Ignazio Nelson Ligori's Obituary
Ignazio “Nelson” Ligori passed away Sunday January 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida at the age of 85 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s.
Nelson was born and raised in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, to his mother, Frances Capitano Ligori, and his father, Rosario “Sam” Ligori on April 19, 1939 and was part of a large Sicilian family. He proudly graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1958.
Following his high school graduation, he enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean. Following his time with the Navy he returned to Tampa where he attended the University of Tampa and graduated with a B.A. in History. Nelson was the first in this family to graduate college.
After his graduation from the University of Tampa, he became an elementary school teacher for two years, then went on to become a sales representative for Gillette and handled national accounts. Because of his intensive travel schedule, causing extended time away from his family, he left and started a drug store named “Thrifty Discount” which he grew to 12 locations, 1 in Hillsborough County and 11 in Pinellas and Pasco Counties.
When he saw large retailers moving into Tampa Bay, such as Walmart, he reduced the number of his locations and went into the home and garden show business with his cousin Angelo Spicola. They ran the home and garden shows at Tropicana Field twice a year, and one a year at the Tampa Convention Center. They successfully ran them for 16 years until they sold them to an international company in 2007, at which time he retired.
Nelson loved to hunt, and he did so in Florida, Mexico and Montana. Some of his favorite memories are with his friends at Mac Greco’s ranch in Montana where they participated in an annual hunting trip and dove hunting in Zephyrhills with his sons, Chris and Keith and hunting quail and dove in North Tampa with his cousins at the property owned by his lifelong friends Gilmore Dominguez, Mac Greco, Edward Guinta and their families. He hunted on their property for over 35 years and enjoyed telling funny stories about their adventures there, including getting their hunting truck stuck in marsh areas and creeks on multiple occasions and having his sons Chris, Keith, and his cousin J.C. Dominguez wade in the mud and water to
get the truck out while he and Gilmore Dominguez would stand on the dry ground or stay in the truck, laugh and give orders. All involved still laugh about those experiences.
He also enjoyed making homemade wine with his lifelong friend Al Diecidue and his close friend Allen Iezzi along with Al’s father Frank and Al’s uncle Tony.
He also loved to meet his friends to play cards and meet them at coffee shops and Cacciatore’s Grocery Store and restaurant in West Tampa and talk about politics, Ybor City and his family.
Nelson was proud of his 100% Sicilian ancestry and proud of his Latin roots in Tampa and enjoyed talking with others about his upbringing in Ybor City and telling stories about what it was like. Nelson was an avid member of the Krewe of Santiago for over 45 years, which promotes the Latin heritage of Tampa. He also loved participating in the Bocce ball tournaments in Ybor City.
Nelson is survived by his two sons and their wives Chris (Sherrie) and Keith (Georgeann) Ligori, along with his grandchildren, Meaghann, Nick, Alessandria and Juliana.
We would like to thank all the family and friends who came to visit him these last few months as it brought him great joy. While Nelson will be cremated, he will have Honorary Pallbearers which are Al and Frank Diecidue, Allen Iezzi, Gilmore Dominguez, Mac Greco, Gilly and J.C. Dominguez, his sons Chris and Keith, his grandson Nicholas, his cousins Joe and Nick Ligori and posthumously his godfather and first cousin John C. Ligori (posthumously) and cousin John Ligori Jr. (posthumously)
Nelson’s wake will be on January 30th starting at 6 pm at Boza and Roel funeral home on 4730 N. Armenia Ave and his funeral mass will be at Christ the King Church at 10 am on January 31st with the burial of his ashes at the Italian Club Cemetery to follow directly after the mass. Then there will be a reception at the Italian Club starting at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, his family kindly requests donations be made to research for Parkinson’s.
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