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100 years of love for his family, life
"They give you a pill to help you with one thing, and that pill will harm something else- no pills!" he said. Casciano was born in Italy and came to the United States in the early 1900s. He remembers the best times of his life celebrating his birthdays. His two daughters are quick to ask, "How about when we were born?" Casciano smiles. Of course those were special days, too. When children are born, they are all treasured and celebrated. He has celebrated three grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. As he looks back on his life, he seems to like to focus on the happy times. Maybe that is the secret to living a long life. Maybe it is staying away from doctors, as Casciano recommends. Those who want to know for sure will not get the answer directly if they ask him what his secret is to longevity. "It's a secret. You have to live to be 100 if you want to know," he answers with a sparkle in his eye. He did just that and celebrated his special day surrounded by family and friends at a party at a country club in Woodland Hills. "I'm going to take a piggy bank and a penny and tell everyone I've put a penny in the bank each year of my life and then put one more penny in the bank and tell everyone, 'I've now saved a whole dollar,'" he said. He was making a joke, but the patriarch actually knows about saving pennies and turning them into something useful. When he was a child his older brother died when he was hit by a taxi at age 17. That made Casciano the eldest son of the family, and with that came responsibilities. He spent his childhood beside his father's barber chair in New York, learning the art of cutting hair, giving shaves and massages- the full classic treatment gentlemen expected to get for two bits, or 25 cents. Together they made it through the Depression. His father learned his trade from Casciano's grandfather. Back then, in Italy, barbers were considered the town doctor as well, and their service included pulling teeth. When he grew up Casciano opened his own shop in Los Angeles with five chairs, manicurists and shoe shine. His customers included athletes and some of the Hollywood crowd. His daughters reminded him he used to cut the hair of famous people and even gangsters, but he does not want to talk about that. He treated all of his customers with respect and gave them a classic cut. Long hair fads beginning in the 1960s did not affect the way he cut hair. He was not a beauty parlor owner but a barber, and he cut men's hair the way men should have their hair cut, he said. It took him about 40 minutes to give them the old-fashioned classic cut and full treatment. Eventually his prices reached $10 a cut. It worked. His chairs were always full, and he was successful in his business and did not retire from it until he turned 93. He loved his job very much, he said. Along the way he met his wife, Fannie, and they married in 1935. They had two daughters. Madeline Reins lives in Agoura Hills, and Barbara Ausburn resides in Westlake Village. He and Fannie were wed a few months shy of 60 years when she died. "Fannie took good care of me," he said. When his father retired, he took responsibility as the eldest son and moved both of his parents into his home with his wife and daughters. "Of course I would take care of my father and mother. They took care of me all of my life," Casciano said. He did seek medical treatment for a hip replacement after a fall when he was 99 and is still recovering from that. His hobby has been art, and he likes to organize photos and frame them. He also loves to play bingo. Now he lives in a retirement community in Thousand Oaks. If asked, he might still be willing to cut someone's hair. |
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