Billy C. DiFlorio Jr., former Inquirer mailer, union vice president, and Mummer extraordinaire, dies at 71

Billy C. DiFlorio Jr., 71, of Philadelphia, a former mailer for The Inquirer and Daily News, a popular labor union officer, and a banjo-playing, Broad Street-strutting Mummer with the Quaker City String Band, died Monday, Dec. 27, of a heart attack at his Northeast home.

The son and nephew of men who worked in the production plant of the old Philadelphia Bulletin, Mr. DiFlorio joined them as a teenager in the 1960s. He worked all kinds of shifts in all kinds of weather, became a foreman, and took a similar job preparing papers for delivery with The Inquirer and Daily News when the Bulletin ceased publishing in 1982.

Always helping others, whether it was his grandmother back in the day or his colleagues who needed advice about work, Mr. DiFlorio was a natural advocate and organizer. He took charge of the family Christmas party every year, kept a constant eye on his five grandchildren, and became a board member of the Quaker City String Band.

So it was no surprise to his family and coworkers when, beginning in the 1980s, he ran and was elected vice president and then secretary and treasurer of the Newspaper and Magazine Employees Union, Teamsters Local 1414. That kick-started Mr. DiFlorio’s 30-year career as a labor union representative.

Known for assisting members who needed extra shifts to pay for their children’s college classes or qualify for pension benefits, Mr. DiFlorio was the go-to man for people everywhere he went, and his family noted his “loving, kindhearted, caring, selfless, generous spirit” in a tribute.

“I can’t begin to tell you how often Bill looked out for me,” a former colleague at The Inquirer wrote in an online tribute. “Just the nicest man there was.”

Another friend wrote: “He was a dedicated union officer who genuinely cared about his members.”

In addition to his family and coworkers, Mr. DiFlorio was passionate about the Mummers, and he took part in the annual New Year’s parade for 59 years, 40 with Quaker City. Like many Mummers, he started out as a comic, moved on to the Fancy Brigade, and finally played banjo, danced, and served on the board of Quaker City.

“He loved the excitement of the Mummers,” said his wife, Nancy. “He was a good dancer, too, but he wouldn’t dance that much anywhere else.”

Born March 4, 1950, in South Philadelphia, Mr. DiFlorio attended South Philadelphia High School but quit before he graduated to take a job at a nearby butcher’s shop. He met Nancy Lewis through mutual friends, and they married in 1969.

The couple, best friends from the start, lived in South Philly and then the Northeast, and had daughters Lisa and Michele. Quiet and content to work mostly behind the scenes, Mr. DiFlorio nonetheless made an obvious impact on those around him.

He made sure his daughter always had the diet iced tea she needed, even rushing out one Christmas Eve to find some after he had forgotten to buy it earlier. He took charge of the family’s holiday decorations, and was so popular with union members that he often ran unopposed for his positions.

Mr. DiFlorio enjoyed traveling with the string band, and played with them in Italy, Texas, Florida, and elsewhere. His Mummers friends were an extension of his real family, his relatives said, and he had been looking forward to their 2022 performance that featured a Blues Brothers theme.

He was even preparing his 11-year-old, saxophone-playing grandson, Lisandro, to carry on his Mummers tradition. “He bled burgundy and gray,” his family said, referring to the band’s colors.

An avid Flyers fan who attended games and cheered from near the team’s bench, Mr. DiFlorio also liked to spend time with his family on the beach in North Wildwood, and he doted on his Maltese dogs, Nikko and Boot-z.

“He didn’t know how good he was,” his wife said.

In addition to his wife, daughters, and grandchildren, Mr. DiFlorio is survived by two brothers and other relatives. A sister and brother died earlier.

Services were Tuesday, Jan. 4.

Donations in his name can be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, 150 Monument Rd., Suite 402, Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004.