Ernest Vincent Lodato

Ernest "Ernie" Vincent Lodato, 85, passed into the gracious arms of our Lord on January 14, 2022, after a long illness. Ernie was born March 25, 1936, in the Bronx, New York to Vincenzo & Jenny Lodato.

He served in the US Army in the early 1960's where he picked up his passion for travel and photography. While in the Army he began photographing many of the exotic locations throughout Asia he was stationed and continued later in life taking many wonderful photographs throughout Europe and North America where he and his wife vacationed.

He met and married his wife, Rosanna Mazza, in 1963 in the Bronx, NY and they had two children a girl and a boy. Ernie loved visiting his brother in California and wanted to move to there but heard about Albuquerque, NM and wanted to see it first before moving to California. In 1972 he took his whole family to visit Albuquerque and he loved it right away and purchased a house during that first trip.

His first successful job in Albuquerque was selling Rainbow vacuums and he became the bestseller in the State. He took that sales knowledge and began many entrepreneurial ventures, including buying and selling real estate, renting out homes and his most successful venture was his jewelry business that began at the State Fair Grounds Flea Market and ended at the 12th Street Indoor Mercado where his jewelry shop was the biggest and most successful draw for that market.

Ernest also enjoyed the theater, classic tv shows and movies and playing cards.

He was preceded in death by both his parents, Vincenzo &Jenny Lodato, his sister, Rose Dell' Aquila, and his brother, Ralph Lodato, and his niece, Linda Dell' Aquila. He is survived by his wife, Rosanna Lodato, his daughter, Deborah Lodato, his son, Dino Lodato and his spouse, Ellie Lodato, and his grandson, Christopher Chavez, and his spouse Jennifer Chavez his nieces, Roberta Tetro, Joyce Busch and Deneen Lodato, and his nephew, Vincent Lodato.

A visitation will take place starting at 10:00am on Friday, January 28, 2022, at FRENCH-Wyoming.