Family, Friends Celebrate Former Mt. Pleasant Resident’s 100th Birthday
Frank Prisciantelli received quite a surprise on Saturday.
Prisciantelli, a longtime Mount Pleasant resident who now lives in Briarcliff, thought he was being taken to a party for his son-in-law. In fact, the party at the Mount Pleasant Community Center in Valhalla was for him.
Prisciantelli will celebrate his 100th birthday on Dec. 23 but his upcoming milestone was recognized last weekend by friends and family. His only child, Roseann Racioppo, a Mount Pleasant resident, invited about 125 relatives and friends to the special event.
Prisciantelli was a carpenter for many years in central and northern Westchester County before retiring when he turned 62 years old. Until he suffered a stroke in 2011, Racioppo said her father was extremely active.
“Dad is a wonderful guy,” Racioppo said. “At 98 he was still jogging the (Westlake High School) track and driving from Briarcliff down to the Empire Casino to play the slots every day.”
Despite the stroke a couple of years ago, Prisciantelli remains in good shape. Occasionally he needs to use a walker.
“He would say never sit down, never stay still,” Racioppo said. “Once you sit down they get you. You’ve got to keep moving.”
The U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Philippines during World War II joked that there may be another reason for his longevity.
“I drink a lot of alcohol,” he joked.
It may also have something to do with genes. Prisciantelli’s older brother, Vic, is 101.
Racioppo said her dad has been a wonderful father and grandfather, always available to help.
“If I called my dad at two o’clock in the morning and said something happened, he would jump in his car and he was over there in a flash,” she said.
Racioppo and her husband, Joe, have two daughters, Vanessa and Jeanine, who are now grown. Over the years he attended every one of his granddaughters’ functions, plays and dance recitals.
“He picked them up from school when I went back to work,” she said. “He drove them to ballet, tap (and) jazz (dance lessons).”
