Angelo James Gianforcaro

Angelo James Gianforcaro, 92, of Pittsboro, N.C., died Friday. He was married for 56 years to Georgene

Coccia Gianforcaro, who preceded him in death. Born in Archbald, Pa., son of George Gianforcaro and

Rose Fiore Gianforcaro, he was a graduate of Archbald High School, class of 1947.

Angelo, known later in life as "AJ," began working after high school with his father as a coal miner for

Gianforcaro Coal Co. While working he earned an associate degree from Penn State University as a mining engineer and led the company's mine safety squad.

In 1955 he left the coal business and earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Chicago Technical

College. He attended college full time and completed his degree in three years. After graduation he moved to West Virginia, and then Pittsburgh, Pa., working as a design engineer for Heil and Patterson, and then Rust Engineering, leaders in coal plant design and construction.

He returned to Northeast Pennsylvania, joining Swanee Paper Co. in Ransom, Pa., as plant engineer.

While there he developed several patents for recycling paper into reusable paper pulp. The family lived in Factoryville, Pa. AJ later moved to West Springfield, Mass., continuing in the paper field with Premoid Paper Co. as plant engineer. He later worked for and retired from BASF.

AJ and Georgene returned to Archbald, Pa., for their retirement in 1996. When Georgene fell ill, AJ was her caregiver, working tirelessly to attend to her needs until her death. In 2012, AJ relocated to

Galloway Ridge Retirement Community in Pittsboro, N.C.

AJ was a responsible son and brother, a loving husband, a proud father, grandfather and great-grandfather who provided a model of living based on hard work, faith, meaningful education and strong loving family values. He enjoyed working on projects around the house, golfing, hunting and fishing, and was reputed to know his way around the pool table.

After retirement AJ became very active in genealogy, researching the family tree back to their origins in Italy. He also volunteered at the Anthracite Heritage Museum and Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, where he was able to pass on his firsthand knowledge of the coal mines. He was a good friend and mentor to many. His influence on our lives will be remembered and missed.

Surviving Angelo are his brother, George Gianforcaro; sister, Carmel Gianelli; and sister-in-law,

Dolores Coccia; three sons, Gregory and wife, Denise, Clemson, S.C.; Robert, Raleigh, N.C.; and

Mark and partner, Lisa Meelheim, Barnegat, N.J. He was blessed with seven grandchildren, Angela,

Gregory, Brian, Alexis, Ashlen, Joanna and Anthony; and three great-grandchildren, Nicholas George,

Olivia Joan and Cecilia Grace. He was preceded in death by his brother, Nick Gianforcaro; sisters, Florence Paglinco, Anna Picca and Ann Gianforcaro.

A Mass in celebration of Angelo's life will be followed by interment at St. Frances Cemetery, Eynon, Pa., in a private service for the immediate family. A memorial will be held once the pandemic allows for a larger gathering, and family and friends will be notified.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the organization dedicated to eliminating the disease that took his wife Georgene: CurePSP, 1216 Broadway, Second Floor, New York, NY 10001, https://www.psp.org/iwanttohelp/. To make a gift by phone, call 443-578-5670.