ALS

LEOMINSTER — The local community lost another great with the passing of beloved lifelong city resident Celestino “Cello” Ciccone on Dec. 23 after a battle with ALS.

Cello, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2019, died at home at the age of 68 surrounded by his loving family, including daughter Ashton Caissie. The tough loss came on the heels of another equally tough loss — Ciccone’s loving wife of 37 years Kelly passed away in September after a brief illness.

“Losing my mom and dad within three months of each other has been a roller coaster of emotions,” Caissie said. “I have some days where I still cannot believe they are gone and almost feel like they’ll be back, and I have other days where the void I feel is almost unbearable. My kids and my husband are really what keeps me going.”

Cello was born Aug. 26, 1953, in Leominster, the son of Celestino and Rachel (Bianchini) Ciccone, and blessed with an infectious smile. He and Kelly leave behind Caissie and her husband Ryan; Cello’s brother Joseph Ciccone of Leominster and his two sisters, Celeste Mosher of Florida and Karen Ingemie-Budreau and her husband Steve of West Yarmouth; their greatest joys, grandchildren Benjamin, Parker and Harper; and their beloved dogs Lucy and Charlie; along with many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

Cello graduated from Leominster High School in 1971 and together with Kelly he owned and operated King Hamilton Property Management LLC. A well-known businessman, he also owned Blue Heron Enterprises Inc. in Leominster until 2012 and in his younger years he owned Cello’s Custom Leather and enjoyed making many items that people still treasure today. He also spent many years employed as a lineman for Mass. Electric.

It’s hard to measure the impact he and Kelly, a gregarious couple who were loved by so many, had on the local and greater community. The perfect example of this is the Cello-bration event held last summer at the Eagles club on Litchfield Street to raise awareness and funds for ALS, which attracted thousands of people.

Mosher, the oldest of seven siblings, said she was “so impressed” with the turnout for Cello-bration.

“I know people love him, but it was just so remarkable how many people showed up,” she said.

When all was said, the fete and donations that continued to pour in afterward raised an impressive $62,200 for Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS).

“What you’ve done is an incredible example of community and connection,” Compassionate Care ALS founder and executive director Ronald Hoffman said to Cello and his family, close friends, and others who gathered on Sept. 28 at Brady’s restaurant for the check presentation to the organization. “It means everything. What this does is touches so many families, this truly makes an incredible difference.”

Mosher and her husband, whom she recently lost, went back down to Florida the first week of January after spending several months up here with Cello and their family.

“He is in a better place,” she said of her brother, the youngest of the clan. “He lived a fabulous life and he did a lot of things most people wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. I don’t think he had any regrets. He left footprints in our hearts, and he will forever be remembered for his remarkable personality.”

Ingemie-Budreau echoed her sister’s sentiments, saying she is “going to miss everything about him.”

“He was one of a kind and there will never be another Cello,” she said while fighting back tears.

Ingemie-Budreau also spent the last several months with her brother and family.

“I do miss taking him out to eat and having drinks with him,” she said. “We would walk into a restaurant, and everyone would yell ‘Cello!’ It was priceless to see his smile being around his friends, all so loyal, so many smiles and love for him. It felt good to become part of his world and see how blessed he was having the support and love from family and friends when he needed it most.

“I was certainly blessed having spent time with my brother when he needed help and surely will miss talking to him, his smile, being at family get-togethers, stopping by the office to see him, his crazy personality, calling me Karwin, always being there for me,” she continued. “I will certainly miss celebrating his birthday festivities that lasted all year and his enthusiasm and love for life, especially for living it his way with Kelly. He certainly left some awesome, crazy memories that will last a lifetime with each one of us.”

Cello put on a strong front when it came to his battle with ALS. He adopted Frank Sinatra’s mantra, “I did it my way,” and became fond of flipping off the debilitating disease. Caissie, who has lived in the city her whole life, said she feels “angry” about her father’s death “because ALS patients just don’t get access to treatment they should be entitled to try.”

She said her family, including her husband Ryan and their three young children, have been “very supportive” throughout everything and now while she grieves — and that the response from friends and the greater community has also been a source of comfort.

“The outpouring of love and support from friends and local businesses has been simply amazing and very overwhelming, but in a good way,” Caissie said.

When asked how Cello and Kelly were as parents, she didn’t hesitate to say “amazing.”

“They were always there for me, and my dad was always fun, although as a teenager he lived to embarrass me,” Caissie joked. “They always taught me to give whenever I could and to always help anyone any chance I got. I will continue to always pay it forward in honor of my parents and how they lived.”

Longtime friends Bill and Kim Brady of Brady’s restaurant on Mechanic Street are one of many in the family’s close-knit circle deeply feeling the loss. Kim Brady, also a lifelong city resident, met Cello and Kelly through her husband Bill many years ago and said when their business moved to Leominster late 2019, it gave them “more time to spend with friends.”

“We have become much closer over the last few years,” Kim Brady said of Cello and Kelly. “I miss the energy they brought with them everywhere they went.”

