Celia Pierro Meloni

Celia Pierro Meloni, age 93, passed away in her home on January 30th, 2021 surrounded by her devoted family.

Celia was born on September 9, 1927 in Port Chester, NY to the late Michael Pierro and Jennie (Guinta) Pierro. Celia attended Port Chester schools, graduating in 1945, and went on to attend the Juilliard School of Music in NYC, graduating in 1948 with a degree in Piano.

Celia was happily married to her husband, Anthony E. Meloni, for 62 years before he died in 2013.

Celia was an accomplished pianist, composer, piano teacher, organist and choir director.  Learning to play the piano at age five, she began what would be her true calling. In addition to entertaining her family and teaching hundreds of students for more than 60 years, she was an organist in three churches in Port Chester including Holy Rosary Church, Corpus Christi Church and Our Lady of Mercy Church.  She settled in at Our Lady of Mercy Church as musical director in 1977, becoming the organist and choir director. As a liturgical composer, she wrote nine masses for visiting cardinals and bishops.  She retired in 2014. Over the years, she was the accompanist for many local theatre productions as she could sight read and transpose with ease. She played gigs in Westchester County as a teenager on the weekends and was able to fulfill her dream of attending Juilliard. She composed music in her teens and early twenties, with the distinct sound of the era, so romantic and many of them meant to share her deep love for Tony. Her original song, “No One But You”, written in 1945 for the love of her life, became the ‘anthem’ in the Meloni home. 

She was tirelessly devoted to her family, her faith, her students, and her art, but Celia’s greatest joy in life was her family, counting her children and grandchildren as her proudest achievements.

Celia is survived by her children, Anthony (Sharla), Robert (Adrienne), Michael (Tanya), Celia Meloni Taylor (Ken), Cathleen Meloni Potts (William Shaffer), Lisa Meloni Ragusa (John), and Barbara Meloni Halsey. She is also survived by eighteen grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and her dear friend of many years, Father Timothy Wiggins.

She is pre-deceased by her son Gerald (2019), grandson Giacomo Ragusa (2004), great grandson Michael Allen Meloni (2016), and brothers Dominick D. Pierro, Thomas Pierro and Michael Pierro, Jr.

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