CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — While many look forward to retirement, one local man is proving that passion can keep you going well past the typical retirement age. At 93 years old, Gaetano “Guy” Dagostino is still cutting hair twice a week in New Cumberland.
Guy works at Semoff’s Barbershop on 3rd Street, where he’s been a familiar face since moving to Pennsylvania from Italy in 1963.
“I like my boss; I like the clientele. It’s a good place to work,” Guy said with a smile.
He became a barber to make a living after arriving in the U.S. and never looked back. More than 60 years later, he’s still showing up to work on Mondays and Fridays, scissors and clippers in hand.
Christopher Semoff, the shop’s owner, said Guy started working there before he did.
“I was still in barber school when he came over,” Semoff recalled. “He’s the perfect employee—always here to open, always here to close. He’s only taken about two sick days in over 30 years.”
Young barbers at the shop, like Zachery Semoff, have learned a lot from Guy.
“He’s funny and full of stories,” Zachery said. “I’ve learned a good bit from him.”
Christopher added that Guy’s eventual retirement will be emotional. “The day he tells me he’s done, I’ll cry. I really will.”
For now, Guy isn’t going anywhere—and he’s still taking new clients. Anyone in need of a haircut can stop by on Mondays or Fridays to experience a trim from one of the region’s most enduring barbers.
