Louis Dominic "Iggy" Patti, founder of a popular Little Italy sandwich shop, died of lung cancer Monday at his Fallston home. He was 87.
Born and raised in Little Italy, he attended St. Leo Parochial School and was a 1932 graduate of Calvert Hall College High School.
In 1934, he founded the Kings' Nightclub on Gough Street, a business that lasted one year. He then opened Sandwich Kings at Eastern Avenue and High Street, now operated under the name Iggy's Sandwich Kings by his three daughters, M. Suzanne Black of Perry Hall, and Nanette M. Majestic and Toni A. Newcity, both of Fallston.
Mr. Patti was known for his grilled Italian sausage sandwiches and a bean and macaroni soup.
The sandwich shop became a gathering place for politicians. William Donald Schaefer, the state comptroller and former mayor and governor, considered it good luck to eat at Iggy's on Election Day.
Mr. Patti retired in 1983.
An Army veteran of World War II, he was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was also a past grand knight in the Knights of Columbus, and a member of Letts Pleasure Club on Belair Road.
A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 11:15 a.m. today at St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church, Stiles and Exeter streets.
In addition to his daughters, survivors include his wife of 57 years, the former Antoinette V. "Dolly" Popoli; three sisters, Rita Patti, Lucille Mottl and Dolores Allen, all of Baltimore; and five grandchildren. A son, Louis D. Patti III, died in 1999.
