John Salvatore Laterza (“Johnny Mush”) passed away at the age of 74 on Wednesday, August 25 while under hospice care at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
John was born in the Bronx on August 2, 1947 to Frank Laterza and Catherine (Nigro) Laterza and was an only child. After graduating from Christopher Columbus High School in 1965, John spent a brief period in the United States Army before becoming an apprentice as a sheet metal worker. John spent the next 40 years as a sheet metal worker and, in the 1980s, owned an ice cream store in the Morris Park section of the Bronx called Candy Cane Park. He enjoyed spending his summers at the Jersey Shore in Bradley Beach, where he eventually retired in 2005. John’s hobbies included fishing, boating, swimming, and horse racing. When not sitting on the beach or at Monmouth Park Racetrack, friends could find John spending weekends in Atlantic City.
John is survived by his children Stefanie Torielli (John Torielli) and Michael Laterza (Peter Di Nuovo), his grandchildren John Torielli, Jr. and Gabriella Torielli, his former wives Carolyn (Cerrato) Laterza and Roxanne (Costa) Laterza, as well as many cousins from both the Nigro and Laterza families.
Visitation will be Sunday, August 29 from 3-8pm and Monday, August 30 from 9:30-10:30am at Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home, 726 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx. Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, August 30 at 11:00 AM at St. Theresa Church, 2855 St. Theresa Avenue, Bronx. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory can be made to the American Heart Association.
