Ralph Ambrosio

Ralph Ambrosio, 72, of Pelham, NY, passed away on June 27, 2022 surrounded by his loving family.

Ralph was born in Bronx, NY on October 23, 1949, to the late Julia and Vincent Ambrosio and came of age in the Belmont/Arthur Avenue section of Bronx, NY. He attended Our Savior Elementary School (1963) and Cardinal Hayes High School, graduating in 1967. His education continued at Fordham University for his Bachelors, and Manhattan College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice for two Masters Degrees. Ralph worked hard to achieve the rank of Sergeant in the New York City Housing Police Department, before retiring in 1991. After being a stay-at-home dad, he returned to the workforce in 1999 at the Office of the Inspector General at the Health and Hospitals Corporation in Manhattan, retiring again in 2006.

He met the love of his life, Geraldine (Jagielski) Ambrosio, at Gimbels Department Store in Yonkers, NY in 1969, marrying her on November 19, 1977. They moved to Pelham, NY in 1980, where he remained until his passing. Ralph was an avid adventurer who loved to travel and explore the world. He was a self-described “movie buff,” lover of Broadway musicals, ardent reader and writer who loved to share his knowledge with a captive audience, and a passionate chef and sommelier who rarely passed on dessert. Above all, he was fiercely devoted to his wife and three children whom he endlessly adored.   

He is survived by his wife, Geraldine of Pelham, and his children: Benjamin of Pelham, Allison and her husband Bryant Conkling of Washington, DC, Vincent and his partner Sarah Devereux of Knoxville, TN; his brother and best friend Phil and his wife Marie of Pelham; and several nieces and nephews, whom he loved very much. He was predeceased by his brother Alberic, and his parents Julia and Vincent Ambrosio.

Ralph was the grandnephew of Saint Alberico Crescitelli, martyred in Yanzibian, China during the Boxer Rebellion on July 21, 1900 and canonized in Rome, Italy on October 1, 2000. The family suggests that donations are made to the PIME Missionaries in Ralph’s memory either online or via check to them at 17330 Quincy St., Detroit, Michigan, 48221. Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 559 Pelham Manor Road, Pelham, NY at 10AM on July 11. Internment following the Mass will take place at the Rosewood Mausoleum at Ferncliff Cemetery, 280 Secor Road, Hartsdale, NY.