Richard D. Ceresa Jr.

Richard Deodato Ceresa Jr. of College Park, Maryland, passed away September 3, 2022 after
losing his battle with cancer.

Richard was born in 1935 to Richard D Ceresa Sr. and Mary (Shoff) Ceresa in New Jersey. The family later settled in Ebensburg, Pa. where Richard grew up along with his sister Mary and brother Jim. After graduating High School he joined the Army and was stationed in South Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was deployed to Panama in 1953 attached to an artillery battery guarding the east end of the Panama Canal. Upon returning to South Park he met and married his wife of 57 years, Rosethel (Comer) Ceresa and went on to have five children: Richard III, Rose Marie, Patrick, Michael and John. After being discharged from the Army, he worked in the J & L steel mill in Pittsburgh as an electrician where he picked up the nickname (Switch). He also enrolled in technical school where he received an electronic technician’s certification. Upon graduation, he moved his family to Alexandria, Virginia and began working for the Litton Corporation as an electronics technician. Two years later he accepted a job with Fairchild Hiller Corp. and moved his family to College Park, Maryland where he lived for the last 61 years. While working as a contractor at NASA Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland he was offered a position with the federal government. He worked at Goddard in the Sound Rocket Division test firing rockets at numerous test sites including Wallops Island, Virginia and White Sands, New Mexico. He was transferred in the late 70s to the Payload Support Division supporting the Space Shuttle program. He retired from NASA after 30 years as Division Director of Payload Support. He always said that working at NASA never felt like work because he loved it so much. He spent his retirement years with family, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. He liked to travel with his wife Rose, extended family and small group of friends, taking numerous trips throughout the US, with his favorite location being Alaska. He also loved football and in his later years became addicted to the television shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, which he enjoyed watching with his son John.
Richard is survived by his sons Richard (Naomi) Ceresa III, Michael Ceresa, John Ceresa, his daughter Rose (Donald Griffith) Ceresa, his daughter-in-law Jackie Ceresa, 8 grandchildren, 1
step grandchild, 19 great grandchildren and 2 step great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Patricia (Edmond) Rosenfeld and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
Richard was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years Rose Ceresa (Comer), his son Patrick Ceresa, his daughter-in-law Karen Ceresa and his siblings, James Ceresa and Mary Clements.
In lieu of flowers, donations can made to St Jude, a favorite charity of both Richard and his wife Rose.