There are many interesting things in my genealogy. My father served in the 2nd MASH unit which was the first to go to Korea. My grandfather's brother married my grandmother's sister and they lived together in a cold water flat for three years during the depression. When they split up my father thought he was losing half of his family. Both of my grandmothers were named Elizabeth Mooney. Both of my grandmother's fathers emigrated from Ireland through Scotland where they were born, then they went to Canada, from there to the United States. On my mother's side an Amos harper died in the Civil War. His father was from Wiesbaden Germany. They Changed their names from Herker to Harker to be more American. My great-grandfather Antonio Colucci Came to the United States from Italy when he was three and became a citizen in New York City in 1897. He refused to talk about Italy and always insisted he was an American. As far as I know my background is Italian, Irish, Scotch, French, English and German.

Father - Rocco Colucci

Rocco Colucci was born in Roselle Park, New Jersey on October 23, 1928. He is the son of Rocco Colucci and Elizabeth Mooney. He is married to Louise Katherine Colucci (nee Armington). He presently lives in Denville, New Jersey. He is a Chemist at ARRADCOM as an Explosive Components expert. At times he serves as a host for foreign scientists. He has escorted people from Korea and Germany. In high school he was a running back for the football team which won three consecutive state titles. After high school he went to Rutgers University for two years. He then went into the army. He was a corporal in the 2nd MASH unit which was the first to go to Korea. In the MASH unit he worked as a medical lab technician. After the war he went back to Rutgers nights for five years until he graduated in 1957. He worked at ESSO as a lab technician in the High Energy Propellants Division. He met his wife working at ESSO, she also was a lab technician. They were married a St. Lawrence Church, Lawrence Harbor, New Jersey on September 10, 1960. They have three children William, June 16, 1961; ???

Mother - Louise Katherine Colucci (Armington)

Louise Katherine Armington was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on February 2, 1927. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Hazel Mooney and Walter Milton Armington. She has one brother, William. She is married to Rocco Colucci. She is presently living in Denville New Jersey. She is a homemaker and an employee of J.C. Penny. She spent her summers in Rhode Island and her winters in Bayonne, New Jersey until she was sixteen. Because of World War II she worked while she was in high school because all the men were being drafted. She only had to take History and English at night. She became a lab technician. She worked at Tidewater Associated Oil Company for eleven years and attended Seton Hall University for eleven years. She worked one year at the National Lead Company, Dutch Boy Paint, then she worked six years at ESSO as a lab technician. She has two patents on transmission oils. She met her future husband there and got married at St Lawrence Church, Lawrence Harbor, New Jersey, September 10, 1960. They have three children. William on June 16, 1961, Paul on March 15, 1963 and Thomas on April 12, 1966. She is actively involved in Cub Scouts, Little League and she is a CCD teacher.

Maternal Grandfather - Walter Milton Armington

Walter Milton Armington was born in South Providence, Rhode Island, December 23, 1890. He is the son of William Henry Armington and Louise Finneway. He had a brother who died as an infant and had a sister Winefred. He was married to Elizabeth Hazel Mooney. He was a mischievous little kid. He used to hop freight trains all over, even to Chicago. He ran away quite often. He held all kinds of odd jobs until World War I. He was drafted into the army. He was about to be shipped to Europe to fight but caught the Spanish Flu and couldn't go. He was a private first class and was discharged on the 31st of December 1918. He met his future wife while in the army and married at Saint Henry's Church, Bayonne, New Jersey on the date of November 27, 1924. After he got out of the army he worked at the Tide Water Oil Company . His job was to take the wax out of oil. He worked there for twenty years until the company shut down. He then retired. At the age of 73 after the death of his wife, he moved to his daughter's house. He died on August 2, 1983 at the age of 84. He was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Keyport, New Jersey.

Maternal Grandmother - Elizabeth Hazel Armington (Mooney)

Elizabeth Hazel Mooney was born on April 9, 1892 at Bayonne, New Jersey. She died on May 2, 1963. She was the daughter of Thomas Mooney and Katherine Boos. She had two brothers; Charles and Londolin. She was married to Walter Milton Armington. Her Father died when she was five. Her mother died and she had to bring up her step-sisters and brothers. Her brother, Londolin went on to become a band leader and then on to managing Rudy Valley and Fred Waring. She met her future husband on a blind date during the war (1918) when a friend asked her to double date because her boyfriend bring a friend. They were married at St. Henry's Church, Bayonne, New jersey on November 16, 1924. She had two children. Louise Katherine on February 2, 1927, William Thomas on August 6, 1932. She was ill for a number of years.

