Michael Gregory Donio

Michael Gregory Donio, 77, of New York, passed away on Friday, July 15, 2022. Born in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of Michael Donio and Mary Miller Donio. Greg is survived by his cousins Wendy and David Del Terzo, Julius Robert Del Terzo, Elaine Donio Tosti, and Andrea Sacker-Klein. Alongside his sister Catherine, Greg grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, graduating from Cherry Hill High School in June of 1964. He attended Temple University, receiving his Degree of Associate in Art in 1966 and then his Bachelor of Arts in English in 1970. Following graduation, Greg was a professional freelance writer, mostly writing short stories, essays, and poems. After his parents’ death, Greg moved to Greenwich Village in 1992, where he lived with his Aunt Helen Del Terzo and resided until moving to The New Jewish Home in 2021. Among many things, Greg was an avid reader of great literature and poetry—always with the books of John Keats, Mark Twain, T.S. Elliot, and the like by his bedside. When he was not perusing the great annals of the English word, Greg continued his love of words in his rapid recreational completion of crossword puzzles. With a clear passion for stories and storytelling, Greg also was a self-but-accurately-proclaimed movie buff, holding a specialty in classic movies starring icons such as Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart. One could ask Greg the name of any film protagonist, director, or composer ranging from 1900 to 1970, and he would have the answer. Additionally, Greg was a prolific joke teller, blending content from the joke books he frequently read with his own material to form a unique sense of humor. A Diet Coke fanatic, Greg would never skip a meal without cheekily quoting the Irish saying, “If water rusts metal, think what it does to your stomach.” At his core, Greg was a kind-hearted, gentle soul who never once wished ill to anyone. He always had a smile on his face, listened attentively to every story or conversation, and did not hesitate to chime in with a fascinating fact or a jocular remark. An eccentric but lovable man, Greg continually brought joy to those around him. “Uncle Cousin Greg,” as he was adoringly known by David Del Terzo, will be deeply missed by David and Wendy Del Terzo, wife and son of Greg’s beloved cousin Dr. Michael Del Terzo. To close, as Greg would say to those dear to him at the end of each visit, “io te amo molto con tutto il mio cuore—I love you very much with all my heart.”