Joseph A. Bucarelli

Joseph A. Bucarelli

Joseph Bucarelli, 80, died at home on Saturday, February 21, 2009. He was born in Erie in 1928, one of five children of Bruno Bucarelli and Anastasia Gasbarro Bucarelli.

He attended Strong Vincent High School and served his country in the Army during the Korean War. Prior to his enlistment, he worked at Erie Forge and Steel Co., which later became a branch of the National Forge Co. He continued at the Forge upon his return, where he completed 42 years of service, retiring in 1990.

He worked many jobs at the Forge, including lathe operator, car blocker, substitute foreman, and carpenter. In the 1970's, he helped to set up the framework for the now-iconic pollution control smokestacks which can be seen from many vantage points on the west side of Erie, and which the workers nicknamed "the baloneys" because their snaking, cylindrical shape resembled ring bologna. At about this same time, he and his wife returned to school to complete their high school diplomas through the Erie School District's Tech Memorial Night School program.

At various times, he also worked as a bricklayer, a concrete contractor, and a cab driver. His favorite job by far was his first, when he caddied at the Kahkwa Club during World War II and developed a love for the sport that was to provide a lifetime of challenge and enjoyment. He and a long-standing golf partner often joked that in their 69 years of golfing, neither ever got a hole-in-one. But he made a lot of par-3's, and enjoyed a bit of local fame with his foursome as the 1985 EDGA City Scrambler Champions.

Joseph was a member of St. Andrew Church. He also belonged to Lawrence Park Golf Club, where he enjoyed many "a good walk spoiled" after work and on weekends. He also enjoyed playing in the couples' league with his wife. When he wasn't golfing, his nose was buried in a book or a magazine while the television blared, at rocket engine-level decibels, a never-ending stream of TV news. Cookies and chocolates were never far from his coffee cup. Outside the home, he was forever hunting down golf memorabilia at flea markets, thrift shops, and on eBay. He also enjoyed his Friday nights out with the boys, and was a regular at the Sports Page.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy Korn Bucarelli; infant son Anthony Bucarelli; sister Elizabeth Noziglia; and brothers-in-law John Russell and Victor Kownacki. In addition, he was preceded in death by parents-in-law Henry C. and Elizabeth Chizmadia Korn; brother-in-law Frederick Korn; and sisters-in-law Marilyn Forsman, Barbara Bolash Korn, and Veronica Korn.

Survivors include his children, daughter Elizabeth Bucarelli of Erie; daughter Patricia Fromknecht of Altoona, Pa. and her husband Joseph; and three grandchildren, Lt. Joseph Fromknecht of Virginia Beach, Va.; Elissa Fromkecht; and Sarah Fromknecht, both of Altoona. He is also survived by sisters Gilda Presutti, Jeanette Russell, and Rita Kownacki, all of Erie; by brothers-in-law Ronald Forsman of Erie; Jon Korn of Laurel Springs, N.J.; Thomas Korn and his wife Carol of Erie; David Korn and his wife Barbara of Erie; and Richard Korn and his wife Marlene of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Survivors also include sister-in-law Elizabeth Korn and several nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

Friends may call at the John R. Orlando Funeral Home, 2122 Raspberry Street, on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Wednesday from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. and may attend a service there on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at St. Andrew Church, 1116 West 7th St., at 10 a.m. Entombment will be at Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation, 915 State St., Erie, PA 16501; the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693; or to St. Andrew Church, 1116 West 7th St., Erie, PA 16502.