Aldo Paletti

Aldo Robert Paletti 97 of St. Petersburg passed away January 1, 2013. He peacefully passed away at home at the age of 97, in St. Petersburg, Florida with his family. He was born August 28th 1915 in Reynoldsville, West Virginia where his father worked as a coal miner. His father and mother emigrated from Turin, Italy by boat, and arrived in Ellis Island, New York in 1910. He grew up in Clarksburg, West Virginia and attended Victory High School in 1934. Upon graduation he was offered four full paid college athletic scholarships that his family turned down, he agreed to honor his father and mother, because they needed him at home to help work out of the depression years. He worked at Roland Glass Factory in Clarksburg with his brother Marino for two years and then accepted a full paid athletic scholarship from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He lettered in basketball, football, and baseball and graduated with honors in the class of 1940 with a BA degree in teaching. When World War II broke out he enlisted in the US Army Air Corp and served as a Sergeant in North Africa and Corsica, Italy form 1942-1945 as Cryptographer in the 12th Air force-310th Bomb Group-428 Squadron. After the War he continued his passionate vocation in teaching and coaching in Huntington and earned a Master Degree in Teaching from Marshall. He married Betty Steele Preece in 1949 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Huntington. In 1964 he moved to St. Petersburg, Florida and continued his lifelong love of teaching and coaching until he retired in 1981. He was an active member of St. Paul's Catholic Church in St Petersburg, FL for 49-years. He served as a member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent De Paul Society and Florida Retired Educators Association. He is survived by three sons; Mark Christopher, his wife Linda, Alachua, FL, Timothy Michael, High Springs, FL and Jonathan David, his wife Debra, St. Petersburg FL, brother Arthur V. Paletti of Bethesda MD; and six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Friends will be received at David C. Gross Funeral Home in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 from 5-7PM, where a wake service will be at 5:30PM. Funeral Mass will be celebrated 11AM Thursday at St. Pauls Catholic Church, 1800 12th Street North. Private interment will be at Calvary Catholic Cemetery with military honors. David C. Gross Funeral Homes, Central Avenue Chapel in St. Petersburg is serving the family. Service Information