Jerry Philip Armeli

ARMELI, Jerry Philip, 98, of Chesterfield, passed away on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lucy and Guirino Armeli; wife, Elsa Merlitti Armeli; son, Jerry Armeli II; second wife, Mildred Armeli; sisters, Ethel, Marie and Christine; and brother, David.

Left behind to cherish his memory are his children, Colonel Thomas Armeli (Terri) of Oregon, Julie Mercer (Lloyd) of Henrico and Kathy Blevins (Mike) of Kentucky; grandchildren, Kristi Henson (Steve), Noah Mercer (Allison), Amy Bott (Bo) and Nicholas Mercer (Niki); and great-grandchildren, Jackson Mercer, Carolyn Mercer and Alexander Bott. He is also survived by his neighbor and dear friend, John Foster.

Born June 24, 1923, in Youngstown, Ohio, he was a first generation American born to parents who immigrated from Italy. After graduation from high school in 1941, he got a job at a munitions factory until he was drafted in 1941. He was sent to Maryland and trained in bomb disposal (EOD). After Maryland. he was assigned to 52nd Ordinance Bomb Disposal Squad and was then shipped to England for additional training with the British Army. He was sent to France two weeks after D-Day and spent the next year and a half disarming and blowing up unexploded bombs and German ammunition dumps. He returned to the United States January of 1946, where he was discharged and enrolled in Youngstown College. However, shortly after, he transferred to Kent State to be closer to his future wife, Elsa Merlitti, who lived in Akron.

Married in August, 1947, they welcomed their first child, Thomas, in August of 1948. They had their second child, Julie, in July of 1949.

He graduated from Kent State in June of 1950 and received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.

His first three years in the Army were spent training in either Ft. Eustis, Va. or Ft. Meade, Md. June 1953, he was sent to Korea where he spent 18 months during the Korean conflict. While he was gone, his third child, Kathy, was born in October of 1953.

Upon his return he was assigned to Ft. Meade for 18 months followed by another assignment at Ft. Eustis. It was during this assignment that his second son, Jerry II, was born in 1957. After four years, he was transferred to Kaiserlautern, Germany, where he ran the General Depot. While in Germany, the family was able to travel extensively. Following Germany, he went back to Ft. Eustis for two years, then to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he trained with General Electric and Westinghouse. Eleven months later he and his family moved to Tehren, Iran, where he was in the military advisory group. Iran was an exciting assignment for the family since its culture was so different from the U.S. Directly from Iran, he was sent to Vietnam, where he was stationed in Saigon and was there during the TET offensive in 1968. After Vietnam, he was sent to Carlisle, Pa., where he was the post executive officer. In 1970, he was transferred to Ft. Hood, Texas, where he was commander of the 180th Transportation Battalion. After a year he was promoted to Colonel and was transferred to Oakland Army base in California, where he spent seven years until he retired in 1978. His military career inspired his son, Tom, who graduated from the United Stated Military Academy and pursued a career in the Army, rising to the rank of Colonel like his Dad.

In 1979, Jerry and Elsa moved to Chesterfield, Va. and lived there ever since.

Jerry enjoyed woodworking, gardening, creating stained glass, bird-watching and good Kentucky Bourbon.

We will all miss the war stories - he would tell anyone who would listen.

The family would like to thank Harmony House in Mechanicsville where Jerry enjoyed his final four months - especially when he won at bingo! Finally, we want to acknowledge the wonderful Bon Secours Hospice, where the staff made his final hours calm and peaceful.

There will be a public visitation 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, February 25 at Bliley's – Chippenham, 6900 Hull Street Rd., Chesterfield, Va. 23224. A burial at Arlington National Cemetery will take place at a later date.