Age 77, on Friday, December 25, 2020, Gerardo Francesco Santoro, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. Known to many as Jerry, he was born on May 1st, 1943, in Beechview where he was raised by his father after the sudden death of his mother in 1944. He graduated from South Hills High School in1962 and went immediately into the workforce. Jerry worked for the City of Pittsburgh for over 38 years, where he took much pride in being a Heavy Equipment Repairman. At that time, he was one of a handful who could repair the Zamboni machines for the city ice rinks and was usually on-call. Jerry praised God and made sure prayer was always said before meals. He was a lifelong member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish where he ushered for over 50 years. He loved to volunteer his time during the Parish festivals as the bingo caller. In April 1968, he met the love of his life and married on October 12th, Columbus Day, of that year. As the proud Italian that he was, he would chuckle with a twinkle in his eye and say, “Columbus took a chance, and so did I !” His pride was his family and his home his “palace”, as he called it. Jerry loved to fix and build everything and anything that he could put to good use. He wasted nothing and appreciated everything. He put much blood, sweat, and tears to provide for his family over the years and made sure they never did without, no matter what sacrifice he had to make. He loved to share his home with family and friends alike where a good time with good food was always offered. He is preceded in death by his parents, legal immigrants from Rionero in Vulture (Potenza) Italy, Nicola and Filomena (DiNoia). He leaves behind his wife of 52 years, Elvira (Rossi) Santoro, two children Daniel Santoro and Lisa (Vito) Cedro, three beautiful grandchildren that he adored, Ava Santoro, Stefano and Veronica Cedro, his sister, Lucy (Richard) Kelly, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins in the US and in Italy. Friends received 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Monday, December 28th, only at BRUSCO-NAPIER FUNERAL SERVICE, LTD., 2201 Bensonia Ave., Pgh, PA 15216. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 29th, at 10 a.m. in St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish—St. Catherine of Siena Church, 1810 Belasco Ave., Pgh., PA 15216. Burial to follow in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, 509 Washington Rd., Pgh., PA 15228. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the funeral home is following all CDC and PA State guidelines. Therefore, facial masks are required while visiting in the building and occupancy is limited.
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