On May 25th, 2020, the world lost an extraordinary man, Victor Emmanuel Nigro, at the age of 89, of Leawood, KS. Although his body laid to rest in Leawood, Victor would want you to know that his heart will forever live on in the North End. Victor's last days on earth were completely oblivious to COVID-19 mandates and so was his family during the time of his death. They all surrounded him in the days leading up to his passing, sharing stories from the past, reflecting on memories and lessons learned, laughing until they cried into the wee hours, but more importantly, they did it all closer than 6 feet of each other (like a good Italian family should).

Victor was born ready to take on the world, October 13th, 1930, as the fifth child to Otto and Julia Nigro of Kansas City, Missouri. At the age of 14, at the local swimming pool, Victor set his eyes on a little lady, Grace Procopio, who he would marry three years later with his mother's permission. It was not just young love, on June 19th, 2020, Victor and Grace aka "the little lovebirds," would have shared their seventy-second anniversary; he would have told her, in his true spirit, his famous romantic words of love, "I want my money back!" Victor and Grace later had a tender-hearted son, Mark, and a spitfire daughter, Pamela. As a father, he showed his children how to work hard, how to be fair, how to be generous, how to be honest and principled, and how to handicap the horses at the track and "bet on the 4-5-6." Victor grew to be not only a father to his children, but also a leader, mentor, best friend, and business partner.

Victor's earliest entrepreneurial endeavors were provoked by the loss of his father and his devotion to providing support to his mother. When Victor was just a young boy, he hired his first employee to pull him in a wagon for him to sell his collected egg crates and used glass bottles, because- let's face it, what businessman pulls their own wagon?! As a student of Holy Rosary elementary, Victor Nigro was sent home by the nuns for having a "bankroll" in his pocket. They, of course, thought this money had to have been stolen, but they soon found out that young little Victor earned every penny. As a teenager, Victor made a proposition to a gentleman to acquire his 1937 Ford Truck for $75.00. Victor told the gentleman that he would need the truck to sell produce so he could pay for the truck. With many loads of bananas and a relationship built on trust, Victor fulfilled his promise and drove away as the rightful owner to the 1937 Ford truck that his family still owns and cherishes today. Following in the tradition of his Italian immigrant grandparents and adding to the historical roots of the Kansas City Market, Victor spent many years huckstering produce and owning multiple produce stands. He even taught his children and grandchildren how to holler- "Red to the Rhine" & "Try it before you buy it!" In the early 1950s, Victor joined his cousin and best friend, Henry Chervino in the tree business, and together they both owned International Tree Experts. Victor and Henry spent many years on the road saving trees from Illinois to the deep south. Victor fell in love with trees and even became a proud arborist during this time. In 1979, he was hired by Coca-Cola to rebuild the beautiful Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama after it was ravaged by hurricane Fredrick. He also helped reconstruct the grounds of the Grand Hotel and Golf Course in Point Clear, Alabama. There he used his tenacity to save an uprooted century-old live oak tree on the 10th hole. In 2011, the Grand Hotel and Lakewood Golf Course dedicated the iconic tree to Victor with a plaque donning his name and the poem "Trees and Sod" written by his mother, Julia Nigro. After years of traveling for his business and missing his family and Sunday dinners at his mother's house, Victor returned home and joined forces with his younger brother, Tommy Nigro, in the Texas Tom's drive-in business. He used his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to help expand Texas Tom's into one of the largest fast-food chains in the area at the time. Although Victor was an incredible visionary and entrepreneur, customer service was certainly not his forte'. A customer once asked for no salt on his fries, in which Victor replied, "Hey buddy, we salt everything around here!" It was his character that earned him the nickname, "The General," by those who knew him best. He was always his own boss. He led with authority and vigor. He had no limitations and only lived by his rules. As a member of the American Sons of Columbus, Victor's chutzpah and leadership contributed to their organization by spearheading the first Festa Italiana (Italian Festival) that continues to be celebrated in our city today. He also preserved a piece of Italian culture and heritage when he built the indoor bocce courts for the American Sons of Columbus Hall. The last chapter of Victor's career as an entrepreneur culminated in commercial real estate. In this industry, he was able to hone into his lifelong passion, the one he had crafted through decades of experience, and that was the art of buying and selling. He had a knack for breathing life into dilapidated buildings and making them home to many local startup business owners, some of which are Kansas City's most successful food industry leaders today.

