cents a slice and soda was nickel. The menu was simple early on: pizza, foot-long hot dogs, barbecues and hoagies.

Savo’s was the first to offer unbaked pizza in the region, also one of the first to offer home delivery. The pizza sauce is what makes Savo’s stand out and the recipe hasn’t changed since it was created by Mike and Ray’s mother, Madeline.

The Savokinas brothers moved their business to the Pittston Plaza on the newly constructed Pittston Bypass in 1971 where it remains and thrives.

Sabatini, 95, of Exeter, died on February 7. He developed Sabatini’s Pizza in Exeter and began a family business that continues now into the third generation.

Sabatini’s has been a pizza powerhouse that has fed generations its signature sauce and gooey cheese for nearly 55 years. Sabatini’s grandson, Lindo, now runs the eatery.

“He was an amazing guy,” Lindo Sabatini said. “Ninety-five years old and he had the energy of a 15-year-old. He was always happy, smiling. My wife and I were trying to think of a time when he wasn’t smiling.”

Lindo said his grandfather still visited the restaurant up until recently.

John Sabatini established Sabatini’s Pizza Inc. in 1958 and he attributed his longevity to good nutrition and exercise. He golfed regularly at the Fox Hill Country Club and in the early 1980s, he took up ballroom dancing.

Greater Pittston also lost two prominent members of the clergy, the Rev. Harry Lewis, the founding pastor of St. Maria Goretti Church in Laflin, and the Rev. Edward Masakowski, the longtime pastor of St. Mark’s Church in the Inkerman section of Jenkins Township.

Lewis, 101, died on New Years Day.

He served in the military at the Battle of the Bulge and retired from priesthood as Ronald Reagan’s presidency wound down. He was named founding pastor of St. Maria Goretti parish in Laflin on Sept. 14, 1967, and served at St. Therese’s Church in Wilkes-Barre as the Agnes Flood hit the region.

Lewis, the first Diocese of Scranton priest ever to reach the 100 year mark, spoke about the secret to longevity with a tease. “I’m going to write a book about it,” Lewis told a reporter. Asked what it felt like to reach such a milestone, he beamed again. “You look forward to it, but when you actually get there, it’s even more exciting.”

Bishop Joseph Bambera has said Lewis always exhibited a “joyful presence, kind demeanor and humble faithful ways” and earned lasting praise from parishioners. The bishop cited comments from people he has met who endured the 1972 Agnes flood and turned to Lewis for comfort.

“For all that God has given you, you know what we’re most grateful for?” Bambera asked. “You’ve given it all back to us. It’s no wonder God has blessed you with 100 years.”

Masakowski, 80, died on Sept. 17.

In 2008, Masakowski and his church of 11 years, St. Mark’s in Inkerman, were readying to be merged with St. Maria Goretti in Laflin and he was retiring. A priest more than 50 years, Masakowski said the time he spent at St. Mark’s “were the happiest years of my life.”

Known for his love of music, Masakowski praised choir for the beautiful music they’ve added to his services and the church’s Eucharistic minister and rest of the congregation.

“I’ve relied on your prayers as much as you relied on mine,” he told them.

Masakowski refused to use the word retirement, calling the emotional Mass and the luncheon that followed “the culmination of my life.”

He smiled often during the service and afterward as he leaned heavily on a cane and greeted parishioners.

“I would like to keep going but I’ve reached the age for having more free time,” he said.

The Sunday Dispatch lost two past editors.

Obituaries ran for John Watson, grandson of the William A. Waston Sr., founder of the Dispatch, and Paul McGarry, who held the editorship under Watston for five years in the 1990s.

Watson, 57, former editor and publisher of the Sunday Dispatch, died June 13 in Ballard, Wash., just outside of Seattle. Known to friends as “Chick,” Watson grew up in and around the newspaper. He started in the production darkroom and eventually moved into the newsroom. “When he got the behind the keyboard, he was brilliant,” his brother, Bill, said. “He really loved the written word.”

