User:Lnlz711/Zanchettin

Zanchettin, Leo

Born July 11, 1935 in Exeter, PA, USA third child of Bernardo & Adella Zanchettin. Bernardo was born in Italy in 1902 and emigrated to the USA in 1921, arriving in ellis Island, NY. Bernardo worked in the coal mines in Exeter, PA and also during a coal workers strike traveled to the Detroit, MI area to work for the Ford Motor Co. he later returned to Exeter and with a partner created Venice Bakery which produced and distributed Italian bread. He married Adella and years later moved to Pen Argyl, PA where he created a bakery business and continued to bake and distribute bread for many years. He sold the business due to poor health and worked as a steward at a Rod & Gun Club. After four ofr five years he was employed by Pennsylvania Power and Light Company as a mechanics assistant. His wife worked as a weaver and provided the children and her husband with loving care and nourishment. The oldest child Norma graduated from Pen Argyl HS and worked with her father and also later married Elio Uliana who took over the Vencie Bakery and later became a building contractor. The second child, Albino and third child, Leo also graduated from Pen Argyl HS and both then went on to graduate as Civil Engineers. They both worked in the USA as Project Management engineers for many years. Leo worked in the Aeospace Industry for his first 12 years after graduation and authored various papers related to Mass Properties Engineering. Both brothers worked together in construction management from 1970 for about five years. They both went to Iran and lived with their families in Tehran in 1978 while working for PRC Corp. to construct naval facilities. The Iranian Revolution caused them to be evacuated after only 6 months. Leo and his family went out of Tehran on the last flight that day out of the Mirabad Airport, his brother's family having left the day before. The family barely got on the plane when it began to take off, since the military had decided to stop all air traffic at sundown. They had a harrowing experience on Turkish Air encountering a snow storm and had to land in Ankara. Al Italia then flew them to Milan, then to Boston and final flight to Philadelphia, PA. After working in the USA for a few years Leo decided to return to the Middle East where he worked for Resource Sciences in Dhahran, Saudi arabia for two years and then went on to work in Kuwait city, Kuwait for an additional 3 years. This was the time of the Iran-Iraq war and several missiles hit near the Zanchettin,s apartment complex. After leaving Kuwait Leo returned to the USA for a short period of time and then he went to Istanbul, Turkey to work as a Project Management engineer on the reconstruction of an old palace which was being converted into a Casino Hotel Complex. After approximately 6 months Leo and his wife, Louise went to work in Perugia, Italy for an Italian/Kuwait Design/Construction consortium who were developing a shopping/residency project to be built in Bejing, PRC. He was was fortunate enough to travel to Bejing a week after the Tianamin square massacre. After the Italian assignment Leo returned to work in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where he resided with his wife for 6 years while working for the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. until his retirement in 1995. During the first Iraq war Leo & his wife were living in Dhahran. Leo returned to the USA living with his wife in Sarasota, FL. Leo did project management consulting for the venezualan Oil Company Pedavesa on a part time basis until the passing of his wife in 1998. He has travelled to over 60 countries on business and as a torurist and visited every state of the USA. He now resides in Sun City Center, FL where he teaches Hispanics to speak better English on a charitable basis for a Catholic Mission church.