Viola

Tullio A. “Doc” Viola, 82, of Zelienople passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday morning at the Good Samaritan Hospice House in Wexford.

A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Doc was a jack-of-all-trades and could fix nearly anything or at least tell you how someone else shouldn't do it. He took great pride in being a trained electrician who could keep things running smoothly, not only at his home, but also in the homes of his children, many friends and business colleagues. He never showed up for a visit without his tool kit.

Doc was born June 19, 1928. in Morgantown, W.Va., to the late Emanuele D. and Cesira Ferraroli Viola. They were Italian immigrants from the Trentini region of northern Italy.

Doc always was very proud of his Italian heritage and visited his relatives in the towns of Tuenno and Cavadago later in his life on several occasions. He took as much pride picking apples in the foothills of the Alps at 70 as he did sinking a long set shot at age 17 in the University High gym in Morgantown, W.Va., at the foothills of the Appalachians.

He joined the U.S. Army in 1951 and served as a radio specialist in Sacramento, Calif. He was honorably discharged in 1953.

He moved back to Western Pennsylvania, where he landed a job in the repeater room at AT&T.

There Doc met a sassy telephone operator named Charmaine, who had also moved to Pittsburgh. He began to drive her home, dropping her off in Uniontown on his way to his parents in Morgantown. Eventually he asked her out on a real date. He married Charmaine B. Frost on April 11, 1953, and the couple settled in Pittsburgh on Mount Washington.

Doc worked for AT&T for 41 years, retiring as an operations manager in 1989.

The couple lived in Bethel Park with their young family of four children for 14 years, before moving to Zelienople in 1970. Doc loved his work, but in retirement, he reinvented himself, creating a second career in community service, volunteering and friendship that was marked with enthusiasm, commitment and joy.

Doc was a member of the Zelienople Rotary Club, where he served as president and then as secretary for more than 25 years. He spearheaded the annual pancake breakfasts, holiday parades and the RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership program. He helped to build the gazebo and shelter in the Zelienople Community Park.

Doc hated to see anything go to waste, so he helped to organize weekly SYSCO food pickups, which provided much needed food and supplies to many nonprofit organizations.

Doc will be long remembered as a “worker among workers,” happily pitching in at Meals on Wheels, the Southwest Butler Food Cupboard, the Muddy Creek Oil Pump Station and the Moraine Preservation Council. Because of his commitment to volunteering, he was awarded the Butler County Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2007.

He was very involved with his church, the St. Gregory Catholic Church in Zelienople, where he served on the school building council and worked many years on the annual Lawn Fete. In 2006, he was given the Manifesting the Kingdom Award by the Diocese of Pittsburgh for his service to the church.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Charmaine (Frost) Viola, who he married April 11, 1953; a son, Thomas A. Viola of New York, N.Y.; three daughters, Jane Mason (G. Dennis) of Cranberry Township, Joyce Frame of Ohio and Barbara Ford (Paul) of North Carolina; two grandchildren, Julie Mardis of North Carolina and Jay Mason of West Virginia; a great-granddaughter, Callie Mardis; and a sister, Rita Chico (Leo) of Ohio.

<B>VIOLA</B> — Friends of Tullio A. “Doc” Viola, who died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at <B>Boylan Funeral Home</B>, 324 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople, PA 16063. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at the St. Gregory Catholic Church, 2 W. Beaver St., Zelienople. Entombment will be in the Zelienople Community Mausoleum.Memorial donations may be made to the Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693; or to the Good Samaritan Hospice, 3500 Brooktree Road, Suite 320, Wexford, PA 15090.Online condolences and directions are available at www.boylanfuneralhome.com.