Meola Family History & Genealogy

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Eddy Meola.

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anthony Edward Meola.

Brittany Meola was born on October 10, 1994. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Brittany Meola.

Nicholas (Nicola, really) came over with his siblings, Caroline, and Grace, and Rose, along with his parents from Guardiaregia, a small town of roughly 3,000 at that time, nestled in the mountains of the Molise. The Molise is a region of Southern Italy, whose capital is Campobasso, and lies approximately 2 1/2 hours south of Rome. The Meola family came to Fulton Montgomery County in upstate New York to find work, living in xxx (Fulton?) Returning every few years to his wife, Clorina, he had three children: Rosalia, Giovanni, and Rodolfo (Rosalie, john, and Rudy). He worked for the railroad, and various other enterprises, finally building his own business, the Rialto Restaurant, on market Street, in the city of Amsterdam. When World War II broke out, the children were unable to rejoin their father, and were raised by their mother. At age nine , in 1933, Rosalie came down with Typhus. She recovered, but her mother also developed Typhus, and Doctor Albanese leached her. She died three days later. The children were then raised by their grandparents, and, when they died by their aunt,. They attended schools in Boiano and Naples, with the boys going to Castel al mare di Stabbia, along the Amalphi coast,and were taught by Salisian priests. Following VE day, the children returned on one of the first ships to return to the United States from Italy in 1946, the Gripsholm. ****From the obituary I wrote about my parents, my mother, Rosalie, was Nicholas Meola's first born. ( Our international community was deeply saddened this month with the loss of one of the most accomplished “Guardioli” in world, Rosalie Vecchiarelli. MondoGuardiaregia would like to send it’s sincerest condolences to the Meola and Vecchiarelli families around the globe, and also to her only son, Domenic, who has been one of MondoGuardiaregia’s most supporting members in the past year.) Obituaries Rosalia Clorinda Meola Vecchiarelli was born on March 3, 1923 in Guardiaregia, a small town nestled in the Matese mountains in the southern region of Italy, known as the Molise. Her grandparents and father both came to the United States, and worked in Montgomery County (In Upstate New York,) frequently returning to Italy to bring the money they earned back to their families. Her father, Nicola Meola, was a businessman in Amsterdam, N.Y., and opened and ran the Rialto Restaurant, for years a staple on Market Street in Amsterdam. He later ran a liquor store on Route 30, where the "84 Lumber" and “Chizek’s Hobby Shop” is now located. While in Italy, World War II broke out, and Rosalie and her two brothers, John and Rudy, were separated from their father, who was in the United States. Rosalie's mother came down with Typhus when she was 9 years old, and as a “cure,” was leached. She died three days later with her daughter Rosalia at her side. After her grandparents and aunt died, Rosalie was sent to private women's Catholic schools, and her brothers were sent to a Salesian Catholic school for boys, in Castellammare di Stabia, along the Amalfi coast. When their mother, grandparent, and aunt passed away. They were raised separately in boarding schools for several years away from their family and each other. She earned a teaching degree in Italian, studying at the Maducci school in Boiano, Italy, and also in Naples. She endured her home town being occupied by the Nazis and survived the Allied bombing of Naples during the 1940's. On many days she would go to school, only to find an empty desk, which meant one of her classmates had perished the night before. In 1946, she and her brothers re-united, and came to America on the first ship that left Italy for New York --the "Gripshom". The first movie they ever saw was in English. It was "The Bells of Saint Marys." There in New York, the three children saw their father for the first time in years, the young boys hardly remembering him. Rosalie had been educated in Italian, Latin, Spanish and French--but not in English. Shortly after arriving in the United States, she enrolled at the College of Saint Rose, in Albany, New York, where she earned her bachelor's degree with honors. She also studied Spanish at the University of Mexico, and French at the University of Montreal, earning degrees from both. She then went for her Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York City. It was there that she wrote her first book, on the life of Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (1864-1936), the Spanish author and philosopher. A predecessor of existentialist philosophy and an educator, his essays had great influence in early 20th-century Spain. Rosalie returned to Guardiaregia with her dad at the end of the 1950s, and met the town's mayor, and educator, Pietro Vecchiarelli. The two fell in love, and were married in 1960. Pietro Nicolantonio Vecchiarelli was born in the Vecchiarelli Woods outside of Guardiaregia on June 29, 1920. He used to travel by horseback on trails to get his education in town. Not pleased with the prospect of becoming a farmer, he was delighted when his mathematics teacher told his mother, Rosa, that young Pietro showed great promise. She allowed him to continue his education, as long as his grades were very good, and Pietro pursued his studies with gusto. He went on to become an elementary school teacher --first in a one-room school house in the Vecchiarelli Woods, then in Guardiaregia, and was affectionately know by all as "Signor Maestro.” During World War II, Pietro served in the Italian army, seeing combat in Yugoslavia. Captured by German troops, Pietro survived the hardships as a P.O.W. in a German Camp. Returning from the war, he built a new home in Guardiaregia, and resumed his career in education and entered the world of politics, believing in the classical virtues of being civic-minded. Pietro went on to become Mayor of Guardiaregia for over 20 years as well, having roads built to help those living in remote areas without access to the town’s infrastructure or plumbing, and he wrote the first book about the town, "Nel Molise da Scoprire: Guardiaregia,” ( To be discovered in the Molise: Guardiaregia) a popular favorite, both in Italy, and especially in Toronto, Canada, where thousands of "Guardioli" settled in the post-war years. After marrying, he worked for the Scotia School System and at the Schenectady, N.Y. General Electric Plant, until an onsite injury lost him a finger, and badly damaged his right-hand. Pietro was affectionately known as the go-to man: if a person had problems getting documentation, a passport, selling property, or even finding someone’s relative, he would gladly help them out at his own expense— even traveling to America to help friends. Many immigrants to Australia and the New World counted on Pietro for help: the Club Guardiaregia of Toronto honored him many times and erected a plaque in Guardiaregia in his honor. A deeply religious man, Pietro gave frequently to charitable organizations and donated generously to the Church. He was passionate about Padre Pio. When Rosalie returned to America, she applied for a teaching position on the faculty of Union College, in Schenectady, where the Dean of Admissions told her, "You're qualifications are excellent, Miss Meola, but we do not hire women." It was the 1960's. Rosalie became a language teacher in Louisiana, Long Island, N.Y., and Solvay, near Syracuse, N.Y., but eventually settled in the Village of Scotia, and became a Spanish and French Teacher for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa School District, to remain close to her family. She retired in 1986. Her passions were for her family, above all, her grandson, Nicolas ("Nico"), and she was well-known for her fabulous floral gardens. She was also an avid painter, having done oil paintings since before she was 12. She continued her passion for sketching birds and painting later on in life, and did volunteer work for the poor, the elderly, and the Church. She was a deeply religious and spiritual woman, who went to Mass daily. On Tuesday morning, November 29th, 2005, Pietro passed away peacefully in his sleep in his home in Italy. Nearly four months later, on Thursday night, March 23, Rosalie was reunited with her husband and her heavenly father once again. Her last thoughts were for her grandson's education and to buy him a computer. She is survived by her two brothers, Rudolph Meola, of Hague, N.Y., and John Meola, of Mayfield, on Sacandaga Lake, N.Y., as well as her son, Domenic P. Vecchiarelli, and his wife, Jennifer O'Beirne, of Scotia, N.Y., and her beloved grandson, Nicolas "Nico" P.J. Vecchiarelli, of Scotia, New York. I deeply miss them both. Visitation and funeral services were held at Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Scotia, New York, on Tuesday, March 28th. It was attended by friends, family, and “Paesani” from as far away at Rochester, New York City, and Connecticut. Following the Celebration of Life, she was put to rest in Park Cemetery, also in Scotia.

