Amenia’s John Segalla will be missed

AMENIA — If there was one man known to have made a mark on the Harlem Valley community of Amenia, that man was John Segalla. Born Giovanni Alfred Segalla in North Canaan, Conn., 88 years ago, the Amenia businessman and local stalwart died from bone cancer at Sharon Hospital on Thursday, June 2.“That man was literally a legend for Amenia for a long time. He did a lot of things to help a lot of people,” said Dale Culver, a friend of the Segalla family who said he was shaken by the news of the patriarch’s passing. “He was just as nice a guy and as helpful and as generous as you’d ever met, although he could be firm, but he had a heart of gold when somebody was down on their luck and needed a little help.”Segalla leaves behind a loving family that includes his wife of 63 years, Amelia, known as “Sis,” along with their two daughters, Linda and Arlene. He is also survived by brothers Dr. Louis Segalla and Francis Segalla and many nieces, nephews and cousins in both the United States and Italy. He was predeceased by brothers Armondo, Anthony and Stanley.According to Segalla’s close family friend, former Salisbury Bank & Trust CEO and Chairman John Perotti, he always referred to his wife and daughters as his “girls.” “Family was first for John. He loved his girls and thought of his wife just as he did his two daughters — he thought of them as his girls,” Perotti said. “He was a devout Catholic and really believed in people. He always wanted his employees to be the best they could be, too, and provided them with uniforms at his expense.”Perotti said his friend made sure everyone and everything he was involved with was well taken care of. His company, Amenia Sand & Gravel, had the best equipment and was kept at the “highest standards.” It operated for nearly 60 years until Segalla retired in 2004. So, too, was Segalla’s Country Club, which later became Silo Ridge Country Club. The self-made businessman also took on the project of creating the Harlem Valley Landfill, because he saw a need for it that he believed he could address.“I tried to talk him out of it, but he went ahead and did it and it was a complete success,” Perotti said. “He was a visionary. He was a born leader — you can’t teach that. Either you have it or you don’t. He understood risk and knew when to take it and when to execute [a plan]. He enjoyed a challenge and worked quite effectively as a committee of one in many instances. But most importantly, he cared about people.”Which is what lead to his involvement at Maplebrook School, where he spent time on its school board, along with current Maplebrook President Roger Fazzone.“I knew John pretty well. We served on the board together in the mid-’80s,” he said. “I just thought he was a terrific guy, concerned about people, dedicated and intense in many ways, and I was saddened to hear he passed away. He was a hard-working guy and was always very concerned for others.”Some of the ideas Segalla pursued exemplify that concern. He not only brainstormed the idea but also donated the funds to start the Lifestar emergency helicopter program at Sharon Hospital. He also served on the Sharon Hospital board. Likewise, he served on the New York Council Knights of Columbus, the board of the Salisbury Bank & Trust Company and the Dutchess County Liquor Board.A real baseball fan, Segalla played shortstop for the Amenia Monarchs and also managed the Interstate League; he was also a true-blue Yankees fan. His collection of memorabilia afforded him much pleasure during his lifetime.“To me, he was just a true American,” Perotti said. “He did things the right way and he supported his family to the best of his abilities; in the end it doesn’t get much better than that. If we could all say that we should be proud of ourselves.”Donations in John Segalla’s memory may be sent to Lifestar, PO Box 5037, 80 Seymour St., Hartford, CT 06102-5037 or to St. Joseph’s Church, PO Box 845, North Canaan, CT 06018.