Leonard A. Pugliese

Leonard Anthony Pugliese, 84, of Johnstown, formerly of Vandergift, Latrobe and Murrysville, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Panama City, Fla., due to a breakthrough case of covid-19, with his family by his side; preceded in death by his parents, Armand Sr. and Lucy (Bella) Pugliese; an infant brother, Augustino; and daughter, Rachel Vesely; survived by his wife, Louise, whom he married in 1984, along with children Christine Upton, of Carnegie, Susan Gavazzi (Thomas), of Warriors Mark, Kathleen Rambo (John), of Mt. Lebanon, Ryan Pugliese (Meghan), of Simsbury, Conn.; son-in-law, Richard Vesely, of Panama City, Fla.; along with brothers Norman, of Barnegat, N.J., and Armand Jr., of Leechburg. Also surviving are his 11 grandchildren, Ben Upton (June), Libby Mongelli (Andrew), Jake and Kirsten Rambo, Lia and Gina Gavazzi, Henry, Isaac, Rory and Ruby Pugliese, and Richard Vonn Vesely. He enjoyed being a grandpap and loved reading to the younger kids and showering the older ones with gifts. Born and raised in Vandergrift, Len kept ties to his hometown, attending high school football games and class reunions. After high school, he enlisted in the Air Force and was honorably discharged as Airman First Class. He then went on to earn a bachelor's and master's degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked for Crucible Steel and Latrobe Steel, from where he retired in 1997. In his career as a metallurgical engineer, Len developed specialty alloys for NASA, building construction, medical devices and airplane parts. He secured several patents for unique metal composition. After retirement, Len volunteered for many years at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center library, Conemaugh School of Nursing, and Allied Health Schools. In addition to Vandergrift, Len also lived in Latrobe, Murrysville and Johnstown. He loved vacationing in Florida and enjoyed looking out every morning at the gulf water and sitting by the pool with his friends. Len was an avid reader, a car enthusiast, a patient fisherman, the best storyteller EVER, and the ultimate Pitt football fan. He had season tickets since 1973 and was an "armchair coach" for the team. He loved good food, old westerns, air shows, and music. He loved his family and he loved life. He was one-of-a-kind and he's gone far too soon, and will be dearly missed. A private service will be held for the family. Family is being served by PICKING-TREECE-BENNETT MORTUARY INC. (ptbmortuary.com). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Salvation Army.