It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Mike Celentano Sr., one of Musco Food’s finest. Mike passed away this weekend after a month-long battle with the Covid-19 virus, surrounded by his family and loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers go to them in these immensely difficult times.
Mike had been an adored and ever-successful member of the Musco Food team for more than 25 years. His drive and passion were only matched by his kindness and generosity. Musco Food would not be the company it is today had we not been so fortunate to have him onboard.
As his colleagues, we will remember him as a truly remarkable salesman, a wise mentor, a warm and friendly teammate to all. We will miss his humor, his tranquil confidence, and genuine love for what he did. We hold no doubt his customers and all those who have crossed his path will miss him in the same ways, and more.
May God rest his soul.
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It has now been eight months since we lost Musco Food’s finest, Mike Celentano, to Covid. More than ever, he is in our hearts and minds. One of our employees penned this lovely memorial poem for him, that we wanted to share with you.
A Musco Christmas
In Memory of Mike Celentano
It was a month before Christmas and all through the stores
There’s a flurry of activity, lots and lots of chores.
Oh My Goodness, too much to do, too many tasks & work to do! Oh, Help Us Wow!
The store owner said don’t worry, we’ll call Mike Celentano, he’ll show us how!
Mike will get us Prosciutto to hang above and below,
He’ll get us Panettone wall to wall and cheeses to sell both big and small.
He’ll stock up the products, every space filled with wheels.
Don’t Worry the store owner said, Mike will get us good deals!
He’ll make sure we have everything to be a success, and he’ll do it all with ease and a quiet finesse.
He’ll get all this done and it won’t take him long and when he’s through he’ll even sing us a song.
Christmas is here and if you believe, a good thought from Mike is what you’ll receive.
This Christmas you may not see him, Santa and his reindeer,
But just like Santa, Mike is still here.
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Mike was a great salesman and a great person. He took good care of our store for many years. It was always a pleasure to see him. We miss him. We saved his cheerful voice messages. Our sincerest sympathy to his family and Musco Foods. Rest in peace Mike. With love from your friends at Robert’s Butcher Shop.
Mike was always a gentleman and very enthusiastic in the way he approached his job, his customers and his vendors. He will be missed. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones
Words can’t express how saddened we are to hear of the loss of mike . The Badalamenti family sends our deepest condolences to the Celentano and musco family! Mike was a dear friend and he will be in our hearts for ever ! I will never forget when mike walked into my store, I Mike if you want an order you need to sing me a song ! I love you my dear friend mike RIP!!
What is lovely never dies, but passes into another loveliness, Star-dust or sea-foam, Flower or winged air.
Sergimmo
I did not know Mike, but I send to Musco staff and Mike’s family my deepest condolences also on behalf of Castellino team. Rest in peace Mike.
Mike, ever busy, always found time to stop by, say hello and share a smile. Mike had purpose in life, personally and professionally and he had a unique talent and ability to make everyone “family”. Everyone will miss him. Rest In Peace.
I worked with Michael for 28 years. He was amazing and a true gentleman. Never a bad word or angry voice. Will miss him till the end of time. rest in peace God bless you and your family. Even from the hospital he sent me e mails with orders to put in. A loyal hard worker forever..
Io, non conoscevo Mike,
vi seguo dall’Italia e sono vicino al vostro dolore e a quello dei suoi familiari.
che Dio accolga Mike tra le sue braccia …..
fatevi forza supereremo insieme questo triste periodo anche se lontani vi sono vicino con il cuore.
Daniele
Michelino, as we called him in college has always been a true friend and family friend. R.I.P.
this is very difficult times for all of us, for my family we have lost some members. Michael has been a great friend to all of us & to his customers(who also are his friends). He has taught me many things in life & he will be dearly missed. Good by my friend, rest in peace with no more pain, the pain is with his family & friends now.
I will miss Mike. He was definitely my favorite salesman. He did not fit your typical salesman mold. He was honest and fair, which is an oxymoron when you talk about salesmen. It’s just so hard to accept that he is gone. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. I have the last invoice he marked “paid in full “. My staff and I will surely miss him. Rest In Peace , Mike.
Rest in peace, and GOD BLESS, my prayers go out to the family, to a fellow ITALIAN.
