Al was born in Roseto, PA, in 1929 to an Italian immigrant father and an Italian American mother. On the day of his birth, he came so quickly that he beat the doctor and saved his family the $20 fee. As Al always told it, that simple act set the stage for a lifetime of financial success.
Even before he was Al, he was “Eugene the Genius” around the neighborhood. That God-given intelligence and his penchant for hard work led him to Lafayette College, where he majored in economics, but truly, he was pre-law. It was at Lafayette where he met Lois Soboleski, who was at a party with her friend, Eleanor – soon enough the ladies would be sisters-in-law as they met brothers that night and both fell in love. For almost three years, Al and Lois wrote daily letters to each other as she finished nursing school, and Al graduated first from Lafayette and then completed his first year at Columbia Law School. They married in the summer of 1953. Once Al graduated from law school, he began his lucrative Midtown Manhattan career as an international lawyer, and he and Lois began raising their four children on the North Shore of Long Island.
The year 1976 was pivotal for Al and his family. In May, they lost Lois to leukemia, and he made a major career change by moving to Kansas City, taking the role of Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel of Marion Laboratories.
In 1981, Al joined Fine Arts Singles and met Sharon Adair Roach, and love struck yet again for Al. They spent the next four decades traveling the world and being a fulcrum point for their family, which grew from just Al’s four kids to 15 people across three generations. Al and the family lost Sharon to pancreatic cancer in 2020.
Al parted ways with Marion Laboratories in the early 1980’s, and that’s when his real success began. Working with his son, John, and other partners, over more than 30 years, the team bought, built and sold numerous telecom and technology businesses. Al’s business legacy will continue well past his days: MetroNet, his largest company, is thriving, employing more than 2,500 people across 17 states.
Even up to his last day, Al never stopped living or dreaming! Al always attributed his life success to his Columbia Law education. It’s a debt he honored late in life by endowing a chair, ensuring that future students could walk a similar path. In 2021, Al realized a 40-year goal by starting the Cinelli Family Foundation. Again, his legacy will live on as his family steers his non-profit dedicated to funding research into breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and leukemia, as well as research into unlocking the formula for accelerated learning. In the spring of 2023, he found love again when he married his long-term friend, Connie (Morra). Sadly, their marriage was short, but Connie stood by him to the very end and was truly appreciated by Al and his family. As Al shared many times in his last days, he had three great wives.
Al was preceded in death by his parents Pasquale and Mary (Confalone), wives Lois (Soboleski) and Sharon (Adair), brothers Pasquale (Mary), Francis (Eleanor) and Rocco. He is survived by his wife, Connie, and his children, including son, Al (Alyson Buckman); daughter, Cheryl Cinelli Palermo (Ron Palermo); son, John (Karen); and daughter, Janet Cinelli (Eric Ryan). He leaves behind five Cinelli grandchildren: Jack, Benjamin, Patrick, Matthew and Samantha, as well as a host of Cinelli and Soboleski nieces and nephews, across three additional generations. Al also leaves behind a corporate family that includes many colleagues and associates whom he had worked with for two or more decades. He has left an indelible impression on us all.
A prayer service and burial will be held for Al at Mt. Moriah Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home (10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131) on Saturday, November 18, at 1:30 pm. Following the prayer service and burial, the family will be celebrating Al’s life with a reception at the funeral home. There will also be a viewing at Mt. Moriah Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home on Friday, November 17, from 5 to 7:30 pm.
In lieu of sending flowers, please donate to the Amyloidosis Foundation, The Church of the Nativity or a charity of your choice.
