Louis A. Colussi Esq

Attorney Louis A. Colussi

Louis A. Colussi Esq, age 79, died on Saturday, September 4, 2010 at his residence. He was born in Erie, Pennsylvania on November 30, 1930, son of the late Louis John and Ione Armanini Colussi. Highly educated, Louis was a 1948 graduate of Cathedral Prep,attended St. Francis College in Latrobe, Pa., received his Bachelor's Degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, followed by his Juris Doctorate in Law from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C..

Inducted into to the armed forces, Louis proudly served as Corporal in the United States Army during the Korean War.

His career in law began with an appointment as an attorney with the Office of Judicial Examination in the Administrative Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, headed by Robert F. Kennedy. Louis received the Meritorious Award and the Special Achievement Award for superior performance in the Justice Department. He was also the recipient of numerous commendations from government officials and federal judges.

Following ten years with the Justice Department, Louis returned to Erie, and was selected by the former Mayor Louis Tullio for the unique position of Ombudsman. He was a City Official who worked directly with the people in unraveling government red tape.

Louis then opened his own private law office as a practicing attorney, a career that spanned over 50 years. He recently was recognized by the Erie Chapter of the Lawyer's Association for his dedication, work ethic, and experience handling legal matters for many clients in the community.

During his time as a lawyer Louis also founded Colussi Real Estate and was very successful in his vision of land investment and development, home construction, and property management.

Louis was Trustee of the Joseph G. Olszewski Estate Scholarship Fund. He was always proud of this work as the scholarship awards distributed through this fund provided an opportunity for higher education to many young students.

He was a member of the Pennsylvania and Erie County Bar Associations, the Erie Photography Club, the Maennerchor Club, and a served as a Director of the Erie Civic Music Association.

Photography was his avocation. He was known as the official photographer for the Erie Seawolves, and took the photos for the Seawolves player cards. He also dedicated his time and photography skills to the Erie Bayhawks, the Erie City Mission, the Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Bar Association as well as many other community and personal events.

Attorney Colussi is survived by his sons, Louis Edward Colussi and his wife Caroline, and Mark Louis Colussi and his wife Shannon; a grandson, Brandon Louis Colussi; a sister, Mary R. Mahon and her husband Jack; two nieces, Kathleen Bowman and her husband Tom of Hershey, PA and Michele Gausman and her husband Dr. Paul Gausman; great nieces and nephews, Kyle and Sean Bowman, and Carson, Alexis and Katelin Gausman. Also survived by a dear friend, Meg Loncharic as well as his dedicated secretaries Andrea Kinnear and Mickey Rumpf.

Funeral services and burial were private and arrangements were handled by the John R. Orlando Funeral Home, Inc., 2122 Raspberry Street. To honor Louis's reverence toward education and books, memorial contributions may be made to the Asbury School PTA Library Fund, 5875 Sterrettania Road, Fairview PA 16415.