Silvene J. Bracalente

1921 - 2014

Bracalente, Silvene J.Silvene John Bracalente, 93, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2014. He resided in Trumbauersville, Pennsylvania. He was born on March 10, 1921 on a small farm in Milford Township, Pennsylvania, the son of Camillio (Thomas) Bracalente and Josephine Ciccone Bracalente. Silvene was a first generation born American, his parents were married in the small town of Teramo, Italy and came to America in the early 1900's. Silvene was the youngest of three boys, surviving both the late Dominic and Alfred Bracalente. Silvene married Stella Grey (Grzegorzevicz) in 1940 and had two children Jeanette Schacht (1941) and Thomas A Bracalente (1943) and lived in Trumbauersville, Pennsylvania. Growing up on the farm, Silvene had a knack for mechanical things early on in his life. He would only complete formal schooling to the 6th grade when he realized that his family needed him full time to help operate the farm and the small pizzeria run by his mother. Over the years Silvene had numerous other jobs from sewing buttons in a pants factory to working at Everett Goodin's machine shop. In all cases he quickly became the go to technician on the shop floor with his strong understanding how things worked and his ability to trouble shoot and fix things. His mechanical aptitude was clearly a strength, however it was his personality and determination that truly defined him. In 1949 at the age of 28, he landed a job at Bethlehem Steel and for most people this would have been their meal ticket. After being told he needed to join the union, he resigned stating that "I don't need a union to represent me, if my work isn't good enough on its own then this isn't the place for me" so he left in pursuit to start his own business. Silvene did not believe in Union's in spite of the pay and the job security that Bethlehem Steel would bring. Silvene went back home and started Bracalente's Manufacturing, on a shoe string budget and with only his will and prayer. His basement and garage were quickly overcome by machinery where bar stock would come in one end, literally through the wall, and out the other side would come precision screw machine parts. He borrowed money from a local bank on a hand shake and charmed his way into getting payment terms from his raw material suppliers. The smell of cutting oil would be part of his life forever, but to Sil this was the smell of success. Today The Bracalente Manufacturing Group is in its third generation with over 200 employees, and over 100,000 sq/ft within 2 locations, Trumbauersville, Pennsylvania and Shanghai China. By the way Bracalente is a larger company than Bethlehem Steel is today! Silvene built a business, however he also helped build our community. His generosity with people and organizations were noteworthy. He donated his time and money to St. Isidore's Catholic Church, he served on the boards of; Quakertown hospital, the Bucks County Boys Scouts, the Trumbauersville Lions Club, the Sons of Italy and he was a life member of The Knights of Columbus. He was also a life member of the NRA and the Safari Club International. For those that new Silvene, it was no secret that his passion was hunting and recreation. He traveled to far reaches of the world hunting White tail and mule deer, Elk, Moose, Sheep, and literally Lions, Tigers and Bears! His exploits took him all over the USA including Alaska, all Provinces of Canada, Mexico, South America, Asia, Africa and India. Not many people have a trophy collection like Silvene's which is proudly displayed in what the family calls the "Game Room" at Bracalente Mfg. He also spent time with family and friends at Lake Wallenpaupack, where he has a lake house and enjoyed boating and jet skiing. He also spent time snowmobiling with family and friends in Old Forge, New York, where he logged thousands of miles on the trail. While Silvene's business and community accomplishments grew so did his family. His grandchildren include: Jon Crouthamel, Jamie Crouthamel, Diane Molinaro and Ron Bracalente. His 8 great grandchildren include Jon's son Collin Crouthamel; Jamie's children Anthony, Nicholas and Jayne Crouthamel; Diane's daughter Mayv Clune; and Ron's children Nathan, Nicholas and Ava Bracalente. Silvene's influence on the community and his family were many and will be greatly missed. Services: A funeral mass will be celebrated Thurs. June 19, 10:30 AM in St. Isidores Catholic Church, 2545 W. Pumping Station Rd., Quakertown with a calling hour preceding in the church 9:30-10:30 AM. Family & friends are also invited to call at the Jeffrey A. Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, 135 W. Pumping Station Rd., Quakertown, Wed. June 18 from 3-5 PM or 7-9 PM. Interment in St. Isidores Cemetery will be at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions in Sil's name may be made to St. Isidores Church.