She went on to say that Cello always had a smile on his face “and usually a smart remark when he entered and left.”

“Kelly was always by his side,” Kim Brady said. “They truly had something special.”

The foursome would often go away to the beach together, which she said, “was always an experience.”

“They had friends everywhere,” Kim Brady said.

When asked what she loved about them, Kim Brady she is “grateful for them sharing their families with us.”

“Cello said we’re all one family now,” she said. “They are very special to us.”

Bill Brady, who grew up seven houses down from Cello and his family, remembers his friend watching out for him.

“Cello, being about a decade older than me, used to protect us from being the target of the neighborhood crab apple wars,” he fondly recalled.

He said Cello and Kelly were the type of people that as soon as you met them, “you felt like you knew them for decades.”

“Seems like I’ve known them forever,” Bill Brady said, adding that there are “so many things” he misses about them.

“I think the pet names that they came up for each other were priceless,” he said. “Even when they were calling each other names that you can’t publish in a family newspaper you could see the love between them.”

The Bradys were moved to create an homage to their dear friends and revealed a beautiful mural painting of Cello and Kelly that was brought to life in honor of them by local artist Chris Bomegen to Caissie and her family when they went to the restaurant for dinner on New Year’s Eve, which is prominently displayed in an outdoor area by the eatery.

“It’s amazing,” Caissie posted on Facebook on Dec. 31 of the rendering along with two photos of the art. “My parents were so loved.”

Caissie said she will miss “everything” about her parents, but most of all “being able to call my mom for anything and everything.”

“I miss being able to just tell her I love her and hear her say it back,” she said. “I miss my dad busting my chops and calling me ‘the queen’ like he always did. I also miss being able to just spend time with him and my mom, I wish I had more time with both of them. I just miss them both terribly and not having parents is definitely a life that’s hard to adjust to.”

When it comes down to what the couple meant to so many people, Caissie said her parents “left behind a legacy of giving back to the community and always being kind to anyone they met.”

“My hope is that the community and anyone who knew them remembers them with love and respect.”

LEOMINSTER — There was not a dry eye in the house on Tuesday evening at Brady’s restaurant, where $62,200 was presented to Compassionate Care ALS, the result of the Cello-bration fundraiser held in August at the Eagles club in honor of beloved longtime city resident Celestino “Cello” Ciccone.

“What you’ve done is an incredible example of community and connection,” CCALS founder and executive director Ronald Hoffman said to Ciccone and his family, close friends and the community members who were gathered. “Thank you for the life that you’re living and the life you’ve lived.”

Hoffman has been a caregiver since 1998 and because of his background was inspired to start CCALS, formerly the Gordon Heald ALS Fund, a nonprofit organization that serves the wide-ranging needs of families dealing with ALS. CCALS currently helps over 850 families in over 40 states.

“It means everything,” Hoffman said of the large donation. “What this does is touches so many families, this truly makes an incredible difference.”

Although Ciccone is now wheelchair bound as a result of the debilitating disease he was diagnosed with in 2019, the twinkle in his eyes and infectious smile are ever-present. He was sharply dressed in a cream-colored suit and black patterned tie for the fete, tapping out messages on his cellphone to greet people and let them know how much he appreciates their support.

“It’s been amazing to see the outpouring of love for my dad and family,” said his daughter Ashton Caissie, also a city resident. “Compassionate Care has provided my dad with so much, including equipment and additional support, that has helped tremendously. We hope we can help other families that are also affected by ALS.”

Ciccone’s sister Celeste Mosher, who lives in Florida and has been up here since July, echoed her niece’s sentiments.

“The community, the compassion, we are absolutely overwhelmed,” Mosher said. “It gives me chills. We know that everybody loves him, and if anything, it gives you faith.”

One big supporter who was noticeably absent at the party was Ciccone’s wife, Kelly, who died Sept. 7 after a brief illness. Many people broke down in tears when Ciccone signed the oversize donation check and then wrote Kelly’s name under his signature.

“I only wish my Kelly was here,” he wrote in a message on his phone with tears in his eyes.

“Thank you on behalf of my family, my father, and my mom who I hope is looking down,” Caissie said as her voice broke with emotion, to which the crowd enthusiastically replied, “She is!”

“Living with ALS is hard enough,” Hoffman said of Ciccone’s wife, who was one of his caregivers, passing away. “That makes this even more special.”

Eagles manager Maria Richardson said donations kept pouring in after Cello-bration, including one recent $1,000 donation made in Kelly’s name, so she had to keep changing the amount on the check. The final dollar amount was a number Richardson likened to kismet as her wedding anniversary is 6/22.

Eagles past presidents Brett Joyce and Steve LaPierre, both Leominster Eagles trustees, said they were happy to be a part of Cello-bration, which was also supported by several local businesses including Brady’s, The Columbia Tavern, Happy Jacks, Hot Shotz, Paisanos Pizza & Spirits and more.

Chinese auction, raffle and 50/50 tickets sold at the fundraiser brought in thousands of dollars on top of the $10 admission donation per person, and all of the bartenders from the supporting businesses who worked at the event donated not only their time but nearly $3,000 in combined tips to the cause.

