Vito Colasurdo

The tavern lights turned off for Vito Colasurdo, Sr. on October 12, 2022. 

Vito is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sally Colasurdo (D’Agui), his son, Vito Colasurdo, Jr., daughter-in-law, Sarah Colasurdo, his sister, Lois Ceraolo, and Fanny, the aloof family dog. 

Vito was a Hudson County guy through and through. He was born at Bayonne Hospital on October 4th, 1945 to Amelia (“Millie”) and Louis Colasurdo, with his twin sister, MaryAnn. He lived on 16th Street until he met his wife, Sally, bowling at Hudson Lanes. He went to St. Al's in Jersey City for high school and St. Peter's for college. Vito never wanted to leave the comforts of his Bayonne home. He called it his tombstone. And he died in Jersey City Medical Center, listening to Sinatra, with his son, at his side.

Vito was one of the good ones. A "shirt off his back" kind of guy. Vito was the long-time owner of Pat's Tavern on Avenue C in Bayonne, New Jersey. Patrons old and new came to Pat's, not for the shot and beer or the bar pie (which was the best in town), but to talk to Vito, who treated them like family. If someone fell on hard times, Vito threw them some money, because Vito ran Pat's not as a business, but as a place where people can get a break from life's troubles. He cared more about people than making a buck. On the holidays, Vito and his wife, Sally, put out food free of charge for those who did not have a place to go. He did it every year for 45 years.

Vito loved trips to Atlantic City with his wife, where he would spend hours playing blackjack while Sally played the slots. Vito was no stranger to classic Italian dishes such as osso buco, pasta fagioli, and chicken scarpariello. But to be fair, Vito would eat anything you put in front of him. Vito loved tending to the vegetable garden and his fig tree. Even as he got older, he climbed his ladder (or sometimes a chair) to cover the fig tree with a tarp in the winter. Vito fashioned himself an expert handyman, and although he knew how to fix most things in the house or at the bar, he never finished them. In the same way he viewed people, it was ok to be imperfect. 

Vito was stubborn as an ox, strong as a horse, and with as many lives as a cat, as attested by multiple nurses in hospitals throughout New Jersey. He fought until the very end, and neither he nor his nurses ever gave up on him. His family would like to thank all the doctors and nurses who cared for Vito over the years.

Vito will be forever missed by his family. In addition to his unconditional love, his family will miss betting the ponies at Monmouth Racetrack, doing shots of Jameson and eating his epic corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's Day, and taking (getting lost on) road trips where Vito allegedly always "had an idea" where he was.

His sister, MaryAnn Kelder, brothers, Louis and Angelo, his parents, Millie (Mastromonaco) and Louis, and family dogs, Dudley and Murphy, were waiting for him in the afterlife, with a cannoli.

A memorial viewing will be held at Bayonne Memorial Home at 854 Avenue C in Bayonne on Sunday, October 16th, 2022, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Mary, Star of the Sea at 326 Avenue C in Bayonne at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 17th, 2022.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Heart Association in honor of Vito.

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