Albert B. Cinelli

      Albert B. Cinelli, M.D., passed away late afternoon, Saturday, May 12, 2018

      Born April 12, 1937 in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, Albert B. Cinelli was the son of Albert A. Cinelli and Dorothy  Margaret LaFleur, originally of Manchester, New Hampshire.  He is the grandson of Pietro Arthuro Cinelli, who was prominent in the banking and real estate market on the famed Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, New York.  He attended Public Schools in New York City during which time he became an Eagle Scout.  While living as a youngster in New York, he was active at St. George’s Episcopal Church, and attended its summer camp near Kingston, New York for many years both as a camper (where he received the Honor Boy award) and later as a counselor.  Leaving public schools in New York, he later attended The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey.   Following graduation, he attended Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in Delaware, Ohio, where he met his loving wife, Suzanne.  During his undergraduate years, Dr. Cinelli was in the acapella choir and served as the choir master.  During his pre-med years at OWU, he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi.  He also did undergraduate studies at Fordham University in New York. Since graduating, he has been an active alumnus of Ohio Wesleyan, involved with fund raisng and various class reunions.  He also served for several years as trustee and charter member of Ohio Wesleyan’s Ross Art Museum.  Dr. Cinelli attended Georgetown University, where he received his medical degree.  His internship was completed at the Providence Hospital in Washington, D. C.  This was followed by graduate studies in ophthalmology at the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary in New York City, with additional graduate work at New York University and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Cinelli also served as a Captain in the Air National Guard of New York, NYANG Hq. 152nd Tactical Control Group while in New York & Ohio.

      Dr. Cinelli came to Youngstown in 1967, joining the practice of Elmer J. Wenaas & George B. Pugh.  The group evolved from Wenaas, Pugh and Cinelli, Inc. into Eye Care Associates, Inc. in 1971.  Dr. Cinelli served as president for 25 years.  Eye Care grew over those years into a leading ophthalmological multi-specialty group.  He was the first Youngstown surgeon to perform a corneal transplant in 1968, and with his associate, Dr. Pugh, was involved with retinal & implantation surgery, as well as, general ophthalmology.

      Dr. Cinelli was a