Watson wrote a weekly column during his tenure at the Dispatch. Later, he wrote a weekly local political column and golf notebook for The Times Leader in the the mid-1990s and a national political column for much of 2012.

Bill Watson said newspapers were his brother’s life.

“At the Dispatch, we covered everything Greater Pittston,” Bill Watson said. “We used to say that if your picture wasn’t in the Dispatch in any given year, you weren’t living in Greater Pittston. The Dispatch has a connection to the community that a lot of newspapers don’t have. John was part of that.”

Former Mayor Michael Lombardo said Waston is one of 10 people who truly made a difference in Pittston. During Lombardo’s time as mayor, there were few people’s reactions he considered when making a decision. Watson’s was one of them.

“He was opinionated, but had great insight,” Lombardo said. “He was Pittston’s professional cheerleader.

“He would be critical and point out what needed to be done,” Lombardo said. “But he framed it in the bigger picture. It was always what was best for Pittston.”

Waston left behind a lifetime of friends and family in Pittston and throughout the country.

McGarry, 66, the former Sunday Dispatch editor, Pittston city clerk and Luzerne County courts official died on Dec. 8.

McGarry left City Hall in October of 1990 to take the helm of the Sunday Dispatch and served as editor for five years. He wrote a weekly column and often covered the Pittston Area School Board and covered nearly every local beat, from borough council meetings to DUI checkpoints.

Watson, his predecessor at the Dispatch, told readers about McGarry’s hire as editor in his weekly column on Oct. 14, 1990.

“The editor of a weekly community newspaper does more than edit copy, design pages and assign reporters,” Waston wrote. “Along with all of that, a community editor deals in one way or another with the entire spectrum of community life and an intimate knowledge of the community is a key requirement. McGarry has that intangible quality.”

Watson said he first met McGarry 15 years previously at a Greater Pittston Jaycee softball tournament when, as an umpire, McGarry called his brother, Bill, out on a play at home plate.

“It was a terrible call,” Watson wrote. “After I attacked McGarry with an aluminum bat and a list of expletives that would make Roger Clemens cringe, McGarry not only threw me out of the game but the entire tournament and off the park grounds.”

But shortly thereafter in the column, Watson sung McGarry’s praises and welcomed him as editor.

Dr. Jennifer Sidari, a 2005 graduate of Wyoming Area, died three weeks after graduating from The Commonwealth Medical College and five days before she was to begin her residency at Geisinger Hospital in Danville.

She received degrees in biology and philosophy at The University of Scranton and, upon graduation, was accepted to the very first class at TCMC in Scranton.

It is still unclear how Dr. Sidari passed away, but what is clear is that, even after her tragic death, she will carry out her destiny of helping others. Numerous scholarships in Sidari’s name have been formed.

Lawyer Matt Casey spoke at news conference on behalf of Sidari’s family.

“She was all that any parent could hope for from his or her daughter,” Casey said. “She somehow was able to be smart, beautiful, happy and unfailingly decent and kind all at once. She stood for excellence, yet lived with uncommon compassion for others. This is what was lost on May 29th. She was, very simply, the best we have to offer.”

Called the “First Lady of Laflin,” Mary Slesinski died on June 16.

A lifelong resident of Laflin, she was the first woman to serve as mayor of Laflin, the first woman justice of the peace and served as Laflin borough secretary, councilwoman and also served on the Board of Elections.

She started the Laflin Playground, which is named after her, and started the Boy Scouts in Laflin. She was a patron and was instrumental in the building of the Laflin Library, Laflin Borough Building and St. Maria Goretti Church.

She had been writing the History of Laflin.

Greater Pittston businessman Gene Lispi of Laflin died on Sept. 24. He was 87.

Always interested in involving himself and his family into new ventures, he built Lispi Lanes, a bowling alley in Plains Township.

When the idea of building a horse racing facility in Plains Twp. was about to become a reality, he and his brother Albert began a racing stable. They owned several race horses, most notably Seminole Gene.

