Alder Francis Castanoli, Jr. formerly of Huntington, WV was born December 18, 1923 in Pocahontas, VA and died April 11, 2011 in Gallipolis, OH.
He was preceded in death by his father, Alder Francis Castanoli, Sr.; mother, Laura Florence Lewis Castanoli; wife, Serefina Manilla Castanoli; daughter, Suzanne Marie Castanoli; sisters, Frances Rice, Mary Repair, and Eleanor ( “Peg”) Henkle; and brother, Gale Castanoli. He is survived by, Denise Castanoli Parker, daughter of his first marriage; granddaughters, Kimberly Parker Jones and Megan Parker Cuccaro; great-granddaughter, Olivia Cuccaro; great-grandsons, Rocko Cuccaro and Santino Cuccaro; sister, Constance Frank; brother, Dominic Castanoli; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Alder was graduated from Huntington High School in 1941. His college career at Auburn University was interrupted by service to his country during WWII aboard the USS Lamar. After an honorable discharge from the United States Navy in 1946, he attended Marshall University and was graduated from Auburn University in 1948 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was a member of the Lambda Chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.
As a youth, Alder attended the Citizens Military Training Camp at Fort Harrison Indiana in 1939 and 1940. He was a slate picker and subsequently and electricians helper for Koppers Coal Company. He then worked as an assistant to the superintendant for Kanawha Coal Corporation.
After his college graduation, Alder began his engineering career with Cardox Corporation in 1948. He then became a hydraulic engineer for the United States Geological Survey until 1954. A HVAC specialist, he then worked as an air conditioning engineer for Columbia Gas System, plant engineer for General Dynamics/Astronautics as HVAC support for Atlas missiles, and aeronautical engineer for the Naval Air Facility in Goodyear, Arizona until 1963.
Upon completion of numerous projects for the Naval Air Facility, Alder served his country at Cape Canaveral, Florida during the space race where he was a supervisor/project engineer/ test conductor for various NASA contractors such as Brown Engineering, Dow Chemical, and the Bendix Corporation for the Apollo moon landing program where he received a presidential commendation for his work.
After his years at the Cape, Alder was employed by Bechtel Corporation as a design engineer for nuclear power plants in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In 1973 he returned to Huntington where he worked for Philip Diniaco and Sons. A registered engineer in five states, Alder retired from corporate employment and became a self-employed consultant.
Alder was an avid fan of the Auburn University and Marshall University football and baseball programs. Until he could no longer attend meetings, he was a member of the Huntington Engineers Club and a regular at VFW functions.
A special thanks is extended from his family to his guardian and conservator, Kathryne Smith and caregiver, Bill Bitner as well as to his nurses and Hospice staff whose devotion is greatly appreciated.
Mr. Castanoli's funeral will be Saturday April 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm at Beard Mortuary in Huntington. Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 1:00 pm Saturday. Burial will follow at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington.