Terry Ranieri will be remembered as a man with no malice in his heart.
“I never met anyone as kind as Terry was. I don’t think there was anything you could do to make Terry dislike you,” said the Rev. Kenneth Bossart, who gave the eulogy at Ranieri’s memorial service on Wednesday.
Ranieri, a much-loved “super fan” of the Hempfield Area football and marching band programs, died at home Aug. 22 after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 64.
The hourlong memorial service at Cornerstone Ministries along Route 22 in Murrysville bore tribute to a man who captured the hearts of Hempfield Area students and alumni for decades with his trademark smile, high-fives and “Terry-isms” — little sayings that were an unmistakable part of his personality.
A 1975 graduate of Hempfield, Ranieri spent four decades cultivating an unmatched devotion to his alma mater’s football and marching band programs, attending every home game that he was able to. He became as much a fixture on the sidelines as he was in the food courts of Greengate Mall and, later, Westmoreland Mall.
“People and food and music — those were the things he loved,” Bossart said.
Bossart said he knew of Ranieri through his mother, Mary, in the 1970s but didn’t really get to know him until he started attending Middletown United Methodist Church in 1990. He sang in the choir and, at Christmastime, sang “The Little Drummer Boy” while playing a drum.
Ranieri was especially fond of the marching band’s drum line, to which he gave a special acknowledgment when the marching band played for him outside his Beacon Valley Road home Aug. 20. Ranieri had returned home from the hospital the day before under the care of Amedisys Hospice.
Ranieri had a developmental disorder called Williams syndrome, which is marked by unique personality characteristics and distinctive facial features, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Ranieri’s gentle spirit was an “assurance of God’s grace” to thousands of people over the years, Bossart said. His last words — “I love you all” — were heard as band members marched by his bedroom window last week, while he waved, smiled and clapped in time with the music.
“Terry lived with the deepest sense of gratitude that I’ve ever witnessed,” Bossart said.
Wednesday’s memorial service also was punctuated with the music that Ranieri loved — everything from the hymn “How Great Thou Art” to Neil Young’s song “Heart of Gold.”
Interment followed at Twin Valley Memorial Park, Delmont.
Memorial donations may be made to the Terry Ranieri, “Everyone’s Friend,” Memorial Fund at www.gofundme.com/f/terryranieri. The purpose of the fund is to create a scholarship in Ranieri’s name that will be awarded annually to a marching band member. As of Wednesday, nearly $4,000 had been raised toward the $25,000 goal.
