Joseph Crivello, the longtime greeter and host at Donna's restaurants in Baltimore, died Feb. 10 of complications from cancer at a hospital in Naples, Fla.
Mr. Crivello, a snowbird who split his time between Roland Park and Southwest Florida, was 89.
His daughter, Donna Crivello, said customers would remember him as a mild-mannered and charismatic person who helped to seat guests at her restaurants. While he worked at various locations, he spent most his time at the Cross Keys cafe.
"He's the person that made you feel welcome," Ms. Crivello said. "He was a very kind, thoughtful person."
The son of Cosima and Domenic Crivello, Mr. Crivello was raised in Revere, Mass., a seaside city about five miles north of Boston.
He graduated from Revere High School in 1943 and joined the Navy. He served as a signalman during World War II on a Liberty ship in the North Atlantic until 1946.
After he returned to his hometown, Mr. Crivello married Rosemarie Aucella, also a native of Revere, in 1950.
He began his career as a typesetter with an apprenticeship at the Revere Journal. He worked at the paper until 1955, when he joined The Boston Globe.
Mr. Crivello saw significant technological advancements in the newspaper composing room during his years in the industry, from traditional "hot-metal typesetting" to photo-typesetting, or "cold type," to the transition to the digital era. He retired in 1998.
Upon his retirement, Mr. and Mrs. Crivello moved to Baltimore to be closer to their daughter. The couple spent their winters in Florida at their home in the Imperial Wilderness subdivision in Naples, where Mr. Crivello enjoyed swimming, riding his bicycle and playing bridge.
Mr. Crivello's niece, Marilyn Stasio, a critic of crime novels for The New York Times Sunday Book Review, said she owed her career as a writer to her uncle, who first exposed her to newspaper work. Ms. Stasio said she got her start at the Revere Journal with the help of her uncle.
But some of Ms. Stasio's fondest memories of her uncle come from her time as a youngster, when Mr. Crivello would babysit her. About 13 years her senior, Mr. Crivello would ride his bicycle with Ms. Stasio on the handlebar or in the basket — adventures the two kept from the adults.
As they grew up, they continued to share a special bond, Ms. Stasio said.
"He and I used to share these sideways glances at family get-togethers when someone would say something outrageous," said Ms. Stasio, who lives in Manhattan. "He was a special confidant."
Peter Adams, Mr. Crivello's son-in-law, said Mr. Crivello had a personality suited to working as host at Donna's. And, Mr. Adams said, Mr. Crivello always marveled at the business his daughter was able to build.
"It was clear to everyone that he just loved meeting people," Mr. Adams said. "He was a genuinely warm, friendly person and earnestly proud of his daughter."
Mr. Adams, a recently retired English professor at the Community College of Baltimore County, said he and Ms. Crivello took annual trips to visit her parents in Florida. His father-in-law loved the chance to play Mr. Adams in a game of Scrabble — and beat him at it.
"They loved beating the English professor," Mr. Adams said.
Ms. Crivello said her father's propensity toward being "neat and precise" came from the years he spent working in the Globe's composing room, but it carried over into other areas. She said he took great care in manicuring his rose bushes and trimming his hedges.
"He was very careful to do things right," she said. "I tend to rush through things and do things quickly. He would say, 'You have to take your time.'"
A reception was held this month in Naples to honor Mr. Crivello's life. Another memorial service will be held at Donna's at Cross Keys in May, although a date has not been set. No interment is planned; Mr. Crivello was cremated.
In addition to his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Mr. Crivello is survived by grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a son, Paul, who died in 1982.