Rockville Centre resident of 61 years passes away

Philip A. Catal, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, died on Feb. 15. He was 94.

Philip’s greatest loves in life were his late wife Edith, his family and the New York Yankees. He was a longtime resident of Rockville Centre, where he was a regular at the old Lincoln Inn.

Philip was born on June 19, 1917 in Manhattan to parents Martha and Joe. The family lived in a four-story walk-up on 47th Street and Third Avenue. Philip attended La Salle Academy on the Lower East Side. He loved to play stickball with the neighborhood kids.

He met his future bride, Edith Alterini, while on a walk through Central Park. He was with his best friend Victor, she with her best friend Helen. Love must have been in the air that day; Victor and Helen became an item (and later, husband and wife), too.

Philip proposed to Edith at a Frank Sinatra concert in New York City — a story he would tell for decades to come. The couple was married on June 22, 1941. They went on to have two children: Peter, in 1944, and Tom, in 1947.

The family lived in Oceanside for a while, but ultimately settled in Rockville Centre in 1951. Their home was a center hall colonial on Hendrickson Avenue that Philip and Edith loved very much.

Philip spent his career with the U.S. Postal Service. For many years, he worked as the stamp clerk at the Rockville Centre Post Office. Upon retiring in the 1970s, Philip and Edith bought a store on Grand Avenue in Baldwin called The Pink Canary. The exclusive gift shop sold Lladros from Spain, Hummels from Germany and crystal from around the world. Owning the store was a dream of Edith’s — and a true family affair. The Catals especially enjoyed decorating the store for Christmas.

Philip and Edith purchased a condo in Pompano Beach in the late 1960s.

The couple spent winters together in Florida until 1994, when Philip lost Edith to pancreatic cancer.

Even in his later years, which he split between New York and Florida, Philip remained active. He was a devoted Yankees fan and a loyal reader of the sports pages. (Philip was personal friend of the legendary Mickey Mantle. One of his greatest thrills in life, he would later recall, was seeing Babe Ruth play ball.) Philip enjoyed holidays with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who also visited him in Florida.

Philip’s 90th birthday party, held at the Pompei Restaurant in West Hempstead, was attended by more than 100 guests. Attendees included former Rockville Centre Mayor Eugene Murray and Monsignor Jim Lisante.

Philip will be remembered and sorely missed by his sons Peter and Tom, daughter-in-law Kathleen, grandchildren Peter, Tom (Laurie) and Theresa, and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation was held on Monday at the Macken Mortuary Funeral Home on Clinton Avenue. A memorial service took place on Tuesday at St. Agnes Cathedral. Burial followed at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury.