Francis James Piccirilli

Francis J. Piccirilli of Bethlehem, PA died on Monday, June 29, 2009 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Katherine Zuick Piccirilli. They were married 63 years on June 9th.

He was the son of Mr. Emanuel and Mrs. Stella Lucia Piccirilli who built and operated Piccirilli's Cafe in Bethlehem for many years.

Francis was employed by the Bethlehem Steel Corp. He worked in number 2 and 4 Open Hearths and the Basic Oxygen Furnace, retiring in 1980. He was a member of Local Steelworkers 2599 and a Shop Steward.

He was a WWII Army Air Corp B17 veteran serving in England with the 390th bomb group which was awarded the Presidential Citation with a cluster. Francis flew 35 missions over Germany and was awarded the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters.

He is a member of the 390th Memorial Museum in Tuscan, AZ and Parham, England and a member of the Eight Air Force Historical Society. He was a past commander of the former Bethlehem Amvets. He is a member of the American Legion and a former member of the Holy Rosary Church in Bethlehem.

He is survived by his wife Katherine, son Richard and his wife Carol of Bethlehem; daughter, Rosalie Piccirilli of Los Angeles, CA; sister, Loretta, wife of Gabor Macsi of Bethlehem and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Janscarics of Bethlehem

Services: The family will receive friends on Wednesday, July 01, 2009 from 7-9 p.m. and on Thursday, from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Connell Funeral Home, Inc 245 E. Broad St. Bethlehem. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Anne's Catholic Church, 450 Washington Ave. Bethlehem on Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10 a.m.

Memorial Contributions may be made to 390 Memorial Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Rd. Tucson, AZ 85756-9403 or www.390th.org in memory of Francis.