Obituary of Raymond J Donelli

Donelli Raymond J. Age 89, of Upper St. Clair, on October 24, 2011. He was born on June 17, 1922 in Avella. A son of the late John "Mack" and Artesa (De Paoli) Donelli. In August of 1947, he married Nellie Ottenga, who survives., loving father of Terrance Donelli of Allison Park and Christina (Peter) Petousis of South Fayette and cherished grandfather of Katy Petousis. Mr. Donelli was a teacher and assistant principal in Bridgeville and Chartiers Valley Schools. He attended Duquesne University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1947 and earned a Master"s Degree from Colorado State University in 1952. As a WW II Army Veteran, he served as a member of the 99th First Artillery Battalion, First Cavalry Division in the occupation of Japan. He retired as a Lt. Colonel in the Reserves. He was a member of the Duquesne University Football team in 1940-1943 and was inducted in 1996 to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Washington-Greene County Chapter as a member of the Avella Soccer Team. Friends received Friday, 11 AM – 1PM, at which time a Blessing Service will be held in the Warchol Funeral Home, Inc., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville (412-221-3333). Entombment to follow in St. Agatha Cemetery, South Fayette Twp. Memorials to the Passionist Nuns, 2715 Churchview Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15227. ARTICLE PRINTED IN PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE FOLLOWS: As a teacher, coach, assistant principal, father and grandfather, Raymond Donelli sought to connect with young people. Even in his early 70s, he coached a girls recreational soccer team for a chance to reach out to his 10-year-old granddaughter. "He coached soccer for his granddaughter, Katy, in (South Fayette) when she was really young," recalled Mr. Donelli"s daughter, Christina Petousis, who still resides in that township. "And he was instrumental in getting her involved in tennis. He was her biggest fan—he would go to practices and watch, occasionally they"d hit balls; he went to all her matches. Mr. Donelli died Monday in Sunrise Senior Living in Upper St. Clair, the town in which he and his wife raised their family. He was 89. Before becoming a grandfather, Mr. Donelli was a teacher, in and outside of the classroom. He taught English and History at Bridgeville High School, where he stayed after the school district merged to create Chartiers Valley High School. "He was really involved, a really dedicated teacher," his son, Terry Donelli of Allison Park, remembered. "When he was still teaching classes, I"d be doing my homework while he"d be doing his homework." As Mr. Donelli grew older and moved on to become assistant principal, his teaching continued, albeit informally. "Up until the day he died, he was always correcting my English." The younger Mr. Donelli said. "He was always trying to stimulate my sister and me. He was on our backs constantly to make sure we were doing the best we could." His passion for education applied to himself, as well: his son described him as "an avid reader." He was not a bookworm, though. His athletic career included two National Junior Cup Championships in 1939 and 1940 while playing soccer in Avella, during the latter of which Mr. Donelli scored the winning goal from a penalty kick, leading to an induction in 1996 into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He also played on the football team at Duquesne University in 1940-43 for his uncle Aldo "Buff" Donelli, Who was also the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941. Once his own peak passed, Mr. Donelli used his athleticism as another means to teach and connect with kids as a coach. "He was outstanding. He treated everybody equally," said Jim Villani, who played four years of soccer for Mr. Donelli at Bridgeville High School in the Late 1950s, during which time the team won a WPIAL championship. "He was one of those guys, if you had a problem, you went to him. For a lot of the guys on the team, he was their father away from their father. Some had problems with their fathers, too much drinking, that kind of thing. He took care of them, and they relied on him a lot." Not just those enrolled at Bridgeville and Chartiers Valley High School noticed how much he cared for students. Howard McCracken of Mt. Lebanon taught with Mr. Donelli for more than 30 years. "He would always consider the kids. He connected with them and really liked working with them. And they liked him," Mr. McCracken said. When he was not teaching or coaching, Mr. Donelli enjoyed gardening, so much so that his son remembered getting a strawberry rash each summer from "too many of his strawberries." He continued into his later years, becoming an unofficial caretaker of his daughter"s yard in South Fayette. "He would do anything to keep moving. He wasn"t a sitting around watching TV guy," his son explained. Prior to his career as an educator, Mr. Donelli served as a member of the 99th First Artillery Battalion, First Calvary Division in the occupation of Japan, later retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the reserves. In addition to his two children and one granddaughter, he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Nellie Donelli, whom he met at Avella High School.