Obituary of William B. DePaoli

WILLIAM B. DEPAOLI, JR. William "Pappy" B. DePaoli Jr., 81, a lifelong resident of Canonsburg, died on November 7, 2014, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on February 16, 1933, a son of William B. DePaoli Sr. and Dora Amorose DePaoli. After graduating from high school in 1953, Mr. DePaoli was drafted into the Army and served in Korea for 15 months. Following his time of service, he returned home to Canonsburg and began work as an apprentice brick layer with the Pittsburgh Local Union. After only three years, he became a journeyman. The skills of masonry were passed down from generation to generation in the DePaoli family, with William's grandfather teaching his father and uncle how to lay brick, and then his own father teaching him. Mr. DePaoli helped build much of Canonsburg and the surrounding area. In 1963, William was the foreman on the Canonsburg borough building. In 1999, he helped build the Perry Como plaza. He built the Italian-American stage in Town Park. Mr. DePaoli worked on the Burgettstown, Avella and Trinity high schools. He worked on Washington Hospital and was the foreman for the Kane Regional Care Center in Ross Township. He built Amerifit gym in Pittsburgh. Mr. DePaoli constructed a part of St. Barnabas Health System in Gibsonia. William also helped build several churches in the Pittsburgh area, including: St. Pamphilus in Beechview, St. Ferdinand in Cranberry and St. John the Baptist in Canonsburg. During the colder weather, William constructed coke ovens out of fire brick in steel mills. He also built dozens of single-family homes throughout Canonsburg, getting the jobs mostly through good reputation and word of mouth. William was an avid reader and civil war enthusiast. He loved to fish and delighted in dinners with his family, the most noteworthy being the Italian Christmas Eve tradition of the "feast of the seven fishes." He enjoyed visiting with people at local clubs and establishments, including the American Legion in Houston and the VFW and White Eagles in Canonsburg. In September of 2011, Mr. DePaoli traveled to Italy with his nephew Alan DePaoli to "visit the fatherland." He began his journey in Rome then went north to Florence and still further north to his family's hometown of Feltre, in the foothills of the Dolomite mountains. While in Italy he visited numerous museums and cathedrals and never tired of taking in all of the incredible architecture. The trip was undoubtedly one of the highlights of his life. William B. DePaoli truly was a friend to all and he will be dearly missed by those who knew him. Deceased are the mother of his three daughters, Shirley Cox; his wife, Olive DePaoli; brothers Albert and James DePaoli; and stepdaughter Tara Lattore. Surviving are his daughters, Carol Jean (John) Straka of Eighty-Four, Cheryl (Louis) Fonagy of Lawrence, and Sherry (Jim) Brown of Columbus, Ohio; stepchildren Tanya Becker of Bedford and Jim Miller of Eighty-four; sister Loretta Churney; companion Joan Prince; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Arrangements entrusted to the Warchol Funeral Home Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville (412-221-3333), where a Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday at 9:30 AM. Interment and full military honors to follow at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to Paramount Hospice, 3025 Washington Road McMurray, PA 15317. Arrangements entrusted to the Warchol Funeral Home Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville (412-221-3333), where a Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday at 9:30 AM. Interment and full military honors to follow at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.