Arturo T. Censabella

Arturo Thomas Censabella died on Monday, October 17th. He was born on January 10, 1928 in Greenwich Village, the youngest of four boys, to Sicilian immigrants Vito and Lina Censabella. A high point (and miracle) of Artie’s toddler years was falling out the window of his family’s apartment on Broome Street and landing one story—unharmed--onto the fire escape below. His father died when he was two years old and his mother Lina labored as a seamstress in the garment district, took in piecework making cloth flowers, and raised her sons in four tiny rooms on Thompson Street. A favorite past time of Artie’s younger years was to steal milk bottles and redeem them for nickels so he could watch movies all Saturday at the grand palace on Bleecker Street. (One of his elder brothers would have to come and bodily fetch him out!)

Artie began working at the age of 12, running deliveries for a tailor. He then pushed racks of clothes in the Garment District, and at 17 took a job at an electroplating factory in the Flatiron building. When an English teacher at Haaren High School offered a ticket to a Broadway show in exchange for writing a paragraph about the experience, young Artie saw an opportunity to get out of writing a book report and accepted. To his surprise he fell in love with theatre and would spend much of his money attending shows during Broadway’s Golden Age. Aside from fantasizing about becoming a musical theatre star, he dreamed also of being a football hero. His high school lacked a football team, however, so he began boxing at Downtown Athletic Club and in 1947 competed as a welterweight in the quarterfinals of the Golden Gloves. His children still have a newspaper photo of him looking strangely fierce, his bright white mouthpiece glowing, as he loomed over a knocked-out opponent.

A natty dresser, jazz lover, and accomplished Lindy dancer, Artie married Victoria Avidano, an elegant Italian immigrant majoring in beauty culture at Mabel Dean High School, whom he escorted to such clubs as the Copacabana, Roseland and the Latin Quarter. He was nicknamed “Hollywood Art” by his friends, and unanimously voted treasurer of the social club known as the Sullivan Street Nut Club, perhaps because he was the only trustworthy man between them! Among his crew downtown were actors Al Lettieri, Bruce Kirby and sometimes Steve McQueen.

His talent for performing and his people skills blossomed when he left the electroplating factory in New Jersey after 19 years and landed a salesman’s job (through his elder brother Jim) at Bond Clothing. The commission-based union job, which allowed him to serve first round NFL draft players and poor working-men alike with equal courtesy as top salesman, permitted him to send his two children to college back when college was almost affordable for the middle class. He transmitted his love of theatre to daughter Laura and his love of sports to son Robert. He valued education most of all because despite being told he might be smart enough to get into Stuyvesant High School, he had let opportunities slip away from him and didn't want that to happen to his children. Robert and Laura always felt that because Artie never knew his father, he invented the role of an ideal parent and then lived up to it with unconditional love.

In his later years Artie was thrilled to get to know his grandchildren Alicia and Abby, and daughter-in-law Theresa whom he took fishing and lovingly called Terri. He enjoyed razzing his nephew Richie like a second son. Artie was also the alpha to Robert’s extremely neurotic dog Nikkita who could not sit still, stole slices of pizza, bagels or chicken from the table, and only obeyed him. He was the life of the party and known as a consummate joke and storyteller. But an equal component of his joie de vivre was his genuine interest in people from all backgrounds. As one of his neighbors has said, when Artie asked someone “how are you?” he genuinely wanted to know.

Funeral service Saturday October 22nd at 10:30 am at Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich. Burial will be in Quidnessett Memorial Cemetery, North Kingstown. Calling hours: Friday October 21st from 6-9 pm. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Artie’s name to Hope Hospice of Rhode Island, https://hhcri25682.thankyou4caring.org/ or the Fresh Air Fund https://freshairfund.publishpath.com/in-honor-or-memory?utm_campaign=donate_button_array&utm_medium=donate_button_array&utm_source=website