Arsenio "Sam" Meluso

Arsenio “Sam” Meluso, 73, of Jersey City, passed away peacefully on October 9, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. Sam was a devoted and dedicated family man - a loving husband, proud father and grandfather, caring brother, uncle, godfather, cousin, and in-law. His greatest joy was to be surrounded by his family whether it was for special occasions, holidays, or summertime barbecues.

Sam was born on April 20, 1946 to Antonio and Antonietta Meluso in Sant'Arsenio (Salerno) Italy. In 1966, Sam came to the United States. He settled in Jersey City in 1968. Sam was employed in the warehouse for Finest Supermarkets from 1969 until 1977. From 1978 until 2001 he was the proud owner of Silver’s Stationary on Newark Avenue and later became a sales associate at Home Depot in Secaucus, NJ, where he worked from 2002 until his retirement in 2017. Sam was proud of his work ethic and strived to be the very best. Through this, he ensured that he would always be able to provide for his wife and children, even as adults. From the 1960s until the 1990s, Sam was a member of a popular local Italian band, The Cilento Clan, in which he worked as a sound and lighting engineer. He thoroughly enjoyed spending his free time attending and working social events throughout the tri-state area with his band members. Sam would often recount these memories and stories to his children years after.

Sam is survived by his wife of 48 years, Albina (née Janczewski), his two sons, Robert and his wife Janine (née Brown), Anthony and his wife Karolina (née Cyburt), and his daughter, Christina and her husband Peter Abdelmessih. Sam cherished and adored his grandson, Hunter, and soon-to-be granddaughter, Alice. Sam is also survived by his in-laws, George and Dorothea Brown, Jerzy and Agata Cyburt, and Samira Abdelmessih, his brothers Giuseppe and Frank, his sister-in-law Teresa, nephew, Anthony, and nieces, Antonella, Elizabeth, and Andrea as well as many grandnieces, grandnephews, and extended family. Sam was predeceased by his beloved sister-in-law, Maria.

Sam enjoyed the simplest things in life and had many passions: politics, gardening, tinkering with technology (he was always ahead of his time), cooking Italian meals (and eating them, too), drinking a nice glass of blush wine, taking a “snooze” alongside his kitty, Spunky, and keeping an eye on the neighborhood and talking with his neighbors. He loved to binge watch his favorite shows over and over again, watch classic movies from his youth, as well as educate himself through documentaries and educational programming found on PBS. Most recently, Sam became a model train enthusiast and loved to share with his family the progress he was making while “working on the railroad.” Finally, his love for music was at his core – he played music wherever he was (albeit, loudly) - and passed on this extreme passion to his children.

Sam was a social butterfly and made friends wherever he would go. He loved to talk and was quite the story-teller. His complimentary nature made him an easy person to like and be around. His ingenious ways of doing things has provided his family and friends with memories that could fill countless pages. The loss of Sam has created a tremendous void in the hearts of many, but his memory and the love that he had for those he cared for will never be forgotten. Sam’s family takes comfort in knowing that he lived his life to the fullest extent and in the way that he intended.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” – Hunter S. Thompson

Family and friends will be greeted from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2019 at Riotto Funeral Home, Jersey City, NJ (for GPS use parking lot address: 14 Stagg St., Jersey City). Funeral services will begin on Saturday, October 12, 2019, 9:00 a.m. at the Funeral Home, followed by a 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Nicholas Church, Jersey City, NJ on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Sam's honor to the PBS Foundation at: https://www.pbs.org/foundation/ways-to-give/pbs-donation-form/.