People were a priority for ‘mayor of Bloomfield’

MARIO CUTRUZZULA Sept. 8, 1936 – July 23, 2015

For Mario Cutruzzula, it was all about lasting relationships.

Anywhere he went, whether in East Liberty where he grew up or in the North Hills visiting his son, he’d run into an old buddy from Central Catholic High School or a former player on the girls basketball team at Mount Alvernia High School, where he was assistant coach.

Even though he graduated in 1954 and the all-girls Catholic school in Millvale closed in 2011, Mr. Cutruzzula of Bloomfield wasn’t one to let friendships fade.

“He was just so caring and giving of himself, and that’s what anybody who ever met him or knew him [said],” his son, Felice Cutruzzula, said. “He was like the mayor of Bloomfield.”

Mario Cutruzzula died Thursday at 78 from complications after a heart attack.

At 5 feet 2, he played baseball, football and basketball while growing up. He started his nearly 25-year career as an assistant coach in the late 1970s at Mount Alvernia to be closer to his daughter, Maria McManus, who was a cheerleader.

He helped the Class A team win six WPIAL titles and one PIAA title and was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2013, along with the entire 1983 team, which his son said was the first to go undefeated en route to a state title. That team finished the season 34-0.

He also coached his sons when they played youth football and baseball, and he was a chaperone for the Central Catholic band when Felice Cutruzzula played in it. Volunteering was a priority for the Korean War veteran, something he learned growing up as the youngest of nine with an immigrant father from Italy.

“It was always about his kids,” Felice Cutruzzula said. “He always wanted to do something that was involved.”

In addition to his son and daughter, he is survived by his wife, Evelyn Cutruzzula of Bloomfield; two other daughters, Ines Brady and Denise Callihan; two brothers, Al Cotti and Felix Cutruzzula Jr.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. today at St. Maria Goretti Parish, Friendship Campus, 300 Edmond St. D’Alessandro Funeral Home handled arrangements.