Veteran Vincent Nigrelli turned artistic talents to kitchen design
The defining moment for Vincent Joseph Nigrelli's ambition of becoming a recognized kitchen designer came in the late 1940s, upon his discharge from the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II.
"My father used the GI Bill to enroll in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he specialized in design," said his son, Vincent John Nigrelli of Mt. Washington. "While a student at the Art Institute, Dad entered a kitchen design contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune and won the first prize of $100.
"It convinced Dad, who at the time was also working as a barber with his father, that he had the ability to make it as a designer."
Vincent Joseph Nigrelli of Munhall, former owner of Custom Kitchens by Vincent Nigrelli, died on Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, in his home. He was 92.
In 1949, Mr. Nigrelli married Doris Jane McShane, a resident of Baldwin Borough, whom he met on a blind date.
"After my parents were married in 1949, they moved to Munhall, where Dad established his business in a storeroom on Main Street," said his son.
"My parents loved ballroom dancing. And when they could get away, you could find them dancing at the Elks or the VFW."
Before his retirement in the 1980s, Mr. Nigrelli had as customers not only the residents of Mon Valley and eastern suburbs, but executives in Fox Chapel, Sewickley and Shadyside and Squirrel Hill.
"As busy as our father was, he was devoted to his family," Nigrelli said. "He had a 'can do' attitude, which he passed on to my sisters and me, and a work ethic that was second to none."
Born and raised in the North Side, Vincent Nigrelli was one of four children in the family of barber John Nigrelli and his wife, Rose Bancheri Nigrelli, who emigrated from Italy.
After graduating from Allegheny High School in 1942, where he used his artistic skills to design the covers of numerous school publications, Mr. Nigrelli and his brother Ernest operated several small businesses.
In 1942, Mr. Nigrelli entered the Army Air Corps, where he spent three years as a member of the quartermaster corps for the 379th Bomb Group stationed in England.
"My father was proud to have served his country," his son said. "He belonged to several veterans groups and looked forward to attending the 379th reunions."
In addition to his son and wife, Mr. Nigrelli is survived by daughters Stacy Berlind and Amy Greenwald of Illinois; grandchildren, Zach, Macabee, Caitlin and Emma Rose; and brother Ernest of the North Hills.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Alfred Nigrelli, and a sister, Lucille Abraham.
A blessing service will be held at 12:30 p.m. today in George Irvin Green Funeral Home Inc., 3511 Main St., Munhall.
