Visiting Monday, May 11, 2026 from 3 – 8 PM at Scalia Funeral Home, 28 Eltingville Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10312
Mass of Christian Burial Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 10:30 AM at St. Thomas Church, 6097 Amboy Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309
Entombment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 361 Sharrott Ave, Staten Island, NY 10309
For more information please contact Scotto Funeral Home at 718-875-2515
Palmerino Mazzucco, known to many simply as “Paolo,” a longtime neighborhood barber who became a steady and familiar presence on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, died peacefully on April 29. He was 88. He is predeceased by his loving wife, Angela.
Palmerino was born on April 11, 1938, in Tufo di Minturno, Italy, one of six siblings born to Angelo and Maddalena Mazzucco. He spent his early years in the small rural village, set among the hills near Minturno in southern Lazio, where life centered on family, farming and close community ties, before serving in the Italian Army. In 1961, he married Angela Zingaro; they were married for 53 years. That same year, he came to the United States, settling in Brooklyn and beginning a life rooted in family, work and community.
For more than 40 years, Palmerino traveled from Brooklyn to Manhattan each day, cutting hair on the Upper East Side and serving thousands of customers who came to rely on him not just for a haircut but for conversation and familiarity. He was a constant presence at the third stool, where generations of customers found him day after day. Many returned for years, even decades, drawn by the comfort of seeing Palmerino right where they expected him to be. He continued working until his 79th birthday.
Outside of work, he loved gardening, being outdoors, especially riding his bicycle around Dyker Park, where he was a familiar sight.
He is survived by his son, Angelo Mazzucco, his daughter-in-law Patricia Mazzucco, and their daughter, Jenna Mazzucco; and by his daughter, Maddalena Mazzucco, her husband, Ed McDonnell, and their children, Isabella and Charles McDonnell; as well as his brother, Pasquale Mazzucco, and his sister, Francesca Conte.
Palmerino’s life was defined by constancy—showing up, day after day, for his work, his family and his community, becoming a small but meaningful part of the lives of so many New Yorkers.
I remember Palmerino. My dad, Angelo Mazzucco (not sure if we are related) got his hair cut by Palmerino. I remember going with him at times. We lived in NYC on East 93rd Street. I remember the shop on 3rd Avenue. My condolences to the family. May he Rest in Peace.
Papa Mazzucco always had a smile and a story. He shared his birthday with my dad and when the two would get together, with a glass of homemade red wine in hand, they could talk for hours. Well, each would talk, and nod, and smile.
He always had a smile and shared so much love. “How are you?” He would always ask and genuinely listen to know, reaching out a hand to touch and connect.
Papa Mazzucco and his wife Angela hosted Stephen and I when we returned from a trip to Italy, where he had proposed. They welcomed us into their home and shared a memorable homemade meal in their basement in Brooklyn. We ate the freshest food, enjoyed gracious hospitality, and a tour of his garden out back. Every inch had something growing. This was clearly his happy place and he was very good at it- grafting different varieties of plums on one tree. He beamed with pride, sharing grapes with us right off the vine.
Papa Mazzucco was a wonderful man, full of life and love for everyone. He was always welcoming. He will be missed.