Nicholas M. Melucci

92, of Upper St. Clair, died peacefully surrounded by his loving family, including his beloved wife of 55 years, Joanne Garone Melucci, his sons John and Geoffrey of Upper St. Clair, Gregory (Laura) of Cranberry Twp., PA, Nicholas (Megan) of Murrysville, PA, and his daughter Carmela Silodor (Jesse) of East Windsor, N.J.  Nicholas, fondly called "Nonno", will be sadly missed by his seven grandchildren: Charles, Daniel, Olivia, Elysia, Maria, Santino and Lucia. He was born on Palm Sunday, 1924, in Sant’ Angelo, in the province of Salerno, Italy. Together with his beloved parents John and Carmela Melillo Melucci and his late older sister Josephine Marie Liguori (the late Alfonso) of Boca Raton, FL., he immigrated to his new home in New Kensington, PA in 1929. The family grew to six with the birth of a brother, the late Mario Melucci (Kathleen) of Sewickley, PA and his late sister Mary Ann Flati (Richard) of Wexford, PA. Nick enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh School of Chemical Engineering in 1941, and during the early war years he served as a technical assistant at Mellon Institute of Industrial Research for the research and development of synthetic rubber. In 1944 he entered the Army Military Service and he received his basic infantry training at Camp Croft, SC. In January of 1945 he was assigned to the Army’s Advanced Specialized Training Program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, VA. With the release of the atomic bomb and the conclusion of the War, he was transferred to the Inspector General's Office at Fort Bragg, NC where he concluded his military service and was honorably discharged in June, 1946. Returning to civilian life, he completed his studies and received his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh in June 1947, and began contemplating his future professional career. Having been raised in a major underground coal mining region of Pennsylvania, he was greatly influenced by the harsh living and very dangerous working conditions of a coal miner and his family. Thus, he chose a career with the United States Bureau of Mines in Oakland and Bruceton, PA, that lasted forty-one years as the Administrative Officer and Projects Manager of the Bureau’s Explosives Research Center. During his years of service, he witnessed a dramatic decrease in the number of mine explosions and fatalities. He thanked the Good Lord for many healthy years; served as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector at St. Thomas More Parish in Bethel Park, and attended daily Mass as long as his health permitted. He was an avid tennis player well into his retirement, and in his younger days enjoyed working in his garden. Listening to classical music, reading, and making frequent telephone calls to his many close friends was how he passed the time in his later years. In his younger days, he enjoyed traveling; he motored west to the Pacific Coast, and sailed the Atlantic to Lisbon, the Northeastern coast of Africa, and southern Europe to visit his birthplace in southern Italy. His return to the States was highlighted as a passenger on the beautiful but ill-fated Andrea Doria. In each of his roles as husband and father, Nick could always be counted on for his loving kindness and appreciation to all people, and his abiding faith in God. Relatives and friends will be received at Laughlin Memorial Chapel, 222 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon on Wednesday, August 31, from 3-7pm. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Thomas More Church on Thursday, September 1, at 10:00AM (Everyone please meet at church). Interment with Military Honors will follow in Queen of Heaven Cemetery. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, memorials may be made to St. Thomas More Family Life and Education Center, 126 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241. www.laughlinfuneralhome.com

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