- Date Of Birth: March 10, 1920
- Date Of Death: October 7, 2013
- State: Colorado
“Our father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and brother-in-law, peacefully passed away Monday. Always behind the camera, Al left us a legacy in photo and film. He loved and took care of us all of our lives. May he be united with our mother, Mildred, and honor us in heaven.”
Yours truly,
His loving family
In celebration of a long life, well-lived:
Alfonzo Viola, strong and beloved Sicilian, entered the world on March 10, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York, and departed to his final resting place at age 93 on October 7, 2013. Alfonzo Viola is survived by one remaining sister, Grace Ternullo, numerous nieces and nephews, his sons, Daniel and Steve Viola, and his daughters, Gina and Laura Viola, grandchildren, Michelle Judson, Daniel Viola, Sharon Viola, Anne Viola-Krause and Corey Kissell, great-grandchildren, Jacob Judson, Ashley Judson, Samantha Viola and Amaya Viola-Krause.
Alfonzo Viola proudly served his country, the United States of America, in the Army and US Air Force Reserve, and first enlisted beginning on May 15, 1942.
Alfonzo Viola met the love of his life, Mildred Viola, in Turkey Creek, Nebraska at a USO dance in 1942, and they were married on June 22, 1946 after he returned from the war. Alfonzo and Mildred had four children (Dan, Steve, Gina and Laura). Alfonzo and Mildred raised their children predominantly in Colorado, and their longest place of residence was in Littleton, Colorado.
Alfonzo loved, loved anything sweet. I know that he passed along his insatiable sweet tooth to many of us in the family!! He loved the wonderful pies, cakes, cookies, breads and anything sweet that Mildred made him. He was sly about taking extras when Mildred was not looking and if one of us saw him, he would wink and smile as he hurried away to indulge in his treats.
Alfonzo had an amazing, generous heart and soul and worked diligently to support his family, working 35 years at Martin Marietta, where he was a lithographer. Prior to that he worked for Jeppesen, who is now famous for publishing aeronautical charts and maps, the early ones undoubtedly from their printing plant in Denver that Alfonzo set up, and the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper. (Have you noticed the Jeppesen exhibit in the Jeppesen Terminal at DIA?) He was an artist and attended Pratt Institute in New York prior to the war. His dream was to work in animation in Hollywood, but family ties and real life happened enroute to California. Colorado was where he stayed and found a good living for his family instead in the printing industry. Alfonzo was extremely passionate about photography, both personally and professionally. He always took pride in taking a multitude of pictures, sometimes several of the exact same shot, and he was quite talented.
Alfonzo also had a passion for working on cars. He would take apart, rebuild, recreate and seek out projects that would take a lay person months or even years, and finish as fast as he could. He was notorious for collecting any and every little or big part he could get his hands on. One of Alfonzo’s prized possessions was a black, 1957 Chevy which he purchased from his daughter-in-law, Kathy, and the car was named Blackie. Blackie remains safe in the family with Laura Viola, who kept the special momentum in honor of her father. To Alfonzo, there was no such thing as too many cars on or around his drive way. If he had his way, he would have had a fleet of as many cars as his property would hold – and he did attempt this, much to Mildred’s dismay.
Alfonzo had a deep love and devotion to his family. Although he may not have said as much as Mildred, he loved attending every family function he could, camera in hand. Alfonzo went out of his way to help his family and friends, always offering whatever people needed. Alfonzo gave selflessly and incessantly, and it truly made him happy to do so. He also loved music and dancing, and he was a very debonair dancer. One of his favorite Italian songs was Funiculί/Feniculά. The last time Alfonzo danced to this song was at his granddaughter, Michelle’s wedding, and he spun her around throughout the duration of the song impressing everyone. Alfonzo loved dancing with Mildred, which is what he is probably doing now in Heaven.
Alzheimer’s Association
455 Sherman Street, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80203