“It brought the community together,” Joyce said. “It really was a blessing and a wonderful day.”

Hoffman said he and Ciccone “instantly connected” when they met, especially after finding out their birthdays are just a few days apart.

“He is a wonderful man,” Hoffman said. “I have never met someone who created a community fundraiser like Cello-bration. I had no idea he was so loved, it gives me goosebumps to talk about it.”

Hoffman joked that he thought he “was at a state fair” when he arrived at Cello-bration, which drew thousands of people and over 300 cars in the Eagles parking lot.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, big galas, family and large fundraisers,” Hoffman said. “It was the most incredible community event I have ever been to. All of you who were a part of it, I salute you and honor you.”

Ciccone’s mantra and the tagline for Cello-bration when it comes to his hard-fought battle with ALS is that he’s done it ‘his way,’ an ode to the well-known Frank Sinatra standard. As the check presentation drew to a close, Ciccone proved that he has done just that, typing that he had one more thing to say: “f*$k ALS.”

LEOMINSTER — Thousands of people gathered on Aug. 8 at the Eagles club on Litchfield Street for Cello-bration, a fete honoring well-known and beloved local businessman Celestino “Cello” Ciccone, raising an astonishing $50,000 for Compassionate Care ALS with donations still coming in.

“I am truly thankful and humbled by the turnout of wonderful people that showed up,” Ciccone said.

When Ciccone was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, early in 2019, he decided he wanted to throw a big bash with his friends while he was still able bodied. He reached out to Eagles manager Maria Richardson last year, but they had to postpone the event until this year due to COVID.

“I went to my boss and told him I need to do this for Cello,” Richardson said. “He said, ‘Whatever you need, we are behind you.’”

Richardson said they sold 1,000 tickets to the event and that “there was probably 3,000 people there.”

“It was overwhelming, I am still getting so many compliments,” she said.

Ciccone said he has “lived and will die by the main rule that ‘What goes around comes around.’”

“For 3,000 plus people to show up I guess I was pretty good to people,” he said. “More importantly I am so pleased to bring more attention to this dreadful disease, ALS. Despite my current health problem, I consider myself to be blessed for all the love that this event has shown me.”

Richardson met Ciccone back in the 1970s and they became friends. She said she was happy to help organize Cello-bration, which featured food trucks including Luccas American Kitchen, raffle and auction items, and live music entertainment from Neurotic Gumbo, Mark Marquis and Melissa Gates, and Soul Wagon. Todd Angilly, official anthem singer of the Boston Bruins, sang the national anthem to kick of the bash.

“It was awesome,” Richardson said. “I think half of Leominster was there.”

Richardson said they set Ciccone up in the gazebo in a recliner that belonged to her late mother.

“People were lining up to go in and say hello, and one person said, ‘This is better than standing in line to see Santa,’” she said. “The line did not stop.”

She said at one point they took Ciccone out of the gazebo for a feeding break, and afterward he went right back in.

“Cello wanted the event to be 12 to 12, and I remember someone saying, ‘He is not going to last that long,’” Richardson said. “He ended up staying until 1 a.m. He was a trooper, all smiles. That is Cello, and that is his way.”

Ciccone and his wife Kelly Ciccone have lived in Leominster since they were married 38 years ago.

“It was really nice,” Kelly Ciccone said of Cello-bration. “He enjoyed it.”

All proceeds from the event will benefit Compassionate Care ALS, whose mission is to support people diagnosed with ALS, their families, health care providers, and communities as they navigate the complexities, both physical and emotional, associated with the disease.

Mike Cooley, who has known Ciccone for 30 years, said he “jumped at the chance” to emcee the event when asked.

“Cello has been a friend to everyone in the city,” Cooley said. “This was an event I was truly honored to be part of.”

Richardson said she could not have done the event without her husband Gary Richardson, “my rock,” and “all the Eagles people,” trustees, distributors and more.

“The outpouring of support and people that came was amazing,” she said, adding that people traveled from all over the region and as far away as Arizona to attend the event.

A bus company that Ciccone has frequently used to transport people to Patriots games as a longtime season ticket holder showed up with a bus, and friends of his from Maine, where he owns a house, also came. Northeast Promotion and Apparel was asked to help with Team Cello bracelets and decided to donate the cost, and one restaurant in Maine that Ciccone frequents donated $500.

The Columbia Tavern is accepting orders for “Team Cello” T-shirts until Aug. 23 and Northeast Promotion and Apparel has “Team Cello” bracelets for sale, with proceeds from both going to Compassionate Care ALS. Several more local businesses, including Christopher’s Pub, Happy Jack’s, Hot Shotz Bar & Grill, and Paisanos Pizza & Spirits, also supported the event.

“Everybody was so happy, and so many people donated their time, energy, food, and more,” Richardson said. “It was amazing.”

Ciccone certainly did it his way.

For more information or to donate, visit https://ccals.org/events/cello-bration-his-way/cello-bration-header/.