Thomas C. Nicolla, Sr.

Loudonville-Thomas C. Nicolla, Sr., 90, died peacefully after a long illness on Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Born in Cohoes, he was the son of the late Chris and Kaliopi Vasil Nicolla. Mr. Nicolla graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering. He was a US Army World War II veteran, and participated in the liberation of Bayreuth, Germany. He received an award from the Austrian government for liberating several concentration camps. He worked with NYS Department of Public Works, and retired from the Department of Transportation after 29 years of employment. He spent many years designing the bridges and highways in this area. He also operated a successful engineering and surveying consulting business. He was responsible for many of the large housing developments in this area. He was the husband of the late Mary Anne Empert Nicolla; father of Thomas C. Nicolla, Jr. (Roxanne), Mary Ellen Dassatti (Ed), Katherine Wilson (Robert), and Joseph Nicolla (Jessica); grandfather of Jennifer Rai (Morgan), Rebecca Coffey (David), Jonathan Nicolla, Stephanie Nicolla, Thomas Dassatti (Ilaina), John Dassatti, Michael Wilson, Christopher Nicolla, and Danielle Nicolla; great grandfather of Finnigan and Samuel Coffey; brother of Rita Vangel and the late Nicholas Nicolla; several nieces and nephews survive. Tom loved to vacation with his late wife of 60 years and in later life spent endless hours trying to conquer the stock market. Tom loved to travel and made many visits to Europe where he received awards for his actions during the war. He enjoyed sports and frequent trips to casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. He looked forward to his monthly DOT retiree lunches. Tom liked to tell countless stories to his children and grandchildren of his days in the army. He was funny, charming, and generous and enjoyed being with his family and friends. Funeral services will be private, at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Thomas C. Nicolla, Sr. may be made to Albany Medical Center Hospital c/o Albany Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 8928, Albany, NY 12208 or online at https://community.amc.edu/givenow. To leave a message for the family, please visit www.LGFuneralHome.com

Thomas C. Nicolla, Sr.

April 10, 1923 - December 18, 2013