Danny "Demetrio" Meduri (1890 –1976) Section J-12-A

Demetrio "Danny" Meduri was born in Carmitello, Italy on January 26, 1890. He immigrated to New York when he was a very young man in 1906. He was an opera singer and performed in many opera houses in Italy. He boasted of being a close friend to Enrico Caruso and even had a framed photo of him on his wall. He first lived in Brooklyn and then moved to Richmond Hill, Queens. He had a beautiful tenor voice. In the 1920's and 1930's he toured the United States, Canada and London with various stage productions such as Blossom Time, The Student Prince and Gypsy Blonde.  His life on the road was that of a different town every night and constant touring. But he loved to sing!

 In his later years, after his days as a performer came to an end, he did odd jobs to get along. Every week he would donate money to the church and put money aside for his burial plot at Maple Grove Cemetery. He sang to all the neighbors who enjoyed his jovial attitude and generous heart. Everyone knew Danny.

 On June 12th, 1976, while doing an errand for a neighbor, Danny was struck by a car as he crossed the street. Since he was alone and had no next of kin, his body was brought to the morgue and left unclaimed.  The neighbors, led by Mrs. Lucy Cataldi, rallied to raise the money to bury him and have a beautiful funeral. Three stories ran in the New York Daily News. The gravestone would be tended to later, and they hoped to raise money for that.Things happen in life and Danny never got a memorial marker. In 2004, Lucy Cataldi's daughter Nancy was hired at Maple Grove Cemetery to be their historian and do research and projects for them. As she began her projects, in the back of her mind she remembered her mom and what she had done for Danny. With further research, it showed   Danny's grave did not have a marker. Nancy felt it was her duty to see if she could raise the money to erect a brass marker for Danny, since Lucy had passed on. Nancy belongs to the Queensboro Chapter of UNICO, and with the help of the group and some of the individual members, they were able to purchase a beautiful brass marker and inscribed are the words from "Il Trovatore",  "In sogno placido, Io dormiro'." (In Pleasant Dreams, I Sleep)The rededication and blessing took place on Wednesday , July 7th, 2004.