Obituary of Alfred Frederick DeStefano

Alfred Frederick DeStefano, a resident of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Sunday, September 21st, at the Fuld Campus of the Capital Health System in Trenton. Al DeStefano (often called "Al D." by his friends) was born in the 1920's and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, where he attended parochial high school. His parents were the late Helen (neé) Lewis and Joseph DeStefano. He married Marjorie (neé) Kapelsohn, his second wife, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in 1979; she is a Child Study Team Learning Consultant with the Lawrence Township Public Schools. Al DeStefano began, as a teen, to work for a living, having survived polio as a child; and he never considered his weaker leg, an after-effect of the disease, to be a handicap. He worked for the Works Progress Administration; and, though he could not be enlisted in the armed forces during World War II, he served as a big-rig driver, as a chauffeur for military brass, and in other positions at the Kittatinny Arsenal. In another capacity, he served as a supervisor of Italian prisoners-of-war; and, ironically, it was through such supervision that he came into deeper contact with his Italian heritage, learning more of the Italian language from the prisoners he helped take care of. He loved jazz and played as a professional pit drummer at the Empire Burlesque in Newark. He also sat in as a drummer for Coleman Hawkins when the Hawk played Newark, a city his regular drummer declined to gig; and, he played also as a member of the Louis Prima band. For more than 30 years "Al D." was a well-known figure on Nassau Street in Princeton, first as the manager of Varsity Sports, where he gained reputation as an expert outfitter for competitive team sports in the area; and, after he retired, as the proprietor of Princeton Area Town Taxi, in conjunction to which he served as the president of the Princeton Taxi Drivers Association and spokesperson to the Princeton Town Council. He counted as his friends many of the people associated with Princeton University. He loved classic cars, classic movies, and classic jazz; played baseball; studied the news; grew plants with a natural green thumb; mastered the recipe for the perfect Italian gravy, his proudest forte among many; and was welcome company among those who appreciated his skills as a raconteur, and the friendship of an honorable man. He is predeceased by one sister and a brother who died in childhood. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie DeStefano of Lawrenceville; his son, Joseph DeStefano of East Windsor; a sister; his stepsons, Joshua Weiner and Dr. Michael Weiner and seven grandchildren. His funeral service will be held on Wednesday at 11 AM at Poulson and Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Rd., Lawrenceville with the Rev. Vincent Gartland, Pastor, of the Church of St. Ann officiating. Burial will be private. Friends may call on Tuesday from 4 to 7 PM at the funeral home. www.poulsonvanhise.com. The family requests that memorial donations be sent to HomeFront, Inc., 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648.