Gerard Anthony Ruggiero

Gerard A. Ruggiero, 64, died of a heart attack on January 2, 2012. A memorial service will be held at St. Peter’s Cathedral Center on the corner of West and Amite Street at 7 P.M. on Friday, January 6. On Saturday, January 7, there will be a funeral mass at 10 A.M. at St. Peter’s Cathedral Center. Visitation will be before and after the two services.

Gerard was born in Brooklyn, N. Y on February 12, 1947 to George and Catherine Ruggiero. After four years in the U.S. Navy, he began his college career. He graduated from Brooklyn College where he was a member of the Archery Varsity Squad and did research in nuclear physics. He received his Master’s degree in Chemistry from Mississippi College, where he researched the properties of cumadin with Edward Valente. Five scholarly articles resulted from that research.

He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Catherine and Richard Freis. Although he had no children of his own (his wife Cindy died in 1998), he was a generous, indulgent, and loving uncle to his niece and nephew Koré Freis Hale and Adam Freis, and to his great-nieces and great-nephews, Katie Medlin, Matthew and Andrew Hale, and Addison and Hailey Freis. All his family will always remember his presence with love.

Memorials may be made to AMVETS National Service Foundation.