Calogera J. Galvano

Calogera (Lee) Galvano, 99, of Eltingville, Staten Island, passed away on March 12, 2026, at Addeo House Hospice Residence.

Born at home on December 3, 1926, to Rosa and Salvatore Gioia, Lee was the fourth of seven children. A graduate of Manhattan High School of Women’s Garment Trades, she became a skilled hairdresser and worked for decades at Mr. Karl’s Beauty Salon on First Avenue in Manhattan. Later in her career, she served as a receptionist at Chase Manhattan Plaza in lower Manhattan. She and her husband, Peter Galvano, left Brooklyn for Staten Island to enjoy their retirement years together.

For 59 years, Lee and Pete shared a quiet, joyful life filled with regular trips to Atlantic City and Miami Beach, weekly movie outings, and the planting of a flowering cherry tree that still stands as a living symbol of their bond. An enthusiastic gardener and avid reader well into her mid-90s, Lee also found pleasure in crafting sequined women’s apparel and beaded flower arrangements. She remained curious throughout her life, even taking a painting course to expand her horizons. Above all, her greatest happiness in later years came from her four great-grandchildren—Hayden and Emily Frintrup, and Tyler and Ryan Harkness—whose visits, postcards, and FaceTime calls she treasured deeply.

Lee was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Peter, five sisters—Rose Russo, Concetta (Jean) Lentini, Louise Siracusano, Grace Gioia, and Isabel Manfredo—and her brother, Charles Gioia. She is survived by her daughter, Loraine Frintrup and her husband Fred of Milltown, New Jersey; her grandson, Peter and his wife Tricia of Los Angeles, California; her granddaughter, Lauren Harkness and her husband Thomas of Wesley Chapel, Florida; her sister-in-law, Helen Gioia; and many nieces and nephews. To all who knew her, Lee was a caring friend and neighbor whose gentle spirit and love for family will be fondly remembered.