Mike D'Ambrisi, 1995. Courtesy of Bruce HarveyBorn: March 22, 1901
Died: April 1, 1998
Married: Vivian Hopkins
Children: Valerie D'Ambrisi, Mike D'Ambrisi, Jr., Reginald D'Ambrisi
Michael D'Ambrisi, known as Mike, operated the D'Ambrisi Barber Shop in the Leis Block at 5 Bloomingdale Avenue for 58 years.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, April 1, 1998
Michael D'Ambrisi
SARANAC LAKE - Michael D'Ambrisi, 97, formerly from 10 Catherine Street, Saranac Lake, died Wednesday, April 1, 1998, at the Uihlein Mercy Center, where he had been a resident for the last two years.
Born on March 22, 1901 in New York City, he was the son of Carl and Pauline (Pecceraro ) D'Ambrisi. He was a veteran of U.S. military service during World War II. He had been a resident in Saranac Lake for the last 81 years. He operated the D'Ambrisi Barber Shop for 58 years and was a third generation barber having taken over the business from his father and grandfather.
Survivors include: a daughter, Valerie D'Ambrisi; two sons, Michael and Reginald D'Ambrisi; and a sister, Virginia Harrington, all from Saranac Lake. He is also survived by two nephews.
There will be no calling hours. A memorial Mass will be held at a later date at St. Bernard's Church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral in Saranac Lake, which is in charge of funeral arrangements.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 20, 1987
RANDOM TALES
By ROGER TUBBY
Who was he?
Octogenarian Mike D'Ambrisi, sprightly, feisty Bloomingdale Avenue barber, at the start of World War One was a youngster working at the Postal Telegraph office on Broadway, learning to be a telegraph operator.
"One day," Mike told me the other day, "an elegant Englishman came into the telegraph office and told me he'd be receiving a number of telegrams from the DuPont company in Delaware. He asked me to deliver them to him at his apartment (he really had two adjoining apartments) at the Santanoni on Church Street."
"This I did for some period of time, delivering five to eight telegrams a day. I learned that he lost his wife and daughter, when their ship was torpedoed by a German submarine. Although he was rescued, he came down with tuberculosis. That's why he was in Saranac Lake. He was here for about two years."
"His name was Arthur Blaikie Purvis," Mike continued. "Years later, in 1966, another Englishman, Al Jinks, who lived at Peck's Corners came in here and I told him about Mr. Purvis. I'll look him up in the British Who's Who, Al said, and this he did, finding that Purvis was born in 1890, that he'd been knighted, becoming Sir Arthur and had served as Privy Counselor to the King."
"During World War One he was a purchasing agent for the British government (that's why he was getting all those telegrams from DuPont), and during World War Two he was director general of the British Purchasing Commission in North America, then became president of Canadian Industries (chemicals), and governor of McGill University in Montreal."
Mike said that once when Purvis invited him into his Santanoni apartment "he asked me if I minded him calling me Michael, not Mike. He was a very formal fellow."
Having survived a torpedo attack and TB, Sir Arthur died in a plane crash at London airport.
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