Honoring the Memory
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Obituary For Samuel Philip Gerace, Sr.

Celebration of Life

Samuel Philip Gerace, Sr., of Pittsburgh, PA, passed away on January 25, 2021, surrounded by loving family following a prolonged illness. Sam asked that we celebrate his life instead of mourning his death, and we have many reasons to celebrate it. Sam was a devoted father and grandfather, an accomplished attorney, a loving son and brother, and a loyal friend. With Ann, he raised four children, Samuel Philip Gerace Jr., Julia Ann (Gerace) Doumont, Thomas August Gerace, and Kristin Lynn Gerace. Sam then continued to share his passion for politics, education, and the importance of family with his seven grandchildren Shanna, Jenna, Vianna, Lucas, Michael, Andrew, and Christopher and with the extended Alaimo family. Sam was born in Lakewood, NY to Agostino Geraci and Francesca Maria Alaimo where he grew up with his brother Joe and sister Josie (Pasciullo), and his friends at Southwestern High School in Jamestown, NY. He got great enjoyment in recent years reconnecting with classmates at the summer reunions. He is remembered by Caryl Williams of West Sussex, England, whom he began dating while volunteering for Howard Dean’s campaign. We celebrate his academic accomplishments at Allegheny College and Albany Law School at Union University, and his distinguished career as an attorney and managing partner at Jones, Gregg, Creehan and Gerace in Pittsburgh, PA. We honor his long-time service to the community through St. Peter’s Child Development Center and through the Allegheny County Bar Association.

To allow friends and family time to be vaccinated in advance, a celebration of Sam’s life will be held July 17, 2021 at a time and location (Pittsburgh area) to be announced. Please send an email to [celebratingsamgerace@gmail.com ] to receive full celebration details as soon as they are available. We invite you to contribute your favorite story or memory about Sam to share at the event by emailing it to [celebratingsamgerace@gmail.com ].

If you would like to recognize Sam’s life with a donation, the family suggests donations to Teli (telipa.org ), previously the St. Peter’s Child Development Center; the American Lung Association, or to any organization that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you are inclined instead to spread joy through personal acts of kindness, Sam would love that too, especially when those acts help people who most need, and often least expect them. If by chance the person you help looks at you curiously, wondering why you’d gone out of the way for a stranger, just tell them Sam sent you.

Arrangements by John F. Slater Funeral Home, Inc., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Rd., Brentwood 15227.

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