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“What????”
That seems to be the common response this week. There is never a good time to receive news about an unexpected passing, but a Monday morning phone call sent shock waves through the Review Publishing family. Mark Romano, a former co-worker, friend, brother and even mentor to some, passed away at age 60. He was one of the main cogs to the South Philly Review advertising department, serving as both a department manager and account executive.
Mark was one of those “nice” guys every office needs. He was always there to lend a helping hand, make someone laugh. He seemed to pour his heart and soul into his time at the Review — his home away from home.
Nobody knew him better then Review Publishing COO John Gallo. Mark instantly took "Johnny" under his wings from the day they met in 1985, and they became like brothers.
“Mark was one of the few people that no one ever had a bad thing to say about,” Gallo said. “His love of life, his upbeat personality, and friendship to me personally, will never be forgotten. Mark was truly a great human being.”
Of course life wasn’t always easy for Mark, and towards the end, he was dealt an undeserving blow to his always upbeat personality: His body was shutting down as he was in desperate need of a liver transplant. Instead of seeing our smiling friend sitting in his corner of the advertising department, we were getting daily updates from the family about his medical condition. Spending his weeks in and out of the hospital, Mark was forced into an early retirement. The family was in the prayers of every South Philly Review staff member.
Sure there were times when he was ready to give up the fight, but an angel from above was looking over him. Sure enough, that gift of life — a liver transplant — came his way. The day he exited rehab, his first stop was visiting his old friends at the South Philly Review, where he made many connections, business and personal, over a 29-year stint. It seemed as if his new lease on life was golden as he made occasional visits to 12h and Porter streets. The most recent conversation took place on Nov. 14, so it seemed as if everything was still going fine. But on Monday morning, that unexpected call came from the family, that Mark Romano passed away.
He left us way too early in life, but those who knew him well, are well aware that he is smiling down on all of us.
Contact Editor Bill Gelman at bgelman@southphillyreview.com or ext. 121.
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