Gregory Meledandri, 99, of New Kensington, PA passed away November 15, 2021. He was born in Platania, Catanzaro, Italy to Beniamino Meledandri and Michelangela Perri. He immigrated to the United States in 1930. Mr Meledandri was proud to have enlisted in the U.S. Navy during WWII, having served from 1942 to1946, having been stationed on the islands of Enewetak, Kwajalein, and Guam. He was co-owner and co-operator of the Rustic Inn, a popular restaurant in New Kensington well known for its hot sandwiches and french fries with gravy. For an additional ten years, he was a chef at Jack’s Restaurant in Freeport. Subsequently he started the prepared foods department at the Golden Dawn grocery store in New Kensington.
Mr Meledandri’s benevolence was evidenced in part by his service as the president of the Valley High School Choir Boosters, and the Duquesne University Tamburitzans Parents Organization, which included coordinating many related fund raisers. He also organized various Rustic Inn Reunions to raise funds for New Kensington area churches.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Loyal Order of the Moose, and the Elks. He was very proud of his native Italian heritage, his US citizenship, and his hometown of New Kensington. His hobbies included cooking and baking, miniature train displays, reading, the study of history, the study of maps, baseball, road trips, and horse racing. He will fondly be remembered for his gregarious personality.
He is survived by a daughter, Tama (Meledandri) Carey, two sons, Lenny, and Wayne (partner Philip Micali), many nieces and nephews in the United States, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, an adopted grandson, Alec Burns, and an adopted granddaughter, Tommie Brown. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by his sisters Mariangela DiCello, Angela Costanzo, Carolina DiCello, Lucia Meledandri of Italy, and his brothers Angelo of Arnold, and Frank of New Kensington.
A memorial service will be held at Mt St Peter’s Church, 100 Freeport Rd, New Kensington, PA at 9:30am, Friday, December 3. Guests will be received in the narthex of the church beginning at 8:30am. There will be a private burial at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, Bridgeville, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Processing Center, PO Box 8958, Topeka, KS 66608-8958. Arrangements by the Giunta-Bertucci Funeral Home, Inc. 1509 Fifth Ave., Arnold, JohnPaul Bertucci, FD, Owner, Suprv.
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