Look around Indiana – and Indiana County – and it is not long before you see the handiwork of Chuck Spadafora. From his service as a Marine in Vietnam to his business career with the Colonial family of dealerships, to his tireless work advocating for charitable causes and the county as a whole, he built a legacy as one of Indiana’s most loved and reliable advocates.
Charles “Chuck” Spadafora passed away Thursday at the age of 77.
His family moved to Indiana in 1946 and Chuck graduated from Indiana High School, moving on to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a two-time 165-pound champion boxer (in his senior year, his younger brother’ “W.H.”, was the Academy’s light heavyweight champion), graduating in 1963 and later earning the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry as a member of the Marine Corps.
Tony Renda, the CEO of Renda Broadcasting, and a fellow Marine, said that those leadership qualities were brought home and given to the community.
Spadafora’s service to his community is just as impressive as his service to his country. He served as a board member with many organizations, including with S&T Bank for about 27 years. Todd Brice, president and CEO of S&T talked about how he would miss Spadafora.
Spadafora was also a part of the Chamber of Commerce, where he served a stint as president; and with the United Way, Spirit Life, and many other organizations. Former State Senator Don White said that he was one to give his all for any cause he believed in.
Spadafora has also been a source of inspiration for children and youth in both education and athletics and he and his family are longtime superfans and boosters of Indiana High School and IUP sports.
Among his many awards, Chuck Spadafora has been named Civic Leader of the Year and Athena Award recipient, and with his late father, Cecil, he is a member of the Indiana County Business Hall of Fame.
He is also being remembered as the father figure and family man, especially by Monsignor Larry Kiniry, who was a pastor at St. Bernards’s in Indiana.
