Mario Pasquale LaRiccia
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Greece: beloved husband of 42 years, devoted father and grandfather, cherished brother, inspirational uncle, and loyal friend to so many, fought a courageous year-long battle with cholangiocarcinoma and passed away on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the age of 68. Mario left this world as he lived in it — with quiet dignity — surrounded by his loving family and the steadfast faith of friends who stood by him as he went to live in eternity with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Mario is survived by his devoted wife, Michele LaRiccia; his children, Brenton (Sarah) LaRiccia, Nathan (Esther) LaRiccia, and Elisabeth LaRiccia; and his grandchildren, Cameron, Madelyn, Jackson, Giovanni, Isabella, and Sophia.
He is also survived by his siblings, Sylvia (Antonio) Paglia and Nicholas LaRiccia; his brother-in-law, Antonio Facchini; nephews and nieces, Rita (Mark) Jess, Nelson (Anita) Facchini, Dino (Tamara) Facchini, Nancy Facchini; Liborio (Anthoula) Andrisani; Pierre Laurienzo (Jennifer Brown). Joseph Santacroce, Maria Santacroce, Antonella (Pietro) Di Lucca, Antonietta (Robert) Cittadino, Michael (Leisann) Paglia, and Adriana (Fabio) Jeronimo; many great nephews and nieces throughout Italy, Canada, and the United States.
Mario is predeceased by his parents, Giuseppe and Antonietta LaRiccia, his four sisters, Filomena Andrisani, Maria Facchini, Rose Laurienzo of Ontario, Canada, and Giovanna Santacroce of Caserta, Italy.
Mario was born in 1958 in Toronto, Canada to hardworking Italian parents who had emigrated from Italy to Canada with their family in 1954. Mario’s parents along with his older brother and youngest sister moved to Rochester, NY in the mid 1960’s and later settled in the Charlotte area of Rochester, just on the periphery of the suburb of Greece, New York. Mario graduated from Charlotte High School in 1976, where he played varsity football and wrestling–two sports that he thoroughly loved. He was a lifelong Minnesota Vikings fan and enjoyed watching the sport with his brother Nick. He studied Audio Visual Technology at Monroe Community College and Physical Education at SUNY Brockport.
Mario was employed for over 40 years by Eastman Kodak Company, where he worked as a chemical operator in the melting department producing high-quality motion picture film. Mario’s dedication to his craft and the camaraderie and friendships that he shared with his peers at Kodak brought great joy to him during those 41 years. Mario’s motto was, “This is what we do!” And he did it superlatively well. Mario will be remembered by those at Kodak as a man who always had his Bible out on the break room table and had an encouraging word for everyone.
Mario trusted Jesus Christ as His Savior at age 16. A man of great Christian faith, he volunteered in youth ministries, providing busing to inner-city youth to attend church services, and preached the Word of God in nursing homes. Mario completed a Bible degree in 1985 through Liberty Bible Institute and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies at Luther Rice Seminary in 1996, all while working at Kodak and raising a family. He was ordained to Christian Ministry in 1988 at Open Door Baptist Church, and for eleven years in the mid to late 80’s through the late 90’s was Pastor of New Life Baptist Church. Mario supported local ministries and missionary work throughout the world and loved sharing his knowledge of the Lord.
Outside of work and the ministry, Mario married the love of his life, Michele, in 1984 and together they built a beautiful family, homeschooling their children to be the successful adults they are today. Mario worked tirelessly on home improvement projects for himself and for his family. He had a youthful sense of optimism and always made time for family and friends. Mario adored his grandchildren and delighted in attending his grandchildren’s home games. His children and grandchildren were the apple of his eye. To them, Mario dedicated himself completely–a family man in every sense, bringing endless enjoyment and adventure to their lives, going on excursions together and sharing his heritage with his family on a recent trip to Italy. Mario embodied all that is good, decent, and true as he followed his Lord and Savior.
The family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses of the Wilmot Cancer Center for the care provided. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to Wilmot Cancer Center. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/cancer-institute/giving/make-a-gift
Mario’s Memorial Service will be held at Faith Bible Church, 1095 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623 on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM. A private family viewing and interment will be held earlier that day.
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Dear Michele and family,
So sorry for the loss of your dear husband, and father, and grandfather. Praise the Lord for your 42 years together and faithfulness in serving the Lord.
In the loss of one so dear, may you especially know …
God’s grace – Romans 1:7
Grace to you and peace from God our Father,
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s strength – Psalm 138:3
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
God’s comfort – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
God’s promises – Psalm 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
May the following song minister to your heart.
It Is Not Death to Die
Henri Malan (1787-1864)
It is not death to die to leave this weary road,
and join the saints, who dwell on high, who’ve found their home with God.
It is not death to close the eyes long dimmed by tears,
and wake in joy before your throne, delivered from our fears.
Refrain
O Jesus, conquering the grave.
Your precious blood has power to save.
Those who trust in You will in your mercy find
that it is not death to die.
It is not death to fling aside this earthly dust,
and rise with strong and noble wing, to live among the just.
It is not death to hear the key unlock the door,
that sets us free from mortal years to praise You evermore.
Refrain
O Jesus, conquering the grave.
Your precious blood has power to save.
Those who trust in You will in your mercy find
that it is not death to die.
Michele and Family– Mario was always a joy to be with. I always enjoyed the time that we spoke.It was a blessing to see him at the Faith Keepers event this summer and spend time talking with him– he always had a kind word to say. When Melody was going thru cancer treatments Mario always took the time to seek me out and ask how things were going and to let me know he was praying for her– what a blessing.
I know that he is in Heaven now and you will see him again.
God Bless,
DAN CHRISTA
We miss you, Uncle Mario. You’ve been such a good uncle to us.
I remember Mario being one of the first people to welcome me to Faith Bible at the time that I attended, one of the kindest gentleman that I’ve ever met even though it was for a short amount of time, my prayers and condolences to the LaRiccia family, you will be missed.
Dear Michele, Brent, Nate, Elisabeth and Family,
My heart breaks for you all! We know Mario is in a better place ~ but he will be missed so much. May you remember his smiling face, his encouraging words and his devotion to the Lord and to all of you. He will always hold a special place in my family’s heart as he baptized my daughters and co-performed our wedding. His presence on this earth will be greatly missed!
Love to all of you -The Parker-Woodmans
Dear Michelle, Brent, Nate, Elisabeth, and Family,
I am so sorry to hear about your recent loss. While we can rejoice in knowing that Mario is safely with Jesus, I know that doesn’t take away the sadness of losing someone you love or the empty place he leaves behind.
I first met Mario when he decided to marry one of my favorite English teachers, Michelle! Over the years, I had the privilege of getting to know both of them as we worked together as co-leaders of a homeschooling group, and later as parents of some of my children’s childhood friends. Mario was truly one of those people who was hard not to like. He was gracious, outgoing, warm, and genuinely loving.
I hope that in the days ahead, you’ll find yourselves smiling as you remember the many good times you shared with him. May those memories be a comfort to you, and may you continue to tell the stories of his life so that future generations will know and remember him, too.
You are all in our prayers as you walk through this time of loss.
With love,
Ellen and Matt Gerwitz