DAVID BONTA

BONTA
DAVID
87, of Bethel Park, died on September 1, 2011 at Kindred North Shore Hospital after a long illness. Born on January 19, 1924 in Syracuse, NY, to Edwin and Elizabeth (Illsley) Bonta, he later moved with his family to Verona , NJ, where he attended Verona High School. In 1943 he enlisted in the US Army Air Force, serving in the European Theatre as a radar mechanic and receiving his honorable discharge in 1946. He attended Amherst College and graduated in 1952. From 1964 until his retirement in 1996, he worked at Westinghouse Corporation (later Bechtel-Bettis) as a technical writer. He was a member of the Westinghouse Men's Chorus for several years. In 1972, he married Julie Clark, who survives him. He was a longtime member of Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh, where he served as Lector in recent years, and was an avid supporter of the music program there. An accomplished sailor, he was an active member of the South Hills Power Squadron, an organization dedicated to promoting boating safety. During his retirement, he performed onstage for several community theaters, including the Heritage Players of the Bethel Park Community Center, McCaffery Mysteries, and Actors Civic Theater. He also was an extra for several films shot in the area. Surviving besides his wife are his brother, Stephen Bonta, of Slingerlands, NY; three nieces, Elizabeth Moll of Delmar, NY, Martha Bonta of Montclair, NJ, and Susanna Bonta of Sturbridge, MA; and two cousins, Martin P. Tuttle of Pompton Plains, NJ and Elizabeth Scales of Cary, NC. A service to celebrate David's life will be held on Friday, September 9, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Cathedral, 328 6th Avenue in Pittsburgh. Interment will take place at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations in David's memory may be considered to Trinity Cathedral (328 6th Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ) or to the Heritage Players (PO Box 841, Bethel Park, PA 15102 ). Funeral arrangements are under the direction of JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, INC., 301 Curry Hollow Rd., Pittsburgh.
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