"Glorioso's" patriarch, Joe Glorioso dies at age 91

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The "Glorioso" name is synonymous with Brady Street and Milwaukee's East Side, and now, the family and the iconic store's extended family are saying goodbye to the family's patriarch, Joe Glorioso. Early Tuesday morning, October 15h, Glorioso passed away at the age of 91.

“My dad always preached 'quality is remembered long after price is forgotten,'" Felice Glorioso told FOX6 News.

From the personally designed signs to the produce section and deli counter, the quality of Glorioso's Grocery is a signature of one of the store's founders, Joe Glorioso.

“He wasn’t afraid to work. He was the boss. But he wasn’t afraid to get dirty. He always led by example," Felice Glorioso said.

The store opened in 1946 on Brady Street on Milwaukee's East Side, and remains a family business. His brother Ted, a co-founder, is still an owner, and Glorioso's son, Felice is the manager.

“I learned all assets of the business. Buying, cleaning the grease trap, cutting the cheese, making sausage, doing produce, how to clean it all up, how to make it look good," Felice Glorioso said.

For more than 20 years, Ken Vasek has been a loyal customer -- living just a block away from the store.

"He was the heart. He couldn’t sit still. Absolutely I will miss him. He hired such good folks that everyone will carry on and it will be a testimony to Joe," Vasek said.

While Corey Larson didn't know Joe Glorioso in his earlier days, he quickly learned the importance of attention to detail from the patriarch.

“The only reason we’re all here is because of Joe. He would see somebody writing those signs and he would be the first person back here with his cane, knocking you on the shoulder and telling you what you’re doing wrong," Larson said.

Now its people like Larson who will carry Glorioso's legacy into the future.

“He always said he could never sell from an empty wagon -- something we still stand by here," Larson said.

“On my end, the legacy is to make sure that we keep up the quality. And remember that the customer is number 1," Felice Glorioso said.

While Joe Glorioso will be missed on Brady Street, his legacy won’t as his store sands proudly on the corner of Astor and Brady.

Joe Glorioso was also a founder of Festa Italiana and the Holy Crucifix, and a charter member of the Italian Community Center.