The stuff love stories are made of: Marble man carves from the heart

    If one were to sum up John Ravalli’s life, he would likely do it using three small words: A love story.
    Ravalli fell in love with West Hempstead almost 50 years ago. His daughter, Rose Ravalli, said it was “love at first sight,” much like it had been when he met his late wife, Jean, in 1948.
    It seems that the West Hempstead community reciprocated the admiration, providing the 84-year-old a place to call home — a comfortable, warm, welcoming place. Ravalli still feels that hospitality today, and he’s particularly grateful for it now that he’s a widower: life has felt empty in the years since he lost Jean, who had been the light of his life for the 56 years they were married. To show his appreciation, the retired stone mason carves trinkets to give away as gifts.
    Ravalli, who was born in Comiso, Sicily, in 1926, had worked as a marble cutter most of his life. He worked as such in his hometown as a young man and later in the United States. He owned a marble-cutting business for a time, worked for Corcoran Marble and even did some work in the Trump Tower in New York City. According to his daughter, Ravalli could “build anything, fix anything and loved his craft.”
    He loved it so much that even a long workday couldn’t keep him from carving at home. He would carve turtles out of marble and granite and later made butterflies — Jean’s favorite. After her death in December 2006, Ravalli carved constantly, going through all the pieces of stone he had in the house. Rose started bringing him scraps of stone and buying marble tiles for his projects.
    Last year, Ravalli spent almost six months creating one of his most intricate and meaningful projects: a floral arrangement made entirely out of marble and granite. He made it in honor of Jean — the source of his motivation and happiness. They had been apart only twice in their lives: once during the first year of their marriage and once later on when he had taken a job in Rhode Island.