Anthony Serra and Philomena Rossi were married in Naples, Italy, on Sept. 22, 1946.
Soon after their wedding they came to America and an Italian neighborhood in Bronx, N.Y. They moved to other areas of the Bronx until settling in Newburgh, N.Y., in 1954, where they stayed for 48 years. The couple moved to Ahwatukee Foothills in 2002.
Anthony, 89, and Philomena, 86, had two children, a son Louis and a daughter Carmela. Louis Serra, 64, also lives in Ahwatukee with his wife, Diane. Carmela Polgar, 56, lives in Newburgh, N.Y., with her husband, Charles. Their son, Charlie, resides in Cleveland, Ohio.
Anthony Serra learned both shoe making and meat cutting when he moved to New York. He retired at the age of 78 after a long career in the grocery business. He served in the U.S. Army during the World War II. After the war, he returned to Italy to meet the eldest daughter of a New York City family he had befriended. Serra met and fell in love with Philomena Rossi. She came to America as a war bride.
Philomena was both a stay-at-home mother and a contributor to the household as a pharmacy employee and sales person.
The Serras enjoy their home, family and friends, and the weather here in Ahwatukee.
Beverly Stidham, (480) 898-7924 or bstidham@ahwatukee.com