It’s hard to believe he is truly gone, and he won’t be strolling into the next Musco sales meeting with his quiet smile and kind eyes. Mike was such a humble, thoughtful and serene man in spite of his truly remarkable work. May we all try to be a little more like him.
Was very sadden when I learn of Mike passing . I’ve worked with Mike for over 19 yrs such a dedicated, kind and humble person, My deepest condolences to the Celentano family. RIP Mike we will be miss you
my condolences to mike and his family what a wonderful person he was
All I felt was a great sadness when hearing of Mikes passing. We truly are a family at Musco and he was one of ours. When I first started at Musco, I too went out on Mikes route with him. I will always remember one of his customers telling me, “If you’re going to learn from anyone, let it be him”. It was very clear that he had strong relationships with his customers that could only come from his genuine ways and trust that was earned throughout the years. May God wrap his arms around our dear Mike in heaven and his poor family on this earth?
Forza Napoli per sempre ❤️
You will truly be missed.
Stefania Cerini-Sandolo & Family
I loved & appreciated Mike so much !
I would often call him jokingly asking if he was still having his croissant & cappuccino at 11:00 AM knowing that he had been up since early morning already working for hours.
He was persistent, but with charm and humor…he was the epitome of the “soft sell”.
Although putting total concentration on “the sale”, he conducted business with such ease and grace…much like Joe DiMaggio performed on the ball field.
…poetry in motion…
I’ll miss you Mikey !
Chris and I were devastated by this very sad news. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family. We’ve know the Celentano family for more than 30 years. Rest in peace our good friend. We will never forget his kind smile and respectful outlook toward family, friends, and co-workers. And of course we will never forget his beautiful music!
Worked with Mike for about 16 years at Musco Food , we had some fun time especially on Fridays meeting
Greatest Paesano to work with .
My deepest condolence to the Celentano Family and Musco Staff
Mike was the sweet gentlemen who joined us in1992 and helped us build over the years . I will never forget you . Rest In Peace . Phil and Mildred .
Although I’m new to the Musco family ….. Mike welcomed me with open arms. May God rest your soul….
Im sitting here, devastated thinking of what I could possibly write to describe what kind of person Mike Celentano was, many words come to mind, few will ever reach the true magnitude . Amazing, kind, generous, humble, helpful, loyal and dedicated. But most of all I would have to say passionate. Anything he did , he did with complete passion. Whether it was his work ethic , making and singing wonderful music or the passion he had for the Napoli soccer team! He was such a fan. We had so many discussions so many laughs, we would just give each other a certain look and we both knew exactly we meant,we had so much in common. We would call or text each other on a Sunday morning right after each goal our team scored or even when they lost. Mike would always say “ it’s ok. Next week we will get them” always optimistic. Not only did the Musco Food family and Celentano family lose a great man, so did the world! Rest In Peace my good friend. And how would end every single conversation… Forza Napoli!!
My deepest sympathy to the Celentano and Musco Foods Family .Mike will forever be in our hearts and never be forgotten.REST IN PEACE MIKE ????
I knew Mike since the late seventies. Sometimes, he and his band played at St. Joseph church in Ridgewood. Other times they played at weddings. But through the years, he never seemed to change.
Mike was always kind and his gentle demeanor lit up the office when he came by. In turn, he was respected and loved by everyone.
May God welcome you into His Paradise, Mike. We will miss you.
The morning I find out
I was sick to my stomach all day
I work at uncle Giuseppe
And I know Mike for 20 years not only he was the best salesman but it was my friend
And today I lost a friend .my deepest condolences to family
He was the only one that we always talk to each other in Italian
God bless Mike and the entire Celentano family and Musco staff.
Rest in Peace Mike. My deepest condolences to the family.
We are so heart broken. Mike was a great man and a great friend. We will miss you so much. Love always, Your Friends at Pellegrini Prime Meats
Rest In Peace ????
My deepest condolences to the Celentano family. Mike will forever be in our hearts and never be forgotten. May he rest in Lords peace. – Teresa Bonomo & Family
The La Favorita Market Family sends our deepest sympathy to the Celentano and Musco Foods Family. We enjoyed working with Mike for all of our needs and were deeply saddened by the news.