Joanne L Meola of East Brunswick, Middlesex County, NJ was born on December 12, 1956, and died at age 42 years old on March 14, 1999.

William F Meola of Nutley, Essex County, NJ was born on November 28, 1927, and died at age 79 years old on May 10, 2007.

Anthony James Meola was born on May 9, 1992. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Anthony James Meola.

Joseph Meola of Nanuet, Rockland County, NY was born on August 7, 1908, and died at age 65 years old in May 1974.

Geraldine Meola was born on January 1, 1923, and died at age 48 years old in April 1971. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Geraldine Meola.

Rocco F Meola of Brick, Ocean County, NJ was born on July 9, 1914, and died at age 90 years old on March 19, 2005.

Bella R Meola of Palisades Park, Bergen County, NJ was born on December 23, 1911, and died at age 88 years old on January 30, 2000.

Carmine A Meola of Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, FL was born on November 19, 1934, and died at age 61 years old on December 12, 1995.

Nicola Meola of Syracuse, Onondaga County, NY was born on February 6, 1888, and died at age 90 years old in September 1978.

John Meola of Paterson, Passaic County, NJ was born on August 30, 1919, and died at age 65 years old in March 1985.

Arthur A Meola of Providence, Providence County, RI was born on October 1, 1911, and died at age 94 years old on June 29, 2006.

Giuseppe Meola was born on March 18, 1913, and died at age 56 years old in August 1969. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Giuseppe Meola.

Edward A Meola of Tucson, Pima County, AZ was born on March 21, 1912, and died at age 79 years old on November 5, 1991.

Lisa Marie Meola of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio was born on September 29, 1961, and died at age 45 years old on September 3, 2007.

Rose Meola was born on August 23, 1912, and died at age 60 years old in October 1972. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Rose Meola.

Emil Meola of Paterson, Passaic County, NJ was born on March 2, 1904, and died at age 76 years old in March 1980.