Cantella

Charles M. Cantella, 82, of Mars died Wednesday evening at the UPMC Passavant Hospital in McCandless Township.

Born in Pittsburgh, July 21, 1925, he was the son of Carmello and Laura Avampato Cantella.

He was a 1944 graduate of Allegheny High School.

Mr. Cantella was a grocer and had owned a grocery store on Federal Street in Pittsburgh, which was started by his parents and operated by him until he moved to Mars.He then worked at the Mars Super Dollar, now Foodland.

He was a member of the St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church in Mars and was a past president of the Men's Club at the church. He also was a member of the Italian Sons and Daughters on the North Side, assisted at local elections working the polls in Adams Township and was a volunteer at the St. John Specialty Care Center for many years.

Active in the theater since high school, he performed at various places and most recently was active at the Comtra Theater in Cranberry Township for many years.

Surviving are his wife, Marta Mazreku Cantella, who he married Oct. 15, 1966; two sons, Charles N. Cantella and his wife, Megan, and Michael A. Cantella, and his wife, Tammy, both of Zelienople; his grandchildren, Colin, Anna, Joseph and Joshua Cantella; three sisters, Angeline Hattal and Josephine Balestrari, both of Phoenix, Ariz., and Santa Hubert of Pittsburgh; a brother, Carl Cantella of South Hills; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Mary Costa; and two brothers, Michael and John Cantella.

<B>CANELLA</B> — Friends of Charles M. Cantella, who died Wednesday, March 26, 2008, will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the <B>McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home</B>, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Kilian Roman Catholic Church, Mars, with the Rev. Charles Bober officiating.Following Mass, friends are invited to a lunch reception at the Four Points Sheraton in Cranberry Township.Memorials may be made to the Building Fund of St. Kilian Church, P.O. Box 394, Mars, PA 16046.Condolences may be submitted and information and directions are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.