He’s ‘a hard act to follow’

Felice Murale, owner of Fel’s Hair Creations, dies at 74

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At his barbershop, Fel’s Hair Creations, Felice Murale, who was known as Fel, forged relationships with people throughout West Hempstead. Since he opened the shop with his father, Luigi, in 1974, it has become a fixture in the community.

“People say that he should’ve retired, but he never looked at his work as a job to him,” said Murale’s niece Vanessa Morrison. “He truly loved what he did.”

Murale died of Covid-19 on Feb. 9, at age 74. Another niece, Gabby Concialdi, said that his death shocked the members of his extended family. “We all know how dangerous Covid is, but my uncle was healthy,” Concialdi said. “He was strong, he went to the gym, he took his vitamins and he ate well.”

Murale, who was born in Naples, Italy, came to Bay Shore in 1969 by himself with the hope of developing a better life for his family. His parents, Luigi and Rosa, and siblings Lello and Pina followed in 1971. Murale moved from Bay Shore to West Hempstead in 1979, and immersed himself in the community as a longtime member of the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce. He attended St. Thomas the Apostle Church for several decades.

Fel and his wife, Rita, were married for 51 years, and had two daughters, Rosanna and Marianna.

Concialdi, who lives in Seaford, described her uncle as a proud Italian-American, and said he regularly attended the annual Columbus Day Parade in New York City. “Every year, he knew how to get on that camera during the Columbus Day parade,” she recalled. “He was well known by everyone.”

Beginning in 1993, Murale hosted a Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve with fish and other seafood. Even after an 80-hour workweek, Morrison said, her uncle came home excited to prepare a feast for his family.

“He’d be outside in the cold, frying all of the fish, the calamari and even a giant octopus,” Morrison, of Rockville Centre, recounted. “He would go to work, then to church, and would come home and host 40 people. When he was done preparing the food, he’d sit at the head of the table and take it all in. He didn’t complain, and he was never stressed about it. For him, it was effortless.”

Murale had that same welcoming mentality at his barbershop, where he offered his customers free coffee, doughnuts and bagels. When he was forced to temporarily close because of the coronavirus pandemic, he stayed in touch with all of them.

“Fel was a real gentleman, and I enjoyed chatting with him while I got my ears lowered,” said George Motschmann Jr., a longtime regular at Fel’s. “He will be missed.”

Concialdi said that her family was astounded by the outpouring of support after her uncle’s death. She noted that many local Facebook groups shared several tributes to him and his family. “It’s reassuring, and it’s comforting to know that they, too, knew him the way we did,” Concialdi said. “He was the same person to everyone he touched. He didn’t even need to be working at this point in his life, but he just loved being around the community and being around people.”

An avid traveler, Murale often planned family trips on the spur of the moment to destinations including Puerto Rico, Italy and Turks and Caicos. Concialdi said that he simply enjoyed the company of others, and believed in living life with no regrets.

“He inspired me to just try and live a little bit more and to try and let go a little more,” Concialdi said. “He didn’t get to travel on all of the trips that he and my aunt had planned. It was a challenging year, but I’m glad that he didn’t stop doing what he loved. I hope to touch people in the same way that he did during his life.”

While Murale’s family couldn’t be together for the annual Christmas Eve feast, they met virtually for dinner via Zoom — as usual, with Fel seated at the head of the table.

“He was always the leader of our family,” Morrison said. “He’ll be a hard act to follow for sure.”

Murale is survived by his wife and daughters, Rosanna Murale-Giliberti (Anthony) and Marianna Sicignano (Mike); his brother and sister; and four grandchildren.