Domenic B. Preate

Domenic B. Preate, 82, of Old Forge, died Thanksgiving morning. His wife is the former Rosemarie Esposito.

Born Friday, July 13, 1928, in Old Forge, he was the eldest son of the late Joseph and Antoinetta DePalma Preate. He attended Old Forge public schools and graduated as class president in 1946. In 1952, he graduated from Penn State University with a degree in economics, which he later put to use in the family business, Joseph Preate & Sons Furniture, where he closely worked with his dad and his brother, Joseph Jr. While at Penn State, he had the honor to serve as team manager of the football team and remained a lifelong, ardent fan. He served in the Army during the Korean War, from 1952-54, attended the U.S. Finance School and was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was assigned to the 44th Finance Corps. An intelligent and worldly man, ahead of his time in many ways, he was an entrepreneurial businessman who, in addition to the family business, owned along with his late brother-in-law, John Esposito, a local music, hi-fi store, Tape-A-Rama. He was also employed at Pocono Downs race track and managed TWG Fabrics, Middletown, N.Y. Don was a loyal and dedicated son and brother and a very proud father and grandfather. He experienced several, difficult, personal life events, yet he followed an unwavering philosophy of always finding the positive in a situation rather than wasting time or energy on things he could not control.

He will be happily remembered as a peaceful, easygoing, kind and generous man, who enjoyed the simple but good things in life: sports, go Yankees, PSU; fishing, music, movies, Italian food and wine, time spent with family and friends and his trademark cigar. He died peacefully.

He is also survived by two daughters, Andrea, Philadelphia; and Suzanne, Syracuse, N.Y.; two sons, Joseph and wife, Mary Olivia Preate, Old Forge; and Donald and wife, Patricia DeGennaro, Manhattan, N.Y. He was blessed with five grandchildren, Giancarlo, Gabriella, Ginger, Adriane and Joseph. He is also survived by a sister, Theresa Siegel, Kentucky; several nieces and nephews. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Joseph Jr.; and a sister, Beatrice Gallia.

The funeral will be Monday at 9:30 a.m. from the Louis V. Ciuccio Funeral Home, 145 Moosic Road, Old Forge, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 at the Prince of Peace Parish, St. Mary's Church, Lawrence and Grace streets, Old Forge.

Entombment, Cathedral Cemetery.

Family and friends may call Sunday, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made in Don's memory to the American Cancer Society, 712 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor, PA 18517; or Lighthouse International, 111 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022-1202.