The Romanos are "All In"

All In

BY JOANN GUIDRY • PHOTO BY STEVE FLOETHE

Some people just know how to live and enjoy life. And the best of them also know how to share their joie de vivre. Say hello to Damian and Audrey Romano. Visit their Oak Run home and Damian is going to give you an immediate welcome hug because, well, as he says, he’s Italian. And that hug is indicative of how the Romanos, who retired to Oak Run in 1999, have embraced their community.

In the past 20 years, the Romanos are responsible for a whole slew of firsts in Oak Run, many that continue to this day. Separately or together, they established the first Super Bowl party, the first Red Hats chapter, the first Fourth of July and Christmas golf cart parades, as well as the first thespian club. The couple also helps locate military veterans for the Oak Run chapter of the Quilt of Valor Foundation to honor.

Damian founded the Romeos, a group of men who socialize without their wives. Numbering 17 to 20, including several widows, the Romeos go out monthly for breakfast or lunch, sometimes both. They also venture out on excursions from touring horse farms to attending College of Central Florida softball games.

Audrey is a member of the Ambassadors Club, which organizes entertainment, including monthly dances, as well as white elephant sales to raise money for charities. Damian often lends his DJ talents to the dances while serving as master of ceremonies at other events.

And most near and dear to the couple’s hearts is Hospice of Marion County’s Legacy House. In addition to Audrey volunteering at the facility, they organize the annual Hoofin’ It For Hospice, a dance and walk to raise money for Legacy House.

“We’ve always been very active people. We lived in the Washington, D.C. area for 40 years and it was a busy, nonstop social life,” says Damian, 83. “When we moved to Ocala, it was like going from 100 miles an hour to five miles an hour. That just didn’t suit us at all and we decided to do something about it.”

Audrey, 81, agrees, “We just couldn’t believe that Oak Run had basically no clubs and no events. We’re not people who just like to sit around and watch the world go by. Life is for living.”

True to that philosophy, Damian and Audrey jumped into living early on, both leaving home to explore the world at 18. Of course, they didn’t know each other at the time. Damian is originally from northeast Pennsylvania and Audrey hails from upstate New York. Separately they both joined the U. S. Air Force at 18 and both ended up at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, where they met.

“What are the odds that two kids like us would meet like we did? We met on Flag Day and got married in 1958,” says Damian. “And 61 years later, Red and I are still each other’s best buddy.” Red? That’s Damian’s nickname for his red-headed wife. In fact, he notes, “I’ve always called her Red instead of Audrey from the first time I met her.” When asked if she has a nickname for Damian, Audrey answers wryly, “PITA. That’s short for pain in the ass. But I still love him.”

In 1959, the couple moved back across the country to Washington, D.C. to work and raise their family. Damian went to work for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, managing one of the facility’s computer rooms. Established in 1959 and located in Greenbelt, Maryland, Goddard was NASA’s first space flight center. Audrey, who did some modeling in her 20s, became one of the first women to work for Sears in their appliance department.

“We have great memories and mementos from our lives in D.C.,” says Damian, who proudly points out two framed original black-and-white prints from the 1969 moon landing, which occurred while he was at the Goddard Space Flight Center. “It was amazing to be part of that space travel history.”

Audrey worked for Sears for 20 years and says, “It was a man’s world then in the appliance department. But that’s where the good commissions were and I was a good salesperson. And I was tough enough to work in a male-dominated environment.”

Damian adds, “Red and I always worked hard, but we’ve always liked to play hard too. I’m a lifelong golfer; we both love to dance and travel. We like taking cruises and going to casinos. We like parties. When we retired from work, it didn’t mean we were going to retire from life.”

The Romanos dress as Santa and Mrs. Claus for the annual Christmas Parade party.

Only months into moving to Oak Run, more specifically the Fairway Oaks neighborhood, the first thing the Romanos saw lacking was a Super Bowl party.

“We’re big football fans and couldn’t believe there wasn’t a Super Bowl party in Oak Run,” says Damian. “So we had to fix that and held our first Super Bowl party in 2000 at the Orchid Club. We had a great turnout and still do every year.”

Soon after came a Kentucky Derby party, then the Fourth of July- and Christmas-decorated golf cart parades, all which became annual events. And, oh, Damian and Audrey dress up as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for the Christmas party at the Palm Grove Center where the parade ends. With so much involvement in clubs and events, the Romanos decided to recruit some help, albeit a bit slyly. “We had quickly become friends with seven other couples and one day invited them over for a barbeque,” says Damian, grinning. “We told them to bring their calendars. Next thing they knew, we’re signing them up to help with all these events.”

Audrey smiles and says, “Our group is known as The Sweet 16. And people still say to be careful about becoming friends with the Romanos, it will cost you some time and money. But really it’s been wonderful working with such great people. We couldn’t have continued to do it all these years without our friends.” “And now it’s time for us to step back and let others continue on with these events,” Damian adds. “This year has been about doing the last of each and handing them off. We’ll wrap up with the Christmas parade on December 18.”

With a nod, Audrey, who did a tandem sky dive for her 80th birthday, says, “We’ve loved doing all these things, but there are still other things we want to do. Our family, including three grandsons and a great granddaughter, is spread out and we want to visit them more. There are more adventures to be had.”

But the Romanos will continue to organize the annual Hoofin’ It For Hospice, set this year for November 8-9. On Friday night, there is a dance at the Palm Grove Center followed by a one-mile walk on Saturday morning.

“Hoofin’ It For Hospice has raised $186,000 for Legacy House over the past 12 years,” says Damian. “And we’ve added a golf tournament, probably going to call it Hackin’ It For Hospice, on April 11, 2020, at Candler Hills.”

Yes, the Romanos are still all in.

WANT TO HELP? The Legacy House at Hospice of Marion County www.hospiceofmarion.com/services/hospice-houses 873-7400