Esterino Rigazzi

Esterino (Ester) Rigazzi, age 97, a resident of Erie passed away Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at home. He was born February 25, 1923, in Erie, the son of the late Paul and Marietta (Clemente) Rigazzi.

 Ester was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church and will be fondly remembered by his family and friends as a gentle, caring, and generous man.  He enjoyed reminiscing about his acquaintances in Little Italy and the road trips he took to Montreal and Las Vegas, in addition to watching football and movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  
 
Ester worked as a machinist set-up technician at Erie’s General Electric where he retired in 1982 after 30 years of service. In 1943 he was inducted into the Army and he served in the infantry, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Ester first participated in the India-Burma Campaign until he contracted malaria. Following his convalescence stateside, he was deployed to Europe where he participated in the Rhineland Campaign. In March 1945 he was severely injured during combat prior to his honorable discharge.

 
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his three brothers; Anthony (Mix) Rigazzi, Louis (Joe Krozak) Rigazzi, and Adolph (Ad) and his wife Jo Rigazzi.
 
Ester is survived by his niece, Catherine Jeannerat and her husband David of Erie; nephew, Paul G. Rigazzi of Phoenix, AZ; his sister-in-law, Gloria Rigazzi of Paducah, KY as well as his cousin Marie Cioccio and her daughters Lydia, Fiorina, and Elisa in Montreal who he dearly loved to visit.

Private funeral services will be held, and entombment with military honors will be in Calvary Mausoleum. Arrangements by Quinn Funeral Home, 728 West Ninth Street, Erie PA.

 In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, 135 East 38th St, Erie, PA 16504.