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Verardo -- Arthur Ralph Verardo died peacefully in the presence of his family on June 28, 2000. Art fought a courageous battle against the debilitating effects of a stroke he suffered 16 months ago. He was born to Rose and Ennocente Verardo on October 10, 1918 in Columbus, Ohio. He served in the Pacific during WWII as a member of the Army Air Corps. It was there that he met Jim Meyers from Muskegon, Michigan who would later introduce Art to the love of his life, Mary Alice Meyers. After the war, they settled in Muskegon where he owned and operated a Gulf Oil station and distributorship. For health reasons the young family moved to the drier climate of New Mexico in 1951, where Art helped to build the family home while papers were being processed for his new job at Sandia National Laboratories. At Sandia, Art was a logistics supervisor for 30 years, and his job took him all over the world with the Labs Nuclear Testing Program, High Altitude Solar Eclipse Studies and Low Level Flight Tests. Art,"Poppa Bocce" was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. As he often said,"I have had a very good life." After retiring from Sandia, he spent his time with his family, gardening, playing golf, fishing and fixing anything that needed fixing. He was a master problem solver and a magician with a set of tools. Art loved people and was always interested in them and helping in any way he could. He is survived by his wife, Mary. The two of them have loved and honored each other through joy and sorrow, sickness and health for 56 years. Together they created a wonderful family, including son, Arthur, his wife, Suzanne, and their children, Brian, Amy and Lisa (1979-1980), and soon to be daughter-in-law, Alexa Desiato; son, Robert, his wife, Bonnie; and daughter, Mary Jo Carrier, her husband, Pierre, and their children, Nicole and Sean, all of whom loved him very much. Art also still has family in Michigan, Ohio and Italy. Mass will be celebrated on Friday, July 7, at 10:00 a.m. in the morning, at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, which Art and Mary helped to establish many years ago, with private burial at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph Rehabilitation Hospital or Sandia Hospice.
        Published on: Fri June 30, 2000