The East Bronx community said farewell and paid their respects to a local activist who had been involved in the community for decades following a successful career in sales.
The Pelham Bay and East Bronx communities have been in mourning following the death of lifelong Bronx resident and community activist James Pellicone, who was known by many as “Jimmy.” Pellicone, 82, died on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Pellicone, who retired from manufacturing company Procter & Gamble after more than 30 years, was always very active in the local community, actively engaged in local youth sports organizations in the borough, including Pelham Bay Little League (PBLL).
With the PBLL, he served in multiple roles, including as president and administrator of the organization. He was also involved with the Pelham Bay Belles as well as the Bronx Warriors Football Organization, the latter of which he served in an administrative capacity for over 30 years, most recently as the league’s president.
The Bronx Warriors Football website reads, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our president and treasurer, James ‘Jimmy’ Pellicone.”
Bronx Warriors Football president Eric Watkins, who previously served as the organization’s vice president under Pellicone, said that Pellicone was a major influence on him when it came to learning and understanding how to be a good football coach, beginning when Watkins was only 15 years old.
“He always wanted to provide opportunities for kids in the Bronx to play football and I always admired and respected him for that,” Watkins said.
According to Pellicone’s obituary, “family was everything” for him, and there was nothing more he loved than spending time with his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and close friends.
Pellicone loved football and was a lifelong fan of the New York Jets — he was a season ticket holder of the Jets for over 40 years and enjoyed spending time tailgating on the way to games with friends at what was then known as Giants Stadium, now MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
He was in his late 20s when the Jets won their first and, to this day, only Super Bowl against the then-Baltimore Colts — now the Indianapolis Colts — in 1969 in a Super Bowl III upset.
Despite the numerous disappointing seasons that followed for the Jets, he was always optimistic about the following season.
Pellicone’s funeral was held at Giordano Funeral Home on Feb. 19, with a mass arrangement occurring the following day at Our Lady of Assumption Church, both located in Pelham Bay, where Pellicone had devoted decades of his life to help East Bronx youth.
Following the funeral mass, Pellicone was laid to rest at Beechwood Cemetery in New Rochelle in Westchester County.
“We will remember him with adoration and will pass along the life lessons he has given to us,” Pellicone’s obituary read.
Pellicone, who is preceded in death by his wife Patricia, his sister Rosemary Mommens, brother-in-law Henri Moments and granddaughter Tamara Thatcher, is survived by his three children, Dominick, William and James Pellicone, along with eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260–8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
