Hector Sossi, the owner of Eastern Market icon Roma Café, died Saturday at the age of 92. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1923, Sossi was a WWII veteran who returned after the war to work with his uncle Morris Sossi at Roma Café and eventually became owner of the establishment. It was there that he met his wife, restaurant bookkeeper Stella Marinico. "Hector was a beloved father, grandfather and friend to many. He will be greatly missed," the restaurant writes in an announcement to Facebook.
Sossi is survived by his daughter Janet Sossi Belcoure and granddaughter Jessica Belcoure. In memoriam, the Roma Café will close for lunch service on January 29 and will reopen at 4 p.m. Visitation is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the A.H. Peters Funeral Home on Mack Avenue. Memorial contributions can be made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.