Louis Anthony Ziccarelli, Sr., 92, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Thursday, April 8th in Wilmington, DE.
Lou was born in Point Marion, PA to the late Frank and Sara Ziccarelli of Calabria, Italy. After graduating from Point Marion High School, Lou entered the US Marine Corp at age 17 and proudly served his country. While serving in the Marines, Lou played football for the All-Marine team regularly beating college football teams throughout the South. After leaving the Marine Corp, Lou attended Fairmont State University in Fairmont, WV, playing football and tennis and graduating in three years. Lou was preparing to start his career as a teacher and a coach but duty called once again and Lou entered the US Army and was sent to Germany for the next two years. His travels throughout Europe enhanced his love of food, drink, and culture as Lou was fluent in Italian and conversant in German.
After leaving the Army, Lou attended West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. He earned his master’s degree and set out for his first position teaching social studies and history and coaching basketball and football at Logan High School in Logan, WV. There Lou met the love of his life, Ann Femia Ziccarelli, and would go on to share 65 years together raising 3 sons and living a full and happy life of love and faith. After leaving Logan, Lou and Ann moved to Claymont, DE where Lou coached and taught at Claymont Middle and High School. Lou was hired away to the newly opened Brandywine High School, where he took the inaugural head basketball coaching position. For the next decade, Coach Ziccarelli’s Bulldogs never had a losing season and won more games than any other Delaware team at the time, ranking first in the state 3 times, winning coach of the year multiple times and sending countless players to the collegiate level. Lou spent more than 20 years at Brandywine High School inspiring players and students to reach for more, become more and to “Transcend Mere Victory” as a way to make something of their lives and the lives of others.
Lou was never one to sit idly by so after retiring from coaching he began a second career as a designer and salesman of custom concrete swimming pools. Lou would go onto become one of the most prolific salesmen in the country by creating over 4000 swimming pools for four different companies in DE, PA, and MD. Lou’s pools have won numerous awards for design and beauty and have been featured in many publications around the Mid-Atlantic region. Especially adept at hand drawing, he would complete an image in front of a client of their entire future backyard right down to the lounge chairs and landscaping. Lou’s career in pools continued well into his 80’s as former customers would continue to call him and insist they would not work with anyone else.
Lou’s love of beautiful design can be seen in his seventy-year fascination with exotic and high-end automobiles. Lou owned over 100 vehicles from nearly every manufacturer and at times in his life, he would be buying and trading multiple vehicles monthly. On the day he died he was driving his red Jaguar convertible with the top down. His love of machinery extended to airplanes as Lou was an accomplished private pilot for over 40 years owning multiple Cessna’s and never losing his love for flying as he still was doing “Touch and Go’s” at age 91.
As a child of Western Pennsylvania, Lou loved his Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, but also fell in love with the Philadelphia 76’ers. He was an avid fan of all things West Virginia Mountaineer football and basketball as Ann and Lou regularly attended many WVU bowl games and parties.
Lou and Ann enjoyed traveling, and in particular, internationally with close friends where they toured Europe’s farms, restaurants, museums, churches, and vineyards but always, always coming back to their beloved Italy.
Lou was a member of the Rehoboth Beach Country Club and enjoyed many years at the beach with family and friends. Lou was a member of the Societa da Vinci of Delaware, the VFW, the American Legion, and the Fraternal Order Of Eagles
Lou is predeceased by his brother, James and wife Marge and their daughter, Diane, his sister, Frances and husband Elmer and their daughter, Sandra. Lou is survived by his loving wife, Ann, his three sons, Frank and his wife, Cynthia of Milford, James of Wilmington, and Lou Jr. and his wife, Cathy of Newark as well as his niece, Gina. He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Sarah, Christopher, Hannah, Michael, and Elena, as well as three great-grandchildren, Emmerson, Harper, and Finleigh.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Little Sisters of the Poor, (www.littlesistersofthepoordelaware.org/donations).
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