Bernardino "Dinny" Colasurdo

Bernardino D. ("Dinny") Colasurdo, 102, of Belleville, entered peacefully into eternal life on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at home. Born August 21,1920, in Morrone del Sannio, province of Campobasso, in the Molise region of southern Italy.

He immigrated to the United States with his mother in September 1921, his father having preceded them by several months to establish their new home in Jersey City, NJ. Upon marrying Antoinette Barbarisi of Newark, NJ, in 1947, he moved to Newark where he and his bride started their family, before moving in 1955 to his treasured home in Belleville, NJ, that became a place of immeasurable joy and happiness for him and his extended family, and where he lived the rest of his life.

Growing up, he and his family were parishioners of Holy Rosary Church, Jersey City, a parish to which he maintained a strong connection throughout his lifetime. Upon moving to Belleville, he became a parishioner of St. Peter's Church, where he eventually served for many years as an usher. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Belleville Council #835, Nutley Elks Lodge #1290, United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America Local Union 253 (formerly known as Local 119 and then Local 1342), Academy of Model Aeronautics, and a lifelong member of the Maria SS. Dell'Assunta Society of Holy Rosary Church. He was a WWII Army Veteran, serving his country proudly with the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, 135th Infantry Regiment, from 1942 to 1945, in the Mediterranean, African and Middle East Theatre of Operations, engaging in one of the fiercest battles of the campaign to liberate Italy a mere 80 miles from the village of his birth. He was the recipient of numerous military decorations and medals, including the Bronze Star Medal.

He enjoyed various hobbies, including gardening, collecting and operating model trains, and his true passion, building radio control model airplanes, and spent many hours tinkering in his garage. He had an extraordinary knack for unconventional problem solving with regard to home improvement projects and could build just about anything from scratch. His peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwiches (the school lunch staple of his children) were legendary, and his culinary concoctions were infamous. He also enjoyed watching Yankees baseball and eating "dirty water" hot dogs. Most importantly, he was happiest when he was surrounded by his family, especially for summer barbecues in his backyard and for weekly Sunday dinners.

He is predeceased by his beautiful and loving wife, Antoinette (Barbarisi), parents Modesto & Carmela (Vassalotti), and siblings Frank, Michael, Antoinette, Josephine ("Seppie"), and baby Rosa. He is the beloved father of Modesto and his wife Joanne, Louis, Bernard ("Dinny Boy") and his wife Lori, Anthony and his partner Annamarie, and Maryann McNulty and her husband Thomas. He is the proud and loving grandfather of Louis, Joseph, Nicola (Gonnella), Roseanne, Thomas, and Peter Colasurdo, Rose and Thomas McNulty, and five great-grandchildren. He also leaves many nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle Dinny, and cousins in the U.S., Canada and Italy with whom he maintained a close connection. The family wishes to acknowledge the compassionate care and loving comfort and support provided by the staff of Hospice of New Jersey during the past three years.

Visitation will be on Friday, March 31, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 1, at 10:45 a.m., at St. Peter's Church, 155 William Street, Belleville, NJ (no visitation at the funeral home Saturday morning). Entombment will follow at Glendale Cemetery & Mausoleums, Bloomfield, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Dinny's memory.