Rosario V. Taraschi | Restaurant owner, 75

Rosario V. "Russ" Taraschi Sr., 75, of Secane, owner of Sam's Restaurant & Saloon in Glenolden, died Friday at Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland of a stroke.

For the last 17 years, Mr. Taraschi oversaw operations at his restaurant, which specializes in Italian cuisine. He loved cooking for patrons, said his daughter, Debora Feeser. He was a tough boss, she said, but generous to his staff, many of whom worked for him for years.

Until three years ago, Mr. Taraschi and his family also operated Trio Cold Cuts in Clifton Heights. He and his wife, Florence "Peg" Huntzman Taraschi, opened Trio in 1957, two years after they married.

A graduate of Bok Vocational High School in Philadelphia, Mr. Taraschi served in an Army combat unit in Korea during the Korean War.

He enjoyed visits to the Poconos; his summer home in Brigantine, N.J.; and chatting with friends at a table behind his restaurant.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Taraschi is survived by a son, Rosario Jr.; two sisters; a brother; and four grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 1 Fatima Dr., Secane. Friends may call at McCausland-Bathurst Funeral Home, 202 S. Chester Pike, Glenolden, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. tomorrow and from 7 to 9 p.m. today. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.