Rosario Porrello
The Rest of the Story
Rosario was the oldest of the seven Porrello Brothers, who were part of the Cleveland crime family, which originated in the 1920s when the Lonardo brothers and Porrello brothers migrated from Sicily. At the beginning of Prohibition, the organization was led by Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Lonardo. The family supplied corn sugar to Cleveland’s bootleggers. His top lieutenant was Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Porrello. The Porrello brothers (Rosario, Vincenzo, Angelo, Joseph, John, Ottavio, and Raymond) formed their own faction in 1926. In 1927, Joseph Lonardo and his eldest brother John were gunned down by two gunmen. Joseph Porrello took over as boss of the Cleveland crime family and became the most influential corn sugar baron in the Cleveland area. He was murdered in 1930, and succeeded by his brother Jim Porrello, who shortly thereafter was murdered in a grocery store on East 110th Street and Woodland. Raymond Porrello declared revenge. He wasn’t at home when an explosion leveled his residence. ‘The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia’ by Rick Porrello details the 1932 murders of Raymond and Rosario while they were playing cards at Joe Todaro’s smoke shop at Woodland and East 111th Street.
Rosario’s home at the time of his death is still standing and can be found at 2555 E. 127th in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cemetery Information:
Final Resting Place:
Calvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio, 44105
USA
North America
Map:
Grave Location:
Section 85, Lot 3630, Grave 3Grave Location Description
As you drive through the cemetery and make your way under the bridge to the other half of the cemetery, make your way to the right. In Section 85 park in the uphill corner of the section furthest away from the entrance. Walk 6 rows down and 6 rows into the section for the simple monuments to Rosario and his wife and son.
Grave Location GPS
41.4388556425882, -81.5981453813Photos:
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