The 90-minute service, led by Reverend Dr. A James Kowalski. Gandolfini’s wife Deborah Lin Gandolfini and the mother of his 9-month-old daughter Lily, was the first to speak at the service.
According to the New York Daily News, she said, “My husband was an honest kind and loving man. He cared more about others than himself. He took the time to ask others in the course of the day how they were doing.”
Gandolfini died of a heart attack on June 19th during a trip to Rome with his 13-year-old son Michael. He had had a very active schedule before his death last week, wrapping up filming Fox Searchlight Pictures’ crime drama “Animal Rescue” with Tom Hardy, which is due out in 2014. Also on the docket was a role in an upcoming comedy from director Nicole Holofcener, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Catherine Keener. Gandolfini was also poised to make a return to HBO in a limited series called “Criminal Justice.”
James, Sr. earned a Purple Heart in World War II. Gandolfini’s parents were devout Roman Catholics and spoke Italian at home. Due to the influence of his parents, he developed a strong sense of being Italian and visited Italy regularly.
He grew up in Park Ridge, New Jersey and graduated from Park Ridge High School in 1979, where he played basketball, acted in school plays, and was awarded the title “Class Flirt” in his senior yearbook. He attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies from Rutgers University in 1982, where he worked as a bouncer at an on-campus pub. He also worked as a bartender and club manager prior to his acting career.He was introduced to acting as a young man living in New York City, when he accompanied friend Roger Bart to a Meisner technique acting class.
