Dr. Americo Petrocelli
Mystic — Dr. Americo W. Petrocelli passed away peacefully on Aug. 12, 2018, at the age of 87. Born in Providence, R.I., he was the son of the late John and Concetta Petrocelli. His wife Doris predeceased him in 2014.
Americo will be lovingly remembered by his children and their spouses, Thayer Dietrick, Richard and Susan Petrocelli, Carol-Lynn and Robin Martell, Robert and Carla Petrocelli, along with his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He will also be missed by his sister-inlaw Claire McParlin.
Americo received a bachelor’s degree from Providence College in 1954. He then went on to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Rhode Island in 1960. During the Cold War years, he led numerous projects at Electric Boat including (then) classified work for the Central Intelligence Agency. He was recruited to be president of the Yardney Electric Company, helping to engineer its financial turnaround. In 1977, he took a break from corporate life and became vice president of business and finance at the University of Rhode Island. In 1988, he was appointed as the Commissioner for Higher Education for the State of Rhode Island, which led to the development of the R.I. Children’s Crusade for Higher Education, now named The College Crusade of R.I. In June 1996, he joined Robert and Richard on the board of Heartlab, Inc., and in 2007, assisted his sons with the formation of their second company, GreenBytes. In July 2014, Americo moved to StoneRidge in Mystic, where he wrote several books and published poems while also forming the Mystic Geriatrics Institute.
Visiting hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home, 59 Spruce St., Westerly. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15, in the funeral home. Burial will follow in St. Sebastian Cemetery, Westerly.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Avalon Health Center at StoneRidge and Dr. Michael Feltes for the compassionate care that he received.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The College Crusade of R.I., 134 Thurbers Ave., Providence, R.I. 02905 or the charity of your choice. https://thecollegecrusade. networkforgood.com
For online condolences, please visit www.gaffneydolanfuneralhome.com.