In Memory Of

PONZIANI, Louis Fiore, age 87, of Kettering OH passed away peacefully on June 25, 2016.

Lou was born in Filbert, Pennsylvania on June 11, 1929 and was the oldest of three boys. He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 56 years, Kathleen Dunne Ponziani who died in 2012, parents Luciano and Cecelia Ponziani, brothers Nello and Jerry Ponziani. He is also preceded in death by in-laws Veronica Ponziani, Eleanor and Red Carver, Bob Dunne, Harry Stark, and Jerry Nagle. He is survived by son Robert; daughter Carol DeGrazier (Ponziani) and son-in-law Tony, son Rick and daughter-in-law Jeanne Ponziani (Putnam); and son Larry. He is also survived by his grandchildren Kevin Ponziani and his wife Brittany, Mark Ponziani and his wife Staci, Maria Blazejewski (Ponziani) and her husband Jonathan, and great-grandson Jacob Blazejewski, with a great grandchild due in August, and Dominic DeGrazier. He is also survived by loving in-laws; Betty Ponziani, Virginia Stark, Marion Nagle, Walter and Marianne Dunne, Paul Dunne, Tad and Dorothy Dunne, and Mike and Geri Dunne, Bob and Margarite Jassoy, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Seeking a better future than the coalmines of his hometown, Lou boarded a bus from Filbert at the age of 18, and headed to Detroit, Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics from University of Detroit, and a master’s degree in Engineering from the Chrysler Institute while working for Chrysler. In 1964, he was promoted to an executive position and the family moved to Kettering, Ohio. Lou was part of the early engineers who first developed air conditioning in automobiles, a driving comfort we all take for granted now.

In 1954, Lou met the love of his life, Kathleen, at a Christmas Party that she almost didn’t attend except for the insistence of Kathleen’s sister, Eleanor. Kathy and Lou first met over the Christmas Punch Bowl and were married on June 11, 1955. Lou was an active 29-year member of the Kettering Rotary. He also was a 21-year volunteer at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton.