12-12-2006, 03:43 AM
PLANTATION -- He was a deeply religious man who defined his life by the teachings of his church. A colorful character whose offbeat fashion sense stirred congregants to laughter on Monday.
To the more than 200 friends, relatives and politicians who attended former Plantation Mayor Frank Veltri's memorial service at St. Gregory Catholic Church on Monday, the recollections brought smiles and a few tears.
He served as the city's mayor for 24 years, until 1999, and was one of several politicians who pioneered the new communities of west Broward. He died Nov. 30 at home, aged 94.
"He always said clothes don't make the man. The man makes the clothes," said his daughter Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic, as congregants chuckled. "His signature clothes were his khaki pants ... a huge City of Plantation belt buckle, comfortable shoes and Brut cologne."
Bendekovic, who kept the eulogy affectionately light-hearted, recalled how a young man once informed her dignified father the wire frame glasses he wore were "cool."
"He was so pleased to know he was cool," she said as laughter rippled through the church. "We think it was the first and last time he was ever told that."
Monday's service was simple, as Veltri wanted: No viewing, no flowers, a Mass and a few kind words from a family member, Bendevokic.
Firefighters carried Veltri's ashes, in a white urn, into the church and placed them near two white fire helmets Veltri wore when he served as a volunteer firefighter and fire chief.
During the service, Bendekovic remembered her father as a consummate public servant who never let brushes with lung, colon and bladder cancer keep him from serving the city he loved so much. She said he hated being sick, and even used an alias the last time he was hospitalized, mostly so he wouldn't worry his relatives, she said.
Bendekovic called her father a "dreamer" and a "visionary" who never believed the job of mayor was an entitlement. She also described him as a "financial genius" who viewed frugality as a way of life. He was stingy when it came to spending taxpayer dollars and tight with money at home, for all the right reasons, she said.
"Our dad was cheap. Dad did watch his pennies, but he had a caring and generous soul," Bendekovic said. Mitch Ceasar, Broward Democratic Party chairman, said he will remember Veltri for his integrity. And his personal quirks.
"He was really a Southern gentleman. He thought that manners were important and keeping your word," Ceasar said.
For the first 10 years that they knew each other, Veltri reversed his name, calling him "Ceasar Mitch," Ceasar remembered: "I was reluctant to say something, because I didn't want to make him feel bad."
Bendekovic said stories like that make her dad's act an impossible one to follow.
"I can't fill my dad's shoes because he has boots to fill," Bendekovic said after the service. "I can carry the torch as far as the love for the city, but I would be lucky if I could carry a flicker of the flame."
To the more than 200 friends, relatives and politicians who attended former Plantation Mayor Frank Veltri's memorial service at St. Gregory Catholic Church on Monday, the recollections brought smiles and a few tears.
He served as the city's mayor for 24 years, until 1999, and was one of several politicians who pioneered the new communities of west Broward. He died Nov. 30 at home, aged 94.
"He always said clothes don't make the man. The man makes the clothes," said his daughter Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic, as congregants chuckled. "His signature clothes were his khaki pants ... a huge City of Plantation belt buckle, comfortable shoes and Brut cologne."
Bendekovic, who kept the eulogy affectionately light-hearted, recalled how a young man once informed her dignified father the wire frame glasses he wore were "cool."
"He was so pleased to know he was cool," she said as laughter rippled through the church. "We think it was the first and last time he was ever told that."
Monday's service was simple, as Veltri wanted: No viewing, no flowers, a Mass and a few kind words from a family member, Bendevokic.
Firefighters carried Veltri's ashes, in a white urn, into the church and placed them near two white fire helmets Veltri wore when he served as a volunteer firefighter and fire chief.
During the service, Bendekovic remembered her father as a consummate public servant who never let brushes with lung, colon and bladder cancer keep him from serving the city he loved so much. She said he hated being sick, and even used an alias the last time he was hospitalized, mostly so he wouldn't worry his relatives, she said.
Bendekovic called her father a "dreamer" and a "visionary" who never believed the job of mayor was an entitlement. She also described him as a "financial genius" who viewed frugality as a way of life. He was stingy when it came to spending taxpayer dollars and tight with money at home, for all the right reasons, she said.
"Our dad was cheap. Dad did watch his pennies, but he had a caring and generous soul," Bendekovic said. Mitch Ceasar, Broward Democratic Party chairman, said he will remember Veltri for his integrity. And his personal quirks.
"He was really a Southern gentleman. He thought that manners were important and keeping your word," Ceasar said.
For the first 10 years that they knew each other, Veltri reversed his name, calling him "Ceasar Mitch," Ceasar remembered: "I was reluctant to say something, because I didn't want to make him feel bad."
Bendekovic said stories like that make her dad's act an impossible one to follow.
"I can't fill my dad's shoes because he has boots to fill," Bendekovic said after the service. "I can carry the torch as far as the love for the city, but I would be lucky if I could carry a flicker of the flame."