Dennis P. Salerno 1950-2022

Dennis was born Nov. 18, 1950, in Youngstown, the son of Frank and Loretta DeMathews Salerno, who were lifelong Niles residents. He was a 1968 graduate of Niles McKinley High School, where he lettered in football.

He went on to Ohio State University, where after a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1972 , he earned a master’s degree in Italian literature in 1974, teaching Italian at the university as he pursued that degree.

In 1975, he joined the United States Army and finished a 25-year career, retiring in 2000. During this time, he was stationed in numerous places in the United States, as well as three assignments in Italy and one in Turkey, participating in three wars, as well as multiple peacekeeping/peace enforcement operations. Most notable were Desert Storm in 1991, Bosnia in 1995 and Kosovo in 1998.

In Desert Storm, he was the communications operations officer for the 101st Airborne Division, where he planned, executed and participated in the communications system that propelled the division on the air and ground assault into Iraq, earning him the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally meritorious service while engaged in combat operations against an enemy of the United States. In Bosnia, he was chief of NATO Communications Operations and Plans, where he designed, resourced and implemented all communications for NATO in the Balkans, repeating the task for Kosovo.

Retiring from the military in 2000, Dennis opted to accept a NATO civilian job as chief satellite communications engineer in Verona, Italy, instead of promotion to colonel. There, he oversaw a $74 million project to expand the site and enhance NATO communications throughout the alliance.

He and his wife purchased homes in the Valpolicella wine region in the hills north of Verona. He again retired in 2016, and together with his wife and many friends, continued to pursue all their hobbies: travel, exploring foreign cultures, wineries, food, museums and local customs. No one knew the history, food and drink or culture of Italy like Dennis. He often led groups to visit wineries, restaurants and museums. If you named the town, he would tell you where to eat, what to eat, what to see and where to stay. He was a true gourmand, or “buongustaio” in Italian, and taught many Italians and Americans about the finer things of Italian food and wine.

Additionally Dennis was a big game hunter. He had numerous trophies from Europe, as well as South Africa, where he even scored a cape buffalo. He always followed ethical hunting principles, never taking endangered or stressed animals.

He will be truly missed by his wife of 47 years, Patricia “Patty” Holmes Salerno, a true Army wife, who loyally followed him to every assignment, and while there, contributed significantly to the morale and welfare of the military community through community involvement and dedicated teaching in the U.S. Department of Defense School System, where she was selected Teacher of The Year in 2006. They were a great pair and shared their passion for life and a deep love for each other.

He will also be missed by his sister, Celeste Falter and her husband, Randy; their children, Kristi Vitelli and her husband, Eric, and Matthew Falter and his wife, Kim; brother-in-law, Robert Holmes and his wife, Miriam; and their children, Melissa Christiansen and her husband, Ryan, Sarah Wunderlich and her husband, Wes, and David Holmes; great-nieces and great-nephews, Cameron and Cailynn Vitelli, Keira and Soren Christensen, Oscar Wunderlich, and Becca and Rachelle Calvin; cousins, David and Michael DeMathews, and Bobby Salerno and his wife, Kathleen; all of the Venettis, Frank Cannell and his wife, Patty; Rich Corea and his wife, Linda; and many other cousins.

Furthermore, he will be missed by literally thousands of people throughout the world, many in Italy, Eastern Europe and every state in the USA. He believed in American core values of freedom, rugged individualism and liberty, but also expounded the importance of multinational engagement and fostering relationships worldwide.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Niles, where Dennis will be honored for his military service by the Trumbull County American Legion Honor Guard.

Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery.

Material contributions can be sent to The Wounded Warrior Project, 600 River Ave. Suite 400, Pittsburgh. Pa. 15212.

Arrangements are being handled by the Joseph Rossi and Sons Funeral Home in Niles. Family and friends can visit www.josephrossifuneralhome.com to view this obituary and send condolences to Dennis’s family.

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