Edward DeSimone III: Provider of
Amusement
Edward
DeSimone III always gave people a sore belly -- either
from laughing too hard or from eating too much of his
calorie-celebrating cooking. "He was the sparkle in the
drink," said his uncle, Peter Armenia.
The Cantor Fitzgerald offices would vibrate when Eddie
D., the 10-Year-Guy (Mr. DeSimone was a vice president of
the government bonds unit), would boom: "How ya' doin'?"
Generous, yes; decorous, no: when Cantor Fitzgerald had a
dress code, Mr. DeSimone, 36, of Middletown, N.J., wore a
suit but padded around in his socks. He once pulled out a
blowpipe and sent a spitball hurtling across the trading
room.
Mr. DeSimone talked with eager speed. He could speak
about his wife, Joanne, and children (Eddie IV and
Stephanie), the Yankees, hockey tickets, where rates were
headed, and recipes for risotto with shrimp -- all in a
catch-up conversation of five minutes.
Fun was best when shared, he believed. A fisherman and
hunter, he delighted in introducing the outdoors to his
family. And at dawn on occasional Sundays, he drove a
half-dozen New Jersey guys to his former Brooklyn
stomping grounds. There Mr. DeSimone would teach them to
shop for fresh produce, mozzarella and bread, and taste
deeply of life -- as well as sausage and peppers -- at 8
in the morning.
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