Ugo Racheli

Ugo Racheli passed away peacefully in his home in Longmont, Colorado, at the age of 83 on May 4, 2017, with his wife of 63 years, his children, and the caring support of Hospice staff at his side. He was born on May 5, 1933, in Milan, Italy, to Guiseppe and Palmira (Ranza) Racheli.Ugo is preceded in death by his parents, and sons Victor ( Vic) and Laurence ( Larry) and sister Gin.To know Ugo's story is to know of a 64-year love story when a dashing young man “ a pilot in the Italian Air Force fell in love (very reciprocated!) with a beautiful, poised young woman at an Air Force base dance in Laredo Air Base in Texas. Five months later (March of 1954), Ugo whisked Marcia off to Italy where they were married that June in an elegant cathedral and witnessed by Ugo's family, friends and AirForce comrades. The archway of crossed swords was to be reenacted...by their grandchildren in celebration of their 50th Anniversary on June 23, 2004! From the aligning of all the right stars “ passion, respect and a deep friendship became the ever-present standard of this convergence of soulmates throughout Ugo and Marcia's 63 year marriage (and during their last decade together, they became a shoo-in to win every anniversary dance at wedding receptions!).Ugo became a U.S. citizen “ a status he cherished, and in addition to his wife, the loves in his life were their six children: Kathleen ( Teena), Laurence ( Larry), Victor ( Vic), Felicia ( Dez), Joseph ( Hal) and Robin. Despite his long hours of work, and longer hours of studying for his first college degree, Ugo was extremely involved in each of his children's interests and activities “ cheering at games, concerts, recitals and plays; rescuing out-of-control science fair projects and other school challenges; teaching, coaching and mentoring; and, time spent just listening and enjoying each other's company ( We each were convinced that we were his favorite! they all agreed). And later, that love expanded to embrace the grandchildren. Ugo was the consummate Papa loving each of his grandchildren and striking up a unique connection with each as well as their spouses and partners: Daniel (Amber), Scott Celso (Laura), Will (Kelley), Susie (Kyle), Chaeli, Zachary, Hana, Samantha and Eva.Ugo's respect and delight of knowledge and education was evidenced in his pursuit of his college degrees: first a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering; followed by a Master of Arts and Sciences in Psychology; and, finally a PhD in Cognitive Psychology. His love of life included the value of meaningful and stimulating work “ he loved a challenge and a new adventure. For 18 years Ugo worked as an engineer and project team leader with companies such as Martin Marietta, Fruehauf, Northrup, 3M and Honeywell. After receiving his PhD, Ugo enjoyed an exciting professional era which brought together his expertise with artificial intelligence, systems engineering and mathematical decision modeling in the context of several NASA projects with the International Space Station and one of the Mars landing projects. In addition, Ugo taught courses, first at the University of Colorado at Boulder, then when he and Marcia moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Ugo also was a business and management guest presenter at the Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.Creative writing was another passion of Ugo's “ his love of p try and of crafting words into an engaging story resulted in several fiction novels he self-published on Kindle, as well as a soon-to-be-published collection of p try spanning the decades, beginning in Italian with his teen and young adult years, and deepening over the decades as he reflected on life and love. This collection, Petals and Thorns is dedicated to his wife Marcia ( A voyage of discovery through two lifetimes led by the unending love for Marcia, my dream and my wife for the entire journey.). His experiences as an adolescent in the hills of northern Italy during WWII are chronicled in his three-part series Playwar.And creativity was key in the last era of Ugo and Marcia's life-partnership as they purchased a unique building in Washburn, Wisconsin, that had originally been a dairy farm, and transformed it into Racheli's Deli and Restaurant at the Twin Silos, in 2004 (while in their 70's!). Here Ugo and Marcia showcased their extensive passions for delicious and authentic food (Marcia had become quite accomplished over the years in mastering the northern Italian cuisine as well as her own creation). Ugo's love of the aromatic contrasts of northern and southern Italian spices, and his commitment to the practice of slow food with all its simmering and savoring, was also a hit at The Silos.Throughout his life, Ugo lived his values of kindness, fairness and belief in the basic goodness of people “ and the importance of giving persons a second (and often 3rd and 4th!) chance. During his 17 years in Bayfield and Washburn, Wisconsin, Ugo made the time to mentor young people through after-school resource programs with both the Bayfield and then Washburn middle-schools. He was also a substitute teacher and a math tutor “ students affectionately called him Mr U.Civic engagement was also very important to Ugo, and he was active in local study groups and alliances focussed on sustainability, permaculture and local agricultural economy. Creating and supporting a sense of community was also a deeply held value of Ugo's; one of his dreams was to have the Silos become a gathering place for dialogue and community engagement “ a project he called the Convivium. Ugo lived his life with a joie de vivre and insatiable curiosity, with kindness and commitment to fairness, he saw the potential and the best in people (even when they weren't being their best selves!), he was an indefatigable optimist (to a fault!), and always with a playfulness and a sense of humor “ his favorite quote (and mantra!) was Mark Twain's Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day! At this time a memorial is pending; the family and friends will gather in the summer for an honoring of Ugo “ cards may be sent Marcia Racheli at 630 Main Street, Apt. A, Longmont, Colorado, 80501.