The Godmother Of All Florists

Kitty Kleinau, owner of "Kitty's Florist" of Dongan Hills Staten Island, N.Y. died at the age of 91 years young.

Mrs. Kleinau's florist shop was probably one of the most popular and largest flower shops in all of Staten Island. She got into the business in 1939 purely by chance when a passerby, on the way to a cemetary located right near home home, stopped and asked if they could purchase geraniums from her garden.

Then in 1970, Kitty's Flowers received a large order calling for over 100 floral arangements for the funeral of an infamous New York Mafia Don. That Mafia Don was Vito Corleone.





Mrs. Kleinau was hired by Francis Ford Coppola to make over 100 floral arrangements for the funeral scene that was being filmed over in Queens for the movie "The Godfather."

So for many years after she was quietly reffered to, mostly by Staten Islanders who frequented her shop, as the Godmother of all Florists.


Don Cardi

Can you imagine how neat it must have been to have that claim to fame? To her, I'm sure it was a great topic of conversation. I wonder if they paid her extra? :p

Btw, I love that picture. When you think of Michael Corleone, that picture says it all doesn't it?


TIS

That is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Very interesting, thanks for posting this, DC!
Yes, by the way, I feel so too. It is a great Michael-like scene in general. "I'm gonna wait".