Concetta “Connie” Senato Assenato (nee Amato), a native of Taylor and Morgan Streets, died on Jan. 21. She was 92 years old.

Mrs. Assenato was the wife of the late Joseph; mother of Salvatore “Sal” (Dolores), Joseph S., Peter, and the late Michael; sister of four living and four deceased siblings; grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of eight; aunt, great-aunt, great-great aunt,cousin, and friend of many.

Mrs. Assesnato emigrated from Naples, Italy, and attended the former Andrew Jackson Elementary School. She was a beautician and in 1946, with her husband, Joseph, founded Little Joe’s Restaurant on west Taylor Street. Mrs. Assenato’s flair for Italian cooking helped to make Little Joe’s a favorite of Near West Side residents and students and faculty from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus.

The Assenato family and their restaurant continued through the transformation of the Taylor and Morgan Street community and the urban renewal efforts that paved the way for the University of Illinois Chicago Circle campus in 1964. The east and west campuses merged in1982 to create today’s UIC.

“My mom was a wonderful woman,” recalled Joseph S. Assenato. “I not only lost my mother, I lost my best friend, my business partner, and most of all my heart,” he added.

Services and a funeral Mass were held at Holy Family Church, Michael J. Bruno, funeral director. Interment is at Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, IL.