Maternal Great-grandfather - William Henry Armington

William Henry Armington was born on March 13, 1856, at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He died on September 15, 1938. He was on the Pawtucket Fire Department, Broadway Street Company for more than fifty years. He was a captain for his last twenty-five years. In his early seventies he was thrown from a ladder while testing the new pneumatic hose. He became an invalid and soon died. He was married to Louise Aloise Finneway. They were married on April 11, 1884 at Pawtucket Rhode Island. He had three Children, one who died in infancy. The other two were named Walter Milton and Winefred Eloise.

Maternal Great-grandmother - Louise Aloise Armington (Finneway)

Louise Aloise Finneway was born on Cape Bretten Island, Nova Scotia on July 13, 1867. She died on January 13, 1958. She is the daughter of Augustus Finneway and Marceline Gray. She was the oldest of thirteen children, eleven boys and two girls. They were brought up in Montague, Prince Edward Island, Canada. At the age of fourteen, she came to the United States and was a servant in a house around Providence, Rhode Island. She married William Henry Armington on April 11, 1884 at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. They had three children. One died in childbirth. The other two were Walter Milton and Winnifred Eloise.

Maternal Great-grandfather - Thomas Mooney

Thomas Mooney's parents were from Ireland and immigrated to the United States. She got pregnant and had to stay in Scotland till Thomas was born. This was because a woman was not allowed to enter the United States while pregnant. His brother Luke was the first Catholic to become a manager in the New York office of the Standard Oil Company. He later became the general manager for the Aruba Oil Refinery of Standard Oil. He died in 1897.

Maternal Great-grandmother - Katherine Mooney (Boos)

Katherine Boos is the daughter of Elizabeth Harker and a man named Boos. She was married to Thomas Mooney. She lived in Bayonne, New Jersey. She had three Children, Charles, Hazel Elizabeth and Londolin. Thomas Mooney died after the birth of the third child. She remarried a man named Toby. She had four children by him and then she died.

Maternal Great-great-grandfather Augustus Finneway and Marceline Gray

lived in Cape Bretten Island, Canada and had thirteen children.

The following is included with the above, but does not seem to fit:

Elizabeth Harker married a man named Charles Fediick ? and they had a daughter named Katherine and a son, Edward. He died and she married a man named Hellwig ? (no children). Her father's name was Herker and he came from Wiesbaden, Germany before 1860. When he got here he changed his name to Harker because he thought it was more American. Her oldest brother, Amos, was killed in the Civil War.

Paternal Grandfather - Rocco Anthony Colucci

Rocco Anthony Colucci was born in Roselle Park, New Jersey, October 27, 1907. He died January 2, 1978. He is the son of Antonio Colucci and Marie Antonio Brunette. He has seven brothers and sisters, James, Minnie, Margaret, John, Mildred, Anthony and Joseph. He was married to Elizabeth Frances Mooney. His formal education ended at the eighth grade. He was a professional prize fighter in the lightweight division. His brother John married his wife's sister Gertrude. They all lived together in a cold-water flat during the depression. He was a bus driver and was upgraded to a bus state inspector. He was a bowler on the company team and they were so good that they got invited to the championship held in Chicago. They drove to Chicago and their hands got so swollen that they couldn't get their fingers in their balls to bowl. They have three sons, Rocco, born October 23 1928, Anthony Robert, born November 10, 1932, and John who was born December 6, 1935.

Paternal Grandmother - Elizabeth Frances Colucci (Mooney)

Elizabeth Frances Mooney was born in Roselle Park, New Jersey on August 7, 1907. She is the daughter of Nathaniel Mooney and Elizabeth Whiriskey. She had seven brothers and sisters; Gertrude, Nathaniel, Francis, Rose, Charles Milton, and Evelyn. She was married to her late husband, Rocco Anthony Colucci. She presently lives in Roselle Park, New Jersey with her son John and his family. She is now seventy-one years old. She finished one year of high school. She worked for a Sterling Silver Company in New York City and was employed there as a secretary. She Commuted to work by trolley and ferry. She worked there for three years until she was married. She married her husband on November 21, 1928, in the Church of the Assumption, Roselle Park. Her Brother Milton was killed in France during World War II. She had three children; Rocco, Anthony Robert, and John.