He met and married Osma Abraham, daughter of Robert Abraham, a local car dealer. Listening to the stories from his father-in-law, he became interested in new car sales. Gene Lispi Chevrolet, later know as Abraham Chevrolet, was then established.

A novice to the new car business, he furthered his education in the automobile industry by studying sales and marketing at Princeton University and graduating from the Dealers/Sons College of Chevrolet.

He opened Lispi’s Restaurant and lounge in 1977. He was also involved in the coal industry.

And on May 22, Lispi’s cousin, retired Luzerne County Judge Arthur D. Dalessandro, also died. He was 86.

Dalessandro was a trial lawyer for 17 years and was appointed to Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas by then Gov. Milton Shapp in 1972. He was elected to a 10-year term in 1973 and retained for another 10-year term in 1983.

He was named outstanding state trial judge of the year in 1985 by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

He pleaded guilty plea to tax evasion charges in 1990 for receiving $121,000 of unclaimed revenue from a car dealership business that he shared with Lispi. He was sentenced to serve two consecutive one-year sentences at Allenwood Federal Prison Camp near Williamsport but was released from the work camp after nine months for good behavior.

Dalessandro also found favor with the state Supreme Court. Shortly after his early release, the presiding justice of the state court said Dalessandro had not committed crimes against his office and should not be required to forfeit his seat on the bench. As part of his plea bargain, however, Dalessandro agreed that he would not seek re-election.

Over his lengthy career, more than 95 percent of his opinions were affirmed by appellate courts. Dalessandro was the first trial judge in his area to permit expert testimony on the use of thermography to document and prove the pain suffered by a person who sustained a soft tissue injury. Other accomplishments include revision of the County Court rules, changes in Juvenile Court procedures, helping establish computer selection of jurors, and initiating a voice-amplification system for courtrooms.

Paul Leonard, a local funeral director and past Man of the Year of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Banquet, died Dec. 16. He was 81.

He carried the flag for that organization for many years, both figuratively and literally, said past president Patrick Bilbow.

“When I was coming up through the ranks, he was very encouraging and very supportive as a mentor,” Bilbow said. “And he was the guy who always led the past president into the banquet hall carrying the flag.”

He graduated from Pittston High School, McAllister School of Embalming in New York City and graduated from the University of Scranton with a bachelor of science degree.

He was a longtime teacher, coach and athletic director at Seton Catholic and its predecessor, St. John’s High School.

Garden Village Deli owner Sam Bellanca of Laflin, who served up minute steak sandwiches with potato chips and a smile, died on June 30. The former Laflin councilman and one-time owner and operator of LaBella Fashions, LaBella Dress Factory and Mar-Belle Bridal was 76 years old at the time of his death.

Marie Lauck, a founding member of Greater Pittston Meals on Wheels and a faithful servant to that organization for 45 years, died August 20. She was 94.

Margaret O’Boyle also died in August. She was active with the Salvation Army and Greater Pittston Business and Professional Women. After a career with the State Liquor Control Board, she served as a volunteer in the office of State Rep. Phyllis Mundy. She was once named Woman of the Week in the Commonwealth.

Steve Sokach died March 31 at the age of 71. He was a founding member of the Wyoming Area Booster Club and an active member of Exeter Lions Club for 40 years.

Hughie Walsh, legendary three-sport star at Pittston Central Catholic and a member of the school’s Sports Hall of Fame, died on Feb. 15 at 73. He had an illustrious career as a high school and prep football coach.

John “Ace” O’Malley died Jan. 16 at 89. He was a career newspaperman who got his start at the Sunday Dispatch as a sports writer.

Ron Mortimer, Pittston Area teacher and later Pittston City clerk, died Jan. 9 at the age of 66.

NOTE: Of course, every death is significant and all those who pass are notable among their family and friends. This listing was compiled by the Dispatch staff, but if there is anyone we have overlooked, please accept our sincere apology and let us know. We will add their names to the article as it appears on our website psdispatch.com throughout the week.