Morelli, Theodore
Morelli, Theodore J., age 93, died peacefully May 4, 2017. He was born in Albuquerque, NM on November 3, 1923 to Teodolindo and Carolina (De Lorenzi) Morelli.
A 1941 graduate of Albuquerque High, Ted attended UNM for a year prior to transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1942. His arrival at MIT coincided with the ramp up of American involvement in World War II. He joined the Army ROTC and was trained in meteorology before receiving his commission as a first lieutenant in the Army Air Force. Ted’s service included assignments as an air weather officer at Kirtland Army Air Base in Albuquerque and Bell Labs in New Jersey. After the war, he returned to MIT and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1947.
Ted’s first jobs after MIT were with General Electric in Pennsylvania and New York, and with Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque. In the early 1950’s, he entered the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Los Gatos, California as a Jesuit novice. His life at the Novitiate focused on prayer, speaking Latin, and helping to harvest grapes for the Novitiate Winery (which produced mainly sacramental wine but was best known for its award-winning Black Muscat). After deciding that life as a priest was not his true calling, Ted came back to Albuquerque and spent the next 30 years as a civilian employee of the Air Force. His Air Force jobs, which included Joint Task Force II and the ATLAS-I ("Trestle") project, culminated in his retirement in 1989.
Family and friends will affectionately remember Ted for his generosity; deep commitment to family; wonderful laugh; love of Italian language, food, and music; passion for mathematics and all things electrical; creative tinkering and inventiveness; smart handball playing at the Albuquerque Elks Club; feigned dislike for dogs ("worthless mutts!"); and fondness for scratch-baked apple pie. Recollections of his caring nature, kindness, and devotion to God will serve as a lasting legacy to all who knew him.
Ted is survived by his daughter, Yvonne (Bill) Collins; son, Claude (Sharon Nepstad) Morelli; grandchildren, David Collins, Alyssa Collins, Dante Morelli, Aldo Morelli, Linnea Nepstad, and Malaya Nepstad; sister, Adele Davis; ex-wife, Marjorie Morelli; and many nieces and nephews.
There will be a Rosary at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 8, 2017 at Immaculate Conception Church, 619 Copper Ave NW, Albuquerque. Interment will take place at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 1900 Edith Blvd., NE. Pallbearers are Claude Morelli, Bill Collins, Dante Morelli, David Collins, Armand Gianinni, Sr., and Steve Otero. Honorary Pallbearers are Sen. Pete Domenici & Donald Robertson M.D.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests that memorial donations be made in Ted’s name to Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd Homeless Shelter. The family would like to extend special thanks to Dolores and the caregivers at Brookdale Valencia Assisted Living, and to Doctor Standoli, Carrie, and the team at Hospice of New Mexico. Please visit our online guestbook for Ted at www.FrenchFunerals.com