The Devlyn Amigos

Dear Family of Rotary:

It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of one of my dearest friends and one of Rotary's most devoted servants.  On Thursday morning, December 13, 2012 Past RI Vice President Lou Piconi succumbed following a lengthy battle with cancer.  He passed at home in Bethel-St. Clair, Pennsylvania (USA) at 10:30 am with his family at his side. 

Lou, was a dedicated Rotarian who served Rotary as a Foundation Trustee (2007-2011), RI Director (1999-2001), and RI Vice President 2000-2001 during my year as Rotary President. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am, Monday, December 17 at St. Louise de Marillac Church, 310 McMurray Road, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. 

Lou's true passion was the global eradication of polio and he served The Rotary Foundation tirelessly for more than a decade to help raise the funds to make Rotary's dream of a Polio-free world a reality. His passion was such that he continued to do so even as his illness progressed. Lou's heart was as big as he was and we shall miss his laughter, his passion and his undaunted spirit.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the PolioPlus fund of The Rotary Foundation. Please make your check payable to The Rotary Foundation or PolioPlus and send along with a card of condolence to:

Louis Piconi TRF Memorial
c/o PDG Walt Schloer
61835 Walter Court
Bend, OR 97702

PDG Walt Schloer will receive all of the memorials and forward them to TRF in the name of the donor(s) and have them credited to your TRF account as a PolioPlus contribution. At the same time, your condolence cards will be sent to Barbara Piconi along with a notation of your memorial in Lou's honor.

Final Tribute

Some time ago, Lou was asked to contribute a page to the Rotary Global History Fellowship web site. As was typical, his submission was a true reflection of the man himself and we offer it here as a final tribute.

"I am a Rotarian because Rotary and The Rotary Foundation make my favorite poem a reality every minute of every day, of every week, of every year":

Louis Piconi

God has given me a place on earth to be here for a while
I hope that as I'm passing through I will make somebody smile
I want to make life easier for all those that I meet
I ask God for His blessings to the strangers on the street
I hope I'll never fail a child if I can help somehow
I want to be as generous as my resources will allow
And when my life on earth is done, it will be my final plea
Let someone somewhere think or say
"You made a difference to me".

. . . author unknown

Your Amigo in Mexico City