Concetta Grucci, 88, Matriarch of Grucci fireworks family dies
wazzzy
Concetta Grucci, the matriarch of a family-run fireworks company that
produced programs for presidential inaugurations and the Statue of
Liberty's centennial, has died.
The 88-year-old died Monday, Brookhaven-based Fireworks by Grucci said
in a release. The company did not disclose further details.
Concetta Grucci oversaw the century-old business after the 1993 death
of her husband, Felix Grucci, whose grandfather had founded it,
according to the company's Web site.
In 1979, the Gruccis became the first Americans to win the gold medal
at the annual Monte Carlo Fireworks Competition. They went on to
produce displays for the centennial of the Brooklyn Bridge and for the
inaugurations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill
Clinton.
The family was struck by tragedy in 1983, when an explosion rocked the
company's
headquarters, then located in Bellport, killing Concetta Grucci's son
Jimmy and another person.
Another son, Felix Jr., was elected to a term as a U.S. congressman in
2000.
While her husband was once called the "patriarch of pyrotechnics" by
Time magazine, Concetta Grucci was the family's matriarch, cooking
Sunday dinner for more than 20 family members, friends and business
clients on most weekends, the release said.
Concetta Grucci lived her entire life in Bellport, less than 2 miles
from the house in
which she was born. She is survived by two children, nine
grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren.