Lawrence "Yoyo" Damico

Beloved husband of the late Camille (nee Coco); loving father of Michael (Debra), Lawrence (Julia) Damico, and Maria (William) Sheridan; beloved son of the late Michael and Agostina Damico; fond grandfather of Michael (Danielle), Kendahl and Nicholas Coats, Salvatore, Lawrence (Jamie), Anthony, Dominic, Joseph, and the late Sam; great grandfather of Quinn Teresa, and Liza Damico; dear brother of the late Sam (Mary), Tony (Vivian), Michael, Josephine (Sam) Pappalito, August "Gussie" (Fran), Frankie (Antoinette), Mary (Dietz) Laco, Joseph "JoJo" (Dorothy), Santo "Sonny" (Connie), and Ben (the late LaVergne) Damico; fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. 4th Degree Member of Knights of Columbus, and Old Neighborhood Italian American Club. Visitation Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., at St. Therese Church Mass 12 p.m. Entombment Queen of Heaven Mausoleum. For info (312)225-8500 or colettasonsfuneralhome.com

Lawrence “Yoyo” Damico was born in 1940 into a Sicilian immigrant family of 13 children. He was the baby of the family— a term that he loved to tell everyone. He grew up on 26th and Wells in a building owned by his family, along with many of his nephews and nieces. When he was little, he would yell for his brothers and sisters out the window by calling "yo!” down to the street and soon, his older brothers coined what would become his legendary nickname, "YoYo". To this day, when he was in a crowd and needed to get someone's attention, he would yell "yo!” He attended Santa Maria Incoronata School in Chinatown, started driving a truck at age 12, and would have his own produce route by 15. He met Camille Marie Coco on the Tilt-a-Whirl at the SMI carnival and by 21, they were married. Their first apartment was on 31st and Princeton. It was home to their first two children, Michael and Larry, and Camille’s mother, Teresa who lived with them from 1961 until she passed in 1990. On October 31st, 1964, Yoyo and Camille moved their family to Burbank where they built a home on land that was given to them as a wedding gift by his parents. Maria was born there in 1969 and for nearly 50 years, their Burbank home was the backdrop to a growing family of grandchildren, countless gatherings, and endless memories.Yoyo started a successful wholesale produce business that grew over the years. He worked early morning hours to afternoons in the rain, sleet, snow or shine delivering merchandise from South Water Market. He delivered to his customers day in and day out until his son, Larry, bought Hyde Park Produce. Yoyo worked there and became the face of the store; customers loved him as much as he loved them. He loved talking about food and sharing his knowledge of fruits and vegetables. His work ethic was second to none, the hardest worker you’ll ever meet; a value he instilled in all of his kids and grandkids.He loved telling stories about the past to his family and friends. He taught us all the importance of honoring family traditions. Friends and family meant everything to him. He loved his grandchildren; they were his world and he loved them unconditionally. He was so proud to call himself their Papa and always showed his love with a big, wet, cigar-juice kiss. When Camille was alive, the two of them attended every important event, never missing a school activity, a sports game, or a milestone. He loved being with his friends and hanging with the guys from the corner at their weekly lunches at Evergreen in Chinatown. Calls and check-ins on his phone from Richie and Ro, Ronnie Solomon, Joe and Mary Harzitch, Joe Zito, Judy, Cathy, and others were his lifelines; their calls brightened his last days.Perhaps the only thing more memorable about Yoyo besides his love of his family and friends was his generosity. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone; what was his, was yours. He was a fourth-degree knight in the Knights of Columbus; an honor he shared with Tooty and Charlie and took very seriously. He loved cars, all cars, but mostly Cadillacs which he drove most of his life. He loved to go for “rides” and always kept his cars clean. It wasn’t unusual for him to say out of the blue, “let’s go for a ride” whether it was for dinner, for Italian lemonade or Rainbow cones. He especially loved Gertie’s—“Banana split, all white ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, no nuts.” And This past year he really loved his weekly Oberweiss. He loved watching car shows, the Hallmark station, “pickers”, Fixer Upper, NCIS, Blue Bloods, any action movies, but his favorite was cowboy shows like his favorite Lone Ranger. Whatever he was doing, he was smiling, enjoying life, every day. He had an unlit cigar in his mouth,  almost always, a symbol that would become synonymous with his name. Yoyo was larger than life and the most loving, generous, fun person you could meet. He epitomized his family name — Damico, which means “of a friend” and if you knew him, you know he was a true friend to all. He was simply one of the great ones. He will never be forgotten and his loving spirit and kind heart lives on in each of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was legendary and his legacy will live on.

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