Obituary of Dominick Anthony Del Piano

Dominick Anthony DelPiano, 90, of Collingswood, NJ (formerly of Woodbury Heights and Oak Valley, NJ) passed away on Sunday, January 16, 2022. Del was born on December 20, 1931 to Victorio and Mary (DelGuercio) DelPiano and raised in Phila, PA.

Legacy
Dominick "Del" was a renaissance man, a man with a wide variety of interests and talents. He proudly served in the United States Navy from 1951-1955 during the Korean War. While in the Navy, Del served as an Industrial Photographer where he produced photographs and motion pictures for Naval aircraft testing, including aerial photography. After the Navy, Del worked as an Industrial Photographer at Burroughs Corporation in Paoli, PA from 1955 to 1960 where he photographed electronics and research into early computers. During this time he developed an interest in amateur electronics and also became a free-lance photographer performing wedding and baby photography.

In 1960, Del began a 30 year career at Mobil Research and Development Corporation in Paulsboro, NJ where he photographed the latest science and engineering experiments. He graduated with an Associates Degree from Gloucester County College in 1975.

While living in Oak Valley, he would always be working on something in the garage, whether one of the cars, or some other project in the house or around the yard. It never failed that the neighbor kids would end up there with him. Del always included them in his work, giving them "chores" to do while they were there. He made them all feel like they could do anything he told them to do. While we, (his kids) didn't like having chores to do, they loved it. Del taught the kids many skills, like framing, drywall installation and repair, fixing floors and tile, fixing small gas engines as well as working on cars. He used to say he was a jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none.
His work at Burroughs and Mobil photographing the latest engineering research in electronics, physics and chemistry influenced his personal interests and hobbies. He was one of the first people we knew to have a personal computer, the original Apple, in the early 1980s. He went on to teach himself how to build and program computers. For many years he educated his grandchildren on how to use and build a computer, often building them together. He also built and repaired computers for friends and family for many years.

In addition to computers, he was self-taught in most aspects of his life including stocks and finance, electrical work, and construction work. He was an avid reader and in particular, he loved science fiction. He traveled extensively with Freda both to visit their children and grandchildren around the country, as well as to explore the US and new countries by land and sea. He was an active member of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Woodbury. Del will be remembered for his intelligence, generous spirit, sense of humor, telling it like it is (whether you wanted to hear it or not), his love of jelly donuts, and loving his family dearly.

Family
He was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth, with whom he had three beautiful children, the late Michael DelPiano, James DelPiano and Kathleen DelPiano. He was also the beloved husband of the late Freda Wean and when they married in 1979 he gained three more beautiful children, Bruce Wean, Janet Shoch and Carol Carroll; brother to the late Raymond DelPiano; loving grandfather to Kyle, Ryan, Danielle, the late Jordan, Brian, Joel, Douglas, and David; great grandfather to six.

Farewell Tribute
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his visitation on February 19, 2022 at 11AM in the McGuinness Funeral Home - Woodbury, 34 Hunter Street and a Memorial Service with honors will follow at 12PM.
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