Sam DiFeo Sr., a local auto dealership owner and philanthropist, died Friday, May 5 at age 90.
DiFeo, who founded the DiFeo Auto Group, was a pillar in the Hudson County community for over 60 years, in particular Jersey City where he was raised. DiFeo will be remembered for his immense contributions on both a business and civic level.
His beginnings
Born in New York City, DiFeo moved to New Jersey at an early age, when he got his start as baker at his family’s pastry shop in downtown Jersey City.
With the help of a friend, DiFeo purchased his first used car parking lot on Newark Avenue. Within a few years, DiFeo owned his very own dealership in Linden, and was on his way to owning 34 additional car dealerships throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Florida.
Gary Greenberg, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County and a longtime friend of the DiFeos, said that DiFeo epitomized the American dream.
“He came from an immigrant family and started from nothing,” Greenberg said.
During the 1970s and ’80s, Greenberg’s largest fundraiser for the Boys and Girl’s Club was the annual “Cadillac Raffle,” in which DiFeo not only donated the Cadillac, but also sold upwards of 80 percent of the raffles raising between $15,000 and $20,000 dollars a year.
“Sam took the community along with him. He never forgot where he came from,” added Greenberg.
The philanthropist
DiFeo’s charitable contributions to the community exceeded his achievements in the business world and became a defining feature in his life.
Another organization in which DiFeo was involved was the United Way of Hudson County. In addition to years of support, DiFeo donated a plot of land in 1967 to the United Way, allowing it to expand their headquarters building at 857 Bergen Ave.
“He was one of the old-school leaders of the Hudson County Community. I wish there were more like him,” said Dan Altilio, friend and President of the United Way of Hudson County. “He gave back to the community without wanting to be recognized. He was a role model, especially in the Italian-American community.”
DiFeo also donated to various Catholic charities such as the Catholic Youth Organization of the Newark Archdiocese, which gave children throughout Hudson, Essex, Bergen and Union Counties an opportunity to engage in various forms athletic activities throughout the year.
DiFeo, a graduate of St. Peter’s Prep class of ’32, created endowed scholarships at both the preparatory and the college. Fr. James F. Keenan, S.J., president of St. Peter’s Prep, described DiFeo as a personal friend.
“He was always there to give encouragement, always willing to give his support,” Keenan said.
In 1988, St. Peter’s College awarded him an honorary degree due to his commitment to the St. Peter’s community as well as Jersey City.
DiFeo’s contributions were also felt by the Jersey City Police Department, which in 1998 received a $5,000 donation from DiFeo and his business associates to purchase 11 bullet proof vests.
Recognition
A portion of Jersey City’s Communipaw Avenue was dedicated to the late Difeo two years prior to his death, recognizing his achievements and his dedication to a community he considered his own. Sam DiFeo Drive now accompanies Communipaw between Mallory and Marcy avenues.
Mary Donnelly, the former councilwoman for Ward B who sponsored the ordinance to rename the street, said, “He was a man of compassion and service to the community. He was an institution.”
DiFeo is survived by his wife, four children, six sisters, 14 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.