In Italian, Felice means happy. In Patchogue Village, Felice means family and a name that runs deep in the community. With that in mind, the St. Liberata committee has nominated Sal Felice, Patchogue Village trustee and fourth-generation Italian, as this year’s Italian-American of the Year.

Since the turn of the century, Felice has been a name in Patchogue Village, when Sal’s great-grandparents, Dominick and Emma, came from Bari, Italy. The Felices made Patchogue home, grew a family in the West Lake community, where most Italians settled, and went on to own several nearby businesses.