Spatola Family Papers

The Spatola family collection features material from three members of the Spatola family: Jerry, Bina Spatola, and Agata Spatola O’Connor. The Spatola family first came to New Jersey at the end of the 19th century when Gerardo Spatola Sr. emigrated from the Italian town of Camposele. The family was well known throughout the Newark community, most notably for their funeral home. The Spatolas first entered the funeral business in 1890, when Gerardo Spatola Sr. started to practice in Newark’s First Ward. His son, Gerardo “Jerry” Spatola Jr. then opened the Spatola Funeral Home, the first Italian-American Funeral Home in the state of New Jersey. Jerry ran the funeral home until his death in 1975, when daughter, Bina, took over.

The Spatolas were also known for supporting and celebrating Italian heritage and culture in Newark. They were heavily involved in the community’s celebration of the Feast of St. Gerard at St. Lucy’s Church. The festival as a whole began in 1899, between the time that St. Gerard Majella was beatified (1893) and canonized (1904). The feast day, which falls on October 16th, celebrations were headed by Gerardo Spatola Sr, and the annual celebrations have been coordinated by the Spatola family for over a century. Geta founded the St. Gerard Ladies Guild of Newark in 1966, garnering over 2,000 members to support the National Shrine of Saint Gerard at Saint Lucy's Church in Newark, NJ and the International Shrine and Orphanage of Saint Gerard in Materdomini, Italy. As one of the selected coordinators of the Feast of Saint Gerard at Saint Lucy's Church she was cited in the Congressional Record in 1977 by the late Congressman Peter W. Rodino the year that the St. Gerard Chapel was dedicated as a National shrine to St. Gerard.

Beyond religious celebrations, The Spatolas celebrated Italian life and supported their community throughout the year. They gave Easter baskets to the poor every year, doing so in front of Italian-run businesses such as the Vittorio Castle. Sisters Bina and Geta organized the first nationwide Frank Sinatra Fan Club known as the "Sighing Society of Sinatra Swooners, for which Bina handled all of the correspondence. The group enrolled over 1000 members from New Jersey to California and also published "Frank Fare," a monthly newsletter. The Spatolas were also close personal friends with New York Yankee’s baseball player, Joe DiMaggio, who gave them the shoes he wore during his “Sacred Streak.” In 2012, Bina Spatola and Gerald Spatola O’Connor, her nephew, were awarded the Columbus Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to the Italian Community of Newark.

It was through this Italian-American lens that the Spatolas were able to assert political influence. Jerry Spatola was active in politics through running the Gerardo J. Spatola Civic Association, which supported Hugh Addonizio’s run for Mayor of Newark. He also chaired the Newark Planning Board in the 1940s and additionally served as a commissioner for the Newark Housing Authority.