City firefighter commanded the honor guard
A hard-working Italian immigrant who came to Bloomfield with his family as an 8year-old, Mauro “Cuz” Cetra spent most of his life paying forward the American Dream.
“He was a pleasure to work with,” said David “Goose” Cunningham, who worked alongside Mr. Cetra for nearly 30 years as a Pittsburgh firefighter. “He was a very courageous fireman, a leader and mentor for the younger members and a man of strong faith.”
Mr. Cetra was also a patriot and longtime Army Reservist who never took the opportunities that he’d been given for granted.
“The little town where he was from in Italy was bombed by the Germans in World War II and his family had to go up in the mountains and hide in the caves,” Mr. Cunningham said. “His older brother, who he never met, got killed in a bombing. I think when Mauro came to this country, he was determined to be a soldier because he was so grateful for the Americans liberating his village. He honored that obligation. He also really wanted to give back to this country for the opportunity he had as an American.”
Mr. Cetra, of Bloomfield, died June 16 of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 70.
He was born during a snowstorm in San Pietro Avellana, in central Italy.
The storm kept his mother, Ida Cetra, from getting to the hospital, but a doctor did eventually make it through the blizzard to her home.
“Whenever we had downtime in the firehouse, we would sit around talking and getting to know each other,” Mr. Cunningham recalled. “I asked Mauro about his name and he told us that a doctor drove through this terrible storm to help his mother during childbirth. His family was forever grateful, so they named Mauro after the last name of the doctor who traveled so far to bring him into this world. And that was a testament to who Mauro was his whole life.”
In 1959, the family immigrated to Bloomfield.
“They had other family that moved here for better opportunities,” said Mr. Cetra’s son, Steven Cetra, of Morningside.
Mr. Cetra graduated from Schenley High School in 1970. Four years later, he married Joyce Montesano, who he met through mutual friends.
He became a master sergeant in the Army Reserve, where he served for 25 years, and managed a large dining facility in Oakdale.
A skilled chef, Mr. Cetra took a six-month gourmet cooking course and worked for a time as a vegetable chef at the University Club at the University of Pittsburgh.
Work in the construction field followed, along with a job as an asbestos inspector at the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, before Mr. Cetra decided to take an exam to become a firefighter.
“He just wanted a better opportunity,” his son said. “He had friends who were firefighters.”
In 1989, he joined the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire at the 13 Engine and Truck in Hazelwood, where he became a master firefighter and worked until his retirement in 2014.
He wore many hats as a firefighter, serving as a union shop steward at the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local No. 1, and organizing the group’s memorial honor guard.
“He was commander of the honor guard,” Mr. Cunningham said. “When someone died who was a firefighter, the family was distraught and he would give the family that honor, that comfort.
“He would travel and represent the city of Pittsburgh in other cities that lost firefighters and help comfort and pay honor to these families. He was always volunteering for something.”
And — but, of course — he sizzled in the kitchen at the 13th, much to the delight of his colleagues.
In 1999, Mr. Cetra was among the featured “Firehouse Cooks” on WQED-TV and his recipes were featured in a companion cookbook by the same name.
“He was actually on an episode that Chris Fennimore did on WQED with firefighters from other firehouses,” his son said.
Mr. Cetra also served as the “house guy” at the firehouse, Mr. Cunningham said, making sure the cupboards were always stocked with necessities.
“It was a thankless, miserable job,” he said, laughing. “But, Mauro just stepped up and volunteered to do it. He was never lazy. He was a great guy to work with.”
After he retired, Mr. Cetra volunteered with the Salvation Army.
“He would show up at disaster or fire scenes to provide comfort for people,” his son said.
For years, Mr. Cetra scrimped and saved for a Catholic school education for his eight children, but he always found time for those less fortunate, friends and family said.
He was especially devoted to the IAFF Fill the Boot campaigns for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, in which firefighters would collect donations on street corners and at traffic lights.
“He really loved to do the Fill the Boot every year,” his son said. “He used to always finish in the top three or so, and he actually got first place in 1999.”
“Mauro was very generous and he was the sort of guy you could count on,” Mr. Cunningham said. “He would outdo everybody. Even if it was his day off, he would collect for the MDA. He was a tireless volunteer. We lost a good guy when we lost Mauro.”
Along with his wife and son, Mr. Cetra is survived by his children Michael, of Forest Hills, Gabriel, of Shaler, Christian, of Hampton, Adam, of Bloomfield, Amanda, of Seven Fields, and Jason, of Whitehall; and six grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his daughter Alison and brother Pasqualino.
Friends will be received at Winter Funeral Home, 4730 Friendship Ave., on June 25, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m; Firefighter Memorial Honor Guard Service begins at 7 p.m.
He will be buried at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in a private service.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the IAFF Fill the Boot campaign, benefiting MDA; the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; or the National League of POW/MIA Families.