Salvatore De Riso

Salvatore Louis De Riso

March 24, 1933-March 4, 2026

Salvatore Louis DeRiso, 92, one of the kindest, most gentle souls who ever lived, died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March, 2026 after an extended battle with cancer. Always friendly and outgoing, he loved meeting new people, but was never too busy to lovingly and generously care for his family and friends. To know him and have him in your life was a great blessing.

Sal was born March 24, 1933 (also his mother’s birthday) in Brooklyn, New York to Alphonse Louis DeRiso and Elizabeth Albertina “Tina” DeRiso (nee Savona), the last of their five children. As a boy he enjoyed playing baseball with his friends, which turned him into a lifelong Major League Baseball fan.

Sal graduated from Our Lady of Peace elementary school in Brooklyn, then attended Automotive High School also in Brooklyn. After graduation he was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War. He served in the signal corps with deployments to the Caribbean, Panama and Puerto Rico. After being honorably discharged he began working for the Sanitation Department of the City of New York. Sal spent more than twenty years as a sanitation worker retiring in 1977.

After retirement, Sal began assisting with the family funeral business as a hearse and limousine driver. He worked closely with his sister Florence, a receptionist for several Brooklyn funeral homes. At some point, Sal began working as a personal chauffer for Tillie Ohrbach, owner of Ohrbachs Department Stores. His Chauffer duties involved frequent trips to Croton, NY and Palm Springs, CA. Having endured more than twenty years of New York City winters as a city sanitation worker, Sal decided to leave New York City and relocate to Palm Springs, CA. Out of concern for his sister Florence who was still employed in New York City, Sal decided that California was too far from his family. Still wanting to flee the cold of New York, Sal packed up and moved to sunny Florida in 1991. Never one to sit around idly wasting time, and eager to still help people, he started working as a concierge at a condominium near his home, remaining there until he retired fourteen years later.

Sal is predeceased by his parents Alphonse and Tina, as well as four siblings; Tommy, Florence, Dixie and Mary. He is survived by his nephew Richard A. DeRiso and his wife Sheila of Maryland, as well as their children, Erin, Stephanie, Richard D. and Brendon.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Salvatore De Riso, please visit our floral store.