Vince Buonaccorsi

Vince Buonaccorsi, 50, of Huntingdon, went to be with The Lord on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at his residence following a courageous battle with cancer. Born July 21, 1971 in Buffalo, NY, he was a son of William Thomas Buonaccorsi and Janice Patricia (Holland) Buonaccorsi, who both survive. He was united in marriage to the former Kristin M. Caruso on July 22, 1994, at the St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Clarksville, Maryland. His wife of almost 28 years survives at their residence.
In addition to his wife and parents, he is survived by three children, Andrew Buonaccorsi, James Buonaccorsi, and Grace Buonaccorsi, all of Huntingdon. He is also survived by seven siblings, Ann Hawley and her husband, Marc, of Quincy, MA, Claire Coble and her husband, Lloyd, of Horseheads, NY, Maria Royals and her husband, Stewart, of Arnold, MD, Lisa Kelly and her husband, James, of South Bend, IN, Bill Buonaccorsi and his wife, Laurie, of Gambrills, MD, Peter Buonaccorsi of Cary, NC, and Debra Buonaccorsi McWilliams and her husband, Steve, of Ellicott City, MD; a brother-in-law, Stephen Caruso of Columbia, MD; as well as, numerous nieces and nephews.
Vince was a member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Huntingdon. Both Vince and Kristin were active leaders of Marriage Encounter for the Altoona/Johnstown diocese for many years.
After high school, he enrolled at the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. He went on to attend the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, receiving his Doctorate in Marine Biology in 1998; then he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, part of the National Marine Fisheries Service in San Diego, California.
After many years of extensive schooling and training, Dr. Buonaccorsi joined the faculty at Juniata College, Huntingdon, where he had been employed for the past 21 years and was recently named the 55th recipient of the Beachley Award for Distinguished Teaching on May 17, 2022. He was a deeply committed Professor of Biology with renowned contributions to marine biology, population genomics and bioinformatics. He transformed undergraduate education in genomics and bioinformatics through his innovative contributions to scholarship and research.
Dr. Buonaccorsi was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed, hiking, skiing, kayaking, and biking. He also loved bird watching and was affectionately known as a giant pumpkin growing expert. His favorite time was the time spent with his family and friends. He enjoyed seeing his children excel in academics, sports and activities and appreciated the friendship and cordiality of his many friends.
A public visitation will be held from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm on Monday, July 4, 2022, at the John B. Brown Funeral Home, 417 Washington Street, Huntingdon, PA 16652. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 524 Mifflin Street, Huntingdon, PA, 16652, with the Reverend Father Mark Reid. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, 245 Standing Stone Avenue, Huntingdon, PA followed by a luncheon reception on the quad at Juniata College, at 18th and Moore Street Huntingdon.
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