Ronald Vaccari

RONALD  VACCARI

Ronald “Ronnie” Vaccari, age 82 passed away on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at his home in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania.  He was born Ronald Joseph Vaccari on July 3, 1939, in New Eagle, Washington County, Pennsylvania one of three sons of the late Aquilino Joseph and Natalina Marie (D’Emedio) Vaccari.  He was also preceded in death by his brother Anthony and sister-in-law Rosalie Vaccari.

He is survived by his wife, Karen (Simpson) Vaccari; two daughters, Amy (Brian) Mandrier of Charleston, South Carolina and Dina (Jessie) Vaccari of Seattle, Washington. Ronnie is Papa to two granddaughters, Sophia Grace Mandrier and Elliott Nico Vaccari.  He is also survived by one brother, Ed (Kay) Vaccari, brother-in-law, Richard (Mary Beth) Simpson, and nieces and nephews.

Ronnie was the owner of Clairton Hardware, retiring in 2007; a veteran of the Army Reserves; a member of the Pleasant Hills Rotary Club since 1994, and a parishioner at Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish.

He had a tremendous pride in his Italian heritage and enjoyed many trips to Italy.  Retired for 15 years, Ronnie loved spontaneously calling the many people he loved just to “b.s.” or tell jokes.  It was always a joy to get a phone call from him because you knew he would make you laugh and brighten your day.

One of his favorite things was spending time with his granddaughters.  He would take Sophia to Dave n’ Busters when he was still able, and he Face-Timed with Elliott Nico almost every day of her life.  He was an avid gardener, and not only grew delicious produce but also enjoyed decorating the garden with lawn art.  He loved swimming in his pool and grew up swimming competitively at Clairton High School, from where he graduated in 1957.  Ronnie love bringing people together and remained on his reunion planning committee for over 60 years.  He was not one to shy away from a fun time and he enjoyed playing cards every Thursday with his card buddies.  There were many things that Ronnie loved to do, but more than anything, he received tremendous joy from being around people, laughing, and creating memories.

Family and friends will be received on Friday, April 1, 2022 from 2 – 4 and 6 – 8 pm in the Stephen D. Slater Funeral Home 1701 Route 51 Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania 15025 (412-384-0350) www.stephendslater.com.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 10 am in Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish, St. Elizabeth Church Grove Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236. EVERYONE PLEASE MEET AT THE CHURCH .  Ronnie’s burial will follow in Jefferson Memorial Park Cemetery.

Karen, Amy, and Dina would like to express their gratitude to Natalie and Brent Furlong for their unwavering support of Ronnie.  They request that any donations be made in Ronnie’s memory to Go Time Ministries, 1031 Dale Road, Finleyville, Pennsylvania 15332.