Arthur Depaola

AUSTINTOWN - A prayer service will begin at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel, and a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Austintown for Mr. Arthur George DePaola, 88, who died Wednesday afternoon at Park Vista Health Center surrounded by his family.
He was born Oct. 30, 1924, in Youngstown a son of Nicholas and Rose Cichon DePaola.
Arthur "Art" was a South High School graduate and had attended Youngstown State University after enlisting in the Marines during World War II.
Art cherished his family. He was a devoted son, husband, father, grandfather and uncle who treasured family time, vacation and story telling. Art always found time to be with his family. He will be dearly missed.
He was a sales agent for Allstate Insurance for 35 years, retiring in 1993.
Arthur was a proud Catholic, family man, and loved his community. He was a member of the church, and a founding member of St. Joseph Parish Council. In 1973 he chaired and organized the Austintown Community Council which is now the Growth Foundation. He was founder of the Austintown Historic Society and organized the Fourth of July Fun Run, which raised money for scholarships. Also, he was a driving force in the Restoration of the Historic Austin Log Cabin. Arthur organized Meet the Candidates Nights, served on the Austintown Zoning Commission for 25 years, served on the Citizens Task Force as chairman of the Fire Department Committee, chaired the Austintown Heart Fund setting new records, and served 10 years as a volunteer for the Arbitrator for the Mahoning Valley Better Business Bureau. He was inducted into the Austintown Hall of Fame in 1985 and was on the board for OMBUDSMAN for Area Agency for 20 years receiving recognition by the Ohio House of Representatives for outstanding volunteer service.
Arthur also had time for his hobbies, fishing, gardening and carving walking sticks, which he donated to Marines needing assistance.
He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife, the former Bernice Elioff, whom he married Aug. 2, 1958; two daughters, Mary (Bonnie Meyer) DePaola of Lexington, Ky. and Lynne (Scott) Walton of Frisco, Texas; sons, Chris (Joyce) DePaola of Austintown and Michael (Patricia) DePaola of Columbus; nine grandchildren, Sara (Nick) Gehring, Christopher, Kevin, Maggie, Alyssa, Kristina, Taylor, Piper and Scotty; and one great-grandson, Alex.
Arthur was preceded by his parents; two sisters, Theresa Krupa and Helen Bradley; and two brothers Felix and Thomas DePaola.
Friends may call today from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions maybe made to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley in Arthur's memory.
Please visit www.higgins-reardon.com to view this obituary and to send condolences.