William V. Dinello Sr.
William V. “Bill” Dinello Sr., 99, of Clearwater, Fla., formerly of Washington, died Monday, December 30, 2019.
He was born January 20, 1920, in Beaver Falls, a son of the late Donato and Rose Pulcini Dinello. He was one of eight children and remained close with his extended family throughout his life.
Bill was a 1938 graduate of Beaver Falls High School. He enlisted to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and served in aircraft support and maintenance.
After his honorable discharge from the service, Bill met Giovanna M. Troiani at a Sons of Italy Fourth of July celebration in New Castle in 1947, and that was it. On October 19, 1949, they married in Immaculate Conception Church. They spent almost all of the 70 years of their marriage living in Washington, where they raised their children. In later years, they also lived in Oakland, Calif., Pittsburgh and Clearwater with their children.
In his early years, Bill worked as a salesman for Budweiser and in a dry cleaning business. After running a small post-surgical appliance and prosthetic business in the Jenkins Arcade in Pittsburgh for several years, Bill began what would be a career of more than 35 years with Kroger Company grocery stores. He worked in stores on Beau Street, at Donaldson’s Crossroads and finally at Century Plaza in West Mifflin before he retired.
Bill, also affectionately called “Nattie,” gave freely of himself in time, service and friendship, never expecting anything in return. He was known for his kindness. He looked after many of his elderly neighbors on Duncan Avenue, shoveling snow, mowing lawns and attending to them when they needed his help. He also looked out for the neighborhood kids, offering advice both requested and unsolicited. He loved having a big family or holiday meal around a table that extended from the dining room into the living room to make space for old or new friends. He often served his new batch of homemade wine, which his children jokingly referred to as “rocket fuel.”
Bill was active in the community. He was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Church, where for a time he served on the parish council. Bill was a former member of the Holy Name Society, Knights of Columbus Council 1083 and the American Legion Edwin Scott Linton Post 175. He coached both high school and semi-professional teams.
He worked on election days in the 7th Ward polling station. He also organized Washington’s first newspaper recycling fundraising effort in the early 1980s, where he spent every Saturday, rain or shine, with volunteers collecting and bundling tons of newspapers to raise money for Immaculate Conception High School.
Bill was quick with a wry one-liner, a smile or a helping hand, whatever the situation required. But, he was happiest in the precious times that he spent with his entire family. He made a special effort to stay connected with friends and relatives in Beaver Falls. For years, he made the trip to Beaver Falls almost every Sunday. He will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved him as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend.
Bill is survived by his loving wife, Giovanna; his children, Donato Dinello of Clearwater, William Dinello Jr. (Natalia) of Washington, D.C., Father John Dinello (Sharon) of Pittsburgh, Michael Dinello (Judy) of Wexford and Joanne Dinello Karchmer (Scott) of Oakland, Calif.; 10 grandchildren, Donnie, Jaime, Pami, Iliya, Michael, William, Angelina, Nathan, Carrie and Katie; three stepgrandchildren, Amanda, Kristy and Nick; and four great-grandchildren, Quinn, Layna, Archer and Dominic.
Bill was preceded in death by five brothers, Louis, Derno, John, Edward and Liberio Dinello, and two sisters, Mary Pelino and Alice Lombardo.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in Warco-Falvo Funeral Home Inc., corner of Wilson and East Katherine avenues, Washington, S. Timothy Warco, supervisor/director, Susan Falvo Warco, director, S. Timothy Warco II, director. A prayer service will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, January 11, in the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, Washington. Interment will follow in Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org.
Condolences may be expressed at www.WarcoFalvoFuneralHome.com.