Albert M. Liberatore

On Thursday, September 25, Albert M. Liberatore Sr. left this world in much the same way as he had lived his life: quietly, prayerfully, and surrounded by those he loved. He was a remarkable 103 years old.

Born in Scranton on April 3, 1922, Al was the son of the late Magno and Amelia Copatelli Liberatore, and the oldest of six children. His brother, Anthony, and wife, Janet, live in Lancaster; his brother, Joseph, and wife, Anita, live in Scranton; Al’s brothers, Philip and John, and his sister, Angelina Sedorovitz, all preceded him in death.

A proud graduate of West Scranton High School, Al was prouder still of his World War II service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Nicholas, the most decorated ship in Navy history. To this day, a painting hangs in his living room depicting the moment his ship had the privilege of leading the Allied Fleet into Tokyo Bay for the signing of the surrender that ended the war, 80 years ago this month.

But there was nothing that brought Al more pride than his family: his daughter AnnMarie Kizer and late husband Benjamin, of East Stroudsburg; his daughter Deborah Rodrigues and husband Kenneth of Mechanicsburg; and his son Albert Liberatore Jr. and partner J. Louis Hyde of Scranton. The fact that all of his children and three of his grandchildren have all been educators is in no small part because of Al’s life-long passion for learning, which he passed on to them. Al was Papa to grandchildren Kassandra Good; Kursten, Katieri, Karissa, and Kimberly Kizer; Stephanie Bowlin, and Alison Remesch; he was Old Papa to his beloved great-grandchildren Joel and Hannah Good, Ian and Luke Bowlin, and Adleigh and Axyl Kizer.

The love of Al’s life was his wife of 46 years, Eleanore Bonsick Liberatore. He felt the pain of her untimely passing, at just 64 years of age, every day of the last 28 years, and he longed to be reunited with her, as his faith taught him he would be.

Al was a member of St. Peter’s Cathedral parish where, over the years, he volunteered as a lector, an usher, a senior server, a counter, and member of the RCIA team. He served as a volunteer at Hospice of the Sacred Heart’s inpatient unit until he was 98 years old. And after a career in lithography that spanned the nearly 40 years until he retired from Panel Prints in Old Forge, he worked at Mr. Z’s in South Scranton, picking up his final paycheck at age 94. Fully (and reluctantly) retired at last, Al found new interests to pursue: yoga and fitness at Allied Services; recreation and cooking with new friends at the UNC Healthy Aging Campus in West Scranton; and Arts for Life, where he found himself painting, creating art projects, and writing poetry right up through his 103rd summer. If his family and friends have at times lulled themselves into believing he would be around forever, it was because he lived as though he just might be! And so, even as we deeply mourn the loss of someone who means so much to us, we cannot help but celebrate the life of one of the Greatest Generation’s unassumingly great men.

Albert’s funeral will be held on Thursday at 9:15 from the Louis V. Ciuccio Funeral Home, 145 Moosic Road, Old forge, followed by a 10:00 am Mass of Christian Burial in St. Peter’s Cathedral, 315 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, to be celebrated by Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn. Internment will follow immediately afterward at Cathedral Cemetery.

Relatives and friends are invited to pay their respects to Albert on Wednesday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Arts for Life c/o the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging or the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

To leave an online condolence or for directions, please visit the funeral home’s website at ciucciofuneralhome.com