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| By Sarah M. Corigliano Assistant Managing Editor EAST LONGMEADOW As this reporter arrived at Frank's Auto Service last Wednesday afternoon, manager Pat Aleks was explaining to a longtime customer that one of her mechanics had died. Roberto Daniele, who was 28, and his parents, Mario Daniele and Assunta Leone of Bracigliano, Italy, died in an Oct. 1 crash on the Massachusetts turnpike that was caused when a pickup truck crossed the median and struck the car he was driving. Aleks said she has had to tell the story several times in the last few weeks. As Daniele's work family, the owners and workers at Frank's Auto Service are mourning the young man Aleks described as talented, hard-working, a proud father and someone who loved to share stories and make other people laugh. The staff at Frank's are also reaching out to their customers to help support Daniele's family: his wife, Angelina, and infant son, Mario. The auto shop announced last week that it will honor Daniele's memory by donating a percentage of its sales to a memorial fund that was established through Angelina Daniele's employer, MassMutual. Through Nov. 30, for every transaction above $25, Frank's will donate $5 to the fund. They will also accept direct donations, which will be delivered to the MassMutual Employees Credit Union, where the fund has been established. Aleks told The Reminder that Daniele worked for Frank's Auto Service for almost five years and was an integral part of the team there. "My customers loved him," she said. "He always had a story to tell." She said the mechanics who work for Frank's are all around the same age -- in their late 20s -- and they had a great camaraderie. "It's been hard, especially the first week, not seeing him," she said. "We're never going to get that kind of chemistry again." Frank's Auto Service is located at 528 North Main Street in East Longmeadow. |