Restaurateur Julius Troiani set strong example for family
Church bells rang Sunday in Navelli, Italy, to mark the passing of a Hill District native who owned and operated restaurants throughout the area.
Julius B. Troiani, 70, died Saturday, May 8, 2010, at his Downtown home surrounded by his extended family. He was born Jan. 22, 1940, in the Hill District to Luigi and Concetta Troiani.
Jacqueline Troiani said her husband had a peaceful death.
"As soon as we said the rosary, he took his last breath," she said.
Michael Troiani of Bon Air said his father was a natural leader who drew out the best from the people around him.
Born into a family of 12 children, Mr. Troiani grew up helping his father sell produce off a truck in the Hill District. That early training stuck with him his entire life, his son said.
"He was always a deal maker," Michael Troiani said.
With his family, Mr. Troiani owned and operated the Musketeer Lounge in Market Square, the Pilot House on the Monongahela Wharf, Guili's Landmark on Fourth Avenue, the Nottingham Country Club in Nottingham, PaPa J's Ristorante in Carnegie, Cafe PaPa J's in Mt. Lebanon, PaPa J's Mercato in the Strip District and PaPa J's Centro in Downtown.
Nicholas Troiani of Dormont said his father was a talkative man who planned out every day, even when they were staying at Red Arrow, a country home in Ligonier.
"Drinking coffee with him in the morning is some of my fondest memories," he said. "Early in the morning, he would write down his 10 pages.
"You've never seen someone more organized in his life. You'd get up at 6, and he'd been up for two hours. He had it all mapped out."
Michael Troiani said his father set a great example for his children and employees.
"He demanded the best out of everybody. He made us all better people," he said.
A carpenter who worked as a general contractor for much of his life, Mr. Troiani was "like a poet" on a construction site in using every piece of material he could, Michael Troiani said.
"He saw everything when he walked into a room. He always said a good carpenter has a thousand eyes," his son said.
Mr. Troiani bought a home in his father's hometown of Navelli, which is in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.
"He always said he was half Abruzzese and half Italian," Michael Troiani said.
A relative who lives in Navelli told him the churches would ring their bells to announce his father's death. Mr. Troiani liked to travel and visited the pyramids in Egypt and the white cliffs of Dover on the British coastline. He came back from those trips with ideas that he incorporated into his businesses.
"He saw the world in a good way and made people demand more from themselves," Michael Troiani said.
In addition to his wife and two sons, survivors include daughters Kimberly Walker of Ocala, Fla., Tracy DiGiacomo of Naples, Fla., Kelly Garrity of Santa Monica, Calif., and Jacquelene Troiani of Mt. Washington; sons Louis Troiani of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Julius Troiani Jr. of Naples Fla.; sisters Dolores Zanello of Scott, Connie Kelsey of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carol Tortorea and Toni Lauro of Greentree and Theresa Mitchell of Beechview; and eight grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by sisters Marie Troiani and Louise DeNardo and brothers Nick, Louis, Michael and Renny Troiani.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today in William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Road, Scott. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, 21st and Smallman streets, Strip District.
The family asks that memorials be in the form of contributions to Smile Train, a charity that provides free cleft lip and palate surgeries to children, at smiletrain.org .
