Armando F. Ienco, age 90, formerly of Brooklyn, New York passed away Thursday Nov 4, 2021 in NYC. He was a retired bricklayer and contractor with Local 1A. Born in 1931 in Calabria, Italy, Armando was one of 11 children. He started to learn his trade from his father Vincenzo as a teenager. Armando performed his civic duty and served in the Italian Air Force in 1952 and in 1955 went to Rome, Italy for a time before heading to Paris, France where he honed his skills as an architectural bricklayer for 5 years. During these years he remained in touch with his Calabrian love that migrated to the USA in 1956 with her family. Exchanging love letters for five years with the hopes of one day reuniting and getting married, Armando finally made it to New York in 1961 and married Maria Speranza Musuraca in 1962. As he started his family so did his art and contracting business. He became a well liked and affluent property owner in both Brooklyn and Greenwich Village. He was proud of his Italian heritage and help found the Calabrian Regional Association in the 1970s in Brooklyn which is still going strong today. Armando enjoyed playing card games daily with a group of friends at Dyker Park in the afternoons, making homemade wine every October and helping his wife can homemade tomato sauce every August. Every summer for nearly 50 years he would return to Calabria to spend quality time with his family which he cherished.
Armando is survived by his wife Maria and their five children; Vincent, Joseph, Rita (Plaza), Maria (Carrozza) and Gina. He also is survived by four grandchildren; Salvatore, Armando, Nicholas and Olivia whom he affectionally referred to as his principessa.
Armando’s funeral service took place at Aievoli Funeral Home in Brooklyn on November 8, 2021. Funeral Mass at the Basilica of Regina Pacis and was interred at Greenwood Cemetery on November 9th in Brooklyn, New York.