Victor loved to work hard and play harder. He was always on the move whether he was golfing, traveling, listening and dancing to jazz, spending time with grandchildren, or "smoking it in" on the crap table. No matter how busy Victor was with his many ventures, you can rest assured there was time for a golf game. Golf was one of Vic's favorite past times; he golfed nearly every day of his life. He even helped his son create one of the top driving ranges in America. Victor achieved his sixth hole-in-one at the age of 84 years old while golfing in Naples, Florida. He treasured the times he spent golfing with his closest friends and family and often shared stories about the many laughs and camaraderie they had together. Victor and Grace also shared the same passion for being with family and friends while traveling the US and abroad. Together they made fond memories road tripping with their cousins Henry and Betty, hitting the Vegas strip with his brother and sister-in-law, Tommy and Carm, and seeing the world with friends, Mike and Sunday. As a grandpa, Victor ensured that his grandchildren would grow up to experience the same love of traveling and business. He would take them for months at a time to tour all four corners of the United States and different parts of the world. "Pop" will be remembered by his grandchildren for the Sunday drives he would take them on in his fancy Zimmer car; for setting them up with their first business at the City Market at the age of ten; for teaching them how to shoot craps on a mini-crap table he had custom made for them; for teaching his grandson that any machine can be operated starting at the age of 13; and how to dream big and fight for everything you could ever want out of life and still stay true to who you are. Although Victor adored all of his grandchildren, they all unanimously agree- his first and favorite little best friend was awarded to his eldest granddaughter, Jamie. Sorry, Nina.

Although Victor acquired wealth from decades of hard work, his true wealth was measured by the love, admiration, and respect by his family, friends, and those he met and helped along the way. Victor grew to be the rock for his family, and especially for his younger brother, Tommy; he loved him as a guardian and shepherded him through life. Vic and Tom were inseparable, whether it be work or play, good times or bad, they both journeyed through life together. Their eternal brotherly bond will far exceed their time on earth. Victor's cousin and favorite sidekick and friend, Henry Chervino, only had one month to enjoy heaven without the pestering jokes from Victor. They are now reunited in the Kingdom of Heaven where they have unlimited opportunities to laugh and bring their loved ones many blessings and luck. There are so many great qualities Victor possessed, but what made him extraordinary was his generosity and compassion to help those around him. Victor loved mentoring others to succeed and grow. He could light up a room with his larger than life personality and contagious smile and laughter. Victor lived life to the fullest and by no one's rules, standards, or expectations. He never conformed to the status quo, and this was a benchmark of how he lived his life. He did it his way, and that made him incredibly original, inspiring, and legendary to those who knew best.

Victor was asked by his granddaughter just a few months ago, "Pop, do you think you will meet God when you die?" He replied, "I don't know Babe, I have to think about it…" After a long and thoughtful pause, Pop sincerely responded, " You know what? I think you should meet God before you die."

Cheers, to the man who left nothing on the table! You will remain in our hearts and souls forever!

Victor Nigro is survived by his wife, Grace Nigro, son and his wife, Mark and Robin Nigro, daughter, Pamela Nigro, brother and sister-in-law, Tommy and Carmeline Nigro, and cousin and dear friend, Betty Chervino, and his grandchildren, Jamie and Manu Savea, Brianne and Enrico Bongiovanni, Nina Vitale, and Victor and Mandy Teevan, and great-grandchildren, Isaiah, Xavier, Noelani, Paulie J, Victor Anthony, Enzo, Emilia, and countless nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Otto Nigro & Julia Olivo, brothers and in-laws, Salvatore and Pearlie Nigro, Otto "Junior" Nigro, Michael & Angela Nigro; and sister, Louise May "Babe" and Joe Dold, and cousin and eternal friend, Henry Chervino.

The Nigro family would like to send a sincere and heartfelt thank you to our "frontline" workers who cared for and loved Victor in his last years of life. We know it takes special people to care for our most treasured elders, and we believe that Keiara, Heather, Elijah, Yosef, Tigst, and Baerket are all guardian angels God so lovingly sent our way. The family would also like to give a special thank you to Crossroads Palliative and Hospice Care, Care Staff Nursing, and Dr. Richard Lustig for going above and beyond to make Victor's last days on earth comfortable and full of peace.

Visitation for family and friends will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 4th at Passantino Bros. Funeral Home, 2117 Independence Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64124. Family and friends will gather on Friday, June 5, at St. Ann Catholic Church, 7231 Mission Rd., Prairie Village, KS 66208, where the Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers and in memory of Victor's life, we would hope that you do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for an organization or someone in need.

Condolences and fond memories may be left online at www.passantinobros.com