Paternal Great-grandfather - Antonio Colucci

Antonio Colucci was born in Italy. Died in 1950. He was married to Marie Antonio Brunette. After he came to the US. from Italy he lived in Hells Kitchen in New York City. His wife lived at 438 West 54th Street and he lived at 440 West 54th Street so they were neighbors. They were married in New York City on September 24, 1896. He became a citizen on July 26, 1899 in New York City. He moved to Roselle Park, New Jersey and had a horse drawn fruit stand. After a few years he opened a tavern called the Sportsman's Tavern. He ran it for the rest of his life. He refused to talk about Italy because he insisted he was an American. His grandson, Rocco, was not allowed on the railroad tracks, so one day he and his friends got brave and went up on the tracks. When he got up there he saw Antonio at the bottom so he ran down and nothing happened. When Rocco got home for supper, Antonio came in, put him over his knee, spanked him and said "He knows what it is for" and left. He had eight kids. James, Rocco, Anthony, Joseph, Margaret, Minnie and Mildred.

Paternal Great-grandmother - Marie Antonio Colucci (Brunette)

Marie Antonio Brunette was born in New York City. She died somewhere around the early 1960s. She lived on 438 West 54th Street right next door to her future husband Antonio Colucci. They were married in New York City on September 24, 1896. She was a house wife and mother. She had eight children. Their names were: James, Rocco, John, Anthony, Joseph, Margaret, Minnie and Mildred, who was also called Millie.

Paternal Great-grandfather - Nathaniel Mooney

Nathaniel Mooney was born in Scotland while his parents were emigrating from Ireland to the United States. They were not allowed to enter the United States till she had the baby. He died in August, 1963. He was married to Elizabeth Whiriskey on November 19, 1909. He worked at the Esso Refinery in Linden as a Stationary Engineer. He got in an accident with a new chemical. After he got out of the hospital, he became a guard at the Esso Refinery. There he worked for the rest of his life. His grandson Rocco looked up to him so much as a child that he wanted to be just like him. Because of the accident, Nathaniel had to take sodium bicarbonate. So Rocco always drank along with him. He had seven children; Elizabeth, Gertrude, Nathaniel, Francis, Rose, Charles Milton, and Evelyn.

Paternal Great-grandmother - Elizabeth Whiriskey

Elizabeth Whiriskey was born on December 5, 1887. She died in 1965. She was married to Nathaniel Mooney on November 29, 1905. She was a housewife all her life because she was married at eighteen. She had seven children; Elizabeth, Gertrude, Nathaniel, Francis, Rose, Charles Milton and Evelyn.

Paternal Great-great-grandfather - Charles Whiriskey

Charles Whiriskey was married to Caroline Bentler at St Anne's Church, Philadelphia on the 13th of August, 1876. He Died on December 21, 1915. They had nine children: Nellie on November 6, 1877, Mary on November 19, 1880, Cary on March 6, 1883, Hatie on October 1, 1885. Maggie on February 19, 189-, Annie on October 8, 1892, Elizabeth on December 5, 1877, Gertrude on October 20, 1895 and Catherine on March 1900.

Bill Colucci's notes and memories of Rocco Colucci, 1928-1990, some literal, some opinion.

He told, when discussing particularly left-wing politics, the story of a novel he had read. It was a novel about a bunch of radicals in a Banana republic. The book followed their brave, honest and just struggle against a vicious dictator. Upon the overthrow of their enemy, and their ascendance to power, the rebels were faced with severe problems since the nation was in no better shape than had been, and was worse off for a war. The extremity of the problems leads the ascendant rulers to resort to some of the same nasty tactics as used by the dictator before them. This was due to the lack of resources available to on the whole to government due to the poverty and backwardness of the society, the violent culture, and just the lack of ability to govern of rebels who gained victory through military, not administrative success.

He was a big reader of Civil War histories, and took all of us to many Civil War battlefields on vacations. He reveled in accounts of the role of personalities, and personal dramas in contrast to the overall forces of necessity that might otherwise be seen to be the only and final factor. For the Civil War, the North should have won because of their superior resources, but he would point out interesting stories that showed that this was not the final word. For example, there was an account he had read of an army that a division, or corps that delayed in marching into battle because it's commander disappeared, thus losing the overall battle. It turned out the officer was caught in bed with a wife by her husband, who shot them both.

He thought Robert Heinlien, in his younger years as a writer, was the best he had ever read for technique, besides writing fascinating stories. He did not think Heinlien was much good anymore though, because he seemed to follow a new fashion in science fiction, a fashion that seems to emphasize psychological, and surrealistic themes.

The last time I saw him, he was upset in general, though of course hiding it well. His eyes were tearing a little bit, before and while he drove me to the bus stop. On the way, I brought up a topic, I forget what, just to have a talk, and he ended up saying that Mother Theresa, and others who are known to do people good, wouldn't be able to if they had some health problems. I thought that this was somewhat out of context of our conversation, and so thought that he was trying to say something, that he was reluctant to say directly. When we arrived at the bus stop, he insisted that we sit in the car and wait. We joked that his big Buick was just like waiting in the living room, but without a TV. He insisted on helping me get my bags out of the car, and as we faced each other, he put out his hand, bowing his head a little, as if shy about it. We shook. I started by him, and since we were between cars, had to go sideways. We bumped into each other, and I apologized for being clumsy, but he insisted it was his big belly. I said, after we were apart a few yards and I really was standing already where I would wait for the bus, ‘I love you dad’. I think because I recognized that he was looking unhealthy, and feeling badly, and because of the special importance and attention he seemed to think of this. He said "I love you too, son."

Over Thanksgiving 89, we talked about middle managers, and workers in general being successfully sued for responsibility in work related crimes. He argued that managers and workers had to be careful, and refuse orders that might be construed as illegal. Later, my mother told me he had been put in charge of a project to clean up toxic wastes, and the boss had wanted him to put too little time into planning. It seems this would increase overhead costs, and these costs are the criterion upon which management is judged. Dad refused, they had some loud words, but the boss gave in.

One time, while we were sitting next to each other on the couch, a few years ago, he said, only partly related to a conversation, looking up from his newspaper, that he thought he might have to turn me in to the police at one time because of the way I was talking radical politics. But he said, that over the years I had persuaded him that the authorities could not be trusted as much as he thought. He said he did not necessarily agree with me, he said he accepted the position as possibly being reasonable, and justifiable.

He talked allot at one time about bureaucracies, and organizational politics. He said that for a long time he thought that by doing science he would be doing something somewhat pure, and black and white. That there would be only one answer, that everybody would see it and that the results would be useful without question. But in work he saw that the good and bad projects got through based largely on political skills as much as force of technical right and wrong. Over the years he decided that he would learn some interpersonal and organizational-political skills so that projects he thought we good could be effectively supported. In a parallel vein, I think is that fact that over the years he learned how to, and to like very much, engaging in small talk, and the little dramas at work, and with people in general. Talking about coffee, stories about family, and things that otherwise didn't seem important enough, he developed a store of habits and things to say for.

In general, I think most of the time he would read, or sit silently, in the house, but in parties he could be hilarious, almost surprisingly.

He was a big Green Bay Packer fan, because he liked Vince Lombardi's coaching philosophy. Very hard working, tough, basic. He believed Lombardi tool players of unremarkable talent, and through emphasizing teamwork, toughness, discipline and pride, made them the best. In watching football, he would invariably say something disapproving of players who would show much emotion on the field, or would get into theatrics.

One of his high school football stories was a game against Westfield, where he talked about this player he ran up against most plays. He said that well into the second half, they had been going at each other full tilt, and he was exhausted. He couch emphasized out lasting the other guy, so at the worst, he decided instead of dragging himself up again, to leap up as best he could. This did the other player in. He heard the other guy say "I can't believe this" and for the rest of the game his opponent gave up playing hard. In college, he played on the freshman team. There he had problems with the coach, because he was light and needed to use his brain and speed, thereby doing unorthodox things as a linebacker. But the coaches wanted him to perform as if he were much larger, and he would get slammed. One time he said, he did what the coaches told him, and stood there for the blockers to find, got knocked down, but then got up and chased the runner to tackle him. In general, Rutgers didn't seem to be a fun time in football.

According to Mom, he turned down a line job when a chemist for Esso because he didn't think he could handle being a salesman, although the money and advancement would be much better. Also, at Picattiny, he was working as a virtual department head, taking responsibility for running the department, though getting paid little because of the hiring and wage freeze on the federal government. At one point, he went to his boss, which was a new one, and was told that he should just stop taking all that responsibility. He did, and at least doubled his salary in the last 10 years as they gave him upgrades to get him to take more responsibility. At the end he was offered a job as head of a project, but refused because his legs and back wouldn't allow him to travel. But they told him that they only wanted to use him as a reference and a problem solver, someone with experience to think things out. He had become the authority and respected expert that he had wanted all along. They were cutting out the politics because they trusted his judgment after all those years of trying to do things the way he thought was right, not best for a career. It paid off. He loved his work in fact. He became the office expert on computers, fighting his boss to take classes on computers and then being asked by the boss to do things quite often once he had the knowledge. He loved to solve problems systematically. He would go to the root, or the idea, and final thing that needed to be done to help reflect on what was being done wrong or how best to do something. He would talk about getting stuck on the procedures and details of a project and being salvaged by just thinking about what the overall idea was, putting it all into context. We would all get frustrated because of this whenever he would explain something. Whether homework, or explaining how a VCR worked, he would insist on giving the idea, and general hints on approaching the topic as a whole, never simply, do this, or do that.

Son of Anthony and Elizabeth Colucci, Brother of Rocco and John -

Robert Anthony Colucci

The following is various stories culled from conversations in 1990.

As Bob worked as an engineer for Picatinney arsenal, his expertise was put to the test when he received a message that there was an emergency, and that he was to examine a report having already to be sent. There was direct contact with a high level officer wondering why his dept.. had not responded to the emergency. The original message, it was discovered, had been sent to the wrong address. The documents were re-routed, and he was suddenly called, told there was a crisis, and flown to Germany. As it turned out, the routines upon which safe handling of the missiles had been violated, and a missile had been dropped from a carrier. It seems the troops doing the work were new, and wanted to get the job done with. The supervising officers and non-commissioned officers illegally went for a smoke, and the men took it upon their own to hasten things by doing the work in the mean time, dropping the missile on the ground while attempting to load it on the launcher. As it was, the missile is not capable of going off unless a certain procedure is gone through to activate the warhead. In any case, missiles don't go off on impact.

Bob went to Germany while in the military in the early 50's, where he visited Heidelburg off duty. He described it as a city of rubble. Except for every third building, which was reconstructed with materials drawn out of the rubble. He was struck by the fact that the Germans seemed to use every last resource at their disposal: even the wild forests were like parks in the US because the Germans went through, picking up and using or burning anything that fell from the trees. Each tree was labeled, furthermore, and checked by the town by the numbers on these labels to help insure that they were not taken down without permission.

He went to college on the GI bill, where they paid for tuition, and maybe books. But he wasn't prepared to go to college by his High School, so he had to go to a junior college. His parents supported him by housing and feeding him, although not quite understanding the wish to go to college. There was an understanding that a better living could be thus made, and that was enough. He then went to Missouri university where he was similarly threatened with having not had the proper pre-requisites. But he started his studies successfully, and won a job as an older student, aged 25, as a dorm supervisor, providing room and board. He broke up a few fights in that position, but also oversaw an interesting relationship between two African students placed in the same room by the school computer. They go along well, went everywhere together, talking in their language. One day Bob was told he would want to see what was going on with them in their room. As he approached he heard a fight and called on a couple of bigger guys to help him. The two were at their throats and Bob and the others were forced literally to sit on them to calm them down and get them to cooperate. Asked what they were fighting about, they insulted each other and had to be forced to speak English. It turned out they were from tribes that had ancient amity, and since they were princes of the tribes, there was special responsibility for hatred it seemed. Bob pointed out that the two had gotten along well before they knew each others tribe, and that they might think about their hatred in light of that and the fact that they are leaders soon to be making decisions for their people. They might want to decide to tone down hostilities after all these years. Bob discussed keeping the two together to see if they could get along, as an experiment, and as a possibility for peace between the tribes, but the school felt that they could not allow American foreign affairs issues to result if something went wrong.