Gordon Joseph Trentecosta's Obituary
Gordon Joseph Trentecosta, Mr. Tiny aka Pawpaw, Uncle Tiny and Dad entered the eternal kingdom of God at the age of 89 on Sunday May 5, 2024. He passed peacefully at home after an aggravating battle with pulmonary fibrosis, in the comfort of his own bed while his beloved wife of nearly 65 years Josie was at his side enjoying her usual morning coffee. He served his country as a Third-Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, stationed at Subic Bay. Mr. Tiny was born in New Orleans, raised in the lower Ninth Ward, graduated from Nicholls High School and attended LSU and Tulane. His original plan was to become an engineer, but that was cut short upon the untimely death of his own father. He and his brother Charlie were thrust into having to take over his St. Claude Ave. establishment Charlie’s Bar located in Arabi. The bar had a typical backroom originally used for storage, card games, and small celebrations such as birthdays, showers and even the occasional wedding. After successfully running the bar for a few years, in 1964 the two brothers, Tiny and Charlie, decided to make a big move over to N. Claiborne Ave, in “new Arabi” and open a larger, fancier lounge with a much larger room capable of accommodating even larger celebrations. Sadly, the new lounge opened just months before being decimated by his first experience with a monster storm, Hurricane Betsy. The storm damage caused the brothers to rebuild and reopen quickly with a new game plan: in 1965 the new venture became the Chiffon Room and Chiffon Lounge, and business took off like gangbusters. The brothers managed to convince their sister Lola to run the catering arm of the new business, and quickly added Chiffon Caterers to the mix. Eventually there was a Gold, Silver, Tiffany and Diamond Room and they were catering countless weddings. Tiny had the brilliant idea of charging one price for a four-hour wedding reception that included unlimited food and drinks for $2.50 per person. This was unheard of, dances, dinners, Mardi Gras Balls, and anything else that could be celebrated was celebrated at the Chiffon Room. They quickly branched off into offsite catering as well as infamous discotheques, bingo halls, and nightclubs. Thousands of people were able to celebrate in style with great food and drinks at affordable prices that the average person could afford.
Tiny was a very quick witted, funny man who always had a positive outlook and was beloved by his family, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, employees, and friends. He was proud of his Lower Ninth Ward heritage and his very close ties to his St. Bernard Parish roots. He even managed to maintain his positive outlook after the devastation of his second run in with monster storm, Hurricane Katrina, which caused what he jokingly referred to as his unfortunate incarceration to the Northshore. He quickly grew to love his new home of Covington and enjoyed being close to his grand and great grand kids and engaging with them in all types of fun activities and outings.
He was preceded in death by his parents Charles Vincent Trentecosta and Dorothy Moran Trentecosta, brothers, Charlie and Bill, sister, Lola (Schuler), and great grandson, Drew. He is survived by his wife Josie (Orfanello), children Cheryl (Roger) Smith, Chris (Kristi) and Craig. Grandchildren Rachael (John) Catalanotto, Lauren (Chad) Almquist, Alexandra (Seth) Courtney, Abigail VonAlmen, Rocco Trentecosta, and Liam Trentecosta. As well as his dearly loved great grandchildren Caleb, Lily, Josephine, and Stella.
Relatives and friends are invited to the Funeral Mass at St. Peter Catholic Church, 125 East 19th Avenue, Covington, LA 70433 on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 11:00 AM with visitation from 9:30 AM until Mass time. Interment will follow the service at Pinecrest Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org. Please Share a Memory on the Tribute Wall at www.ejfieldingfh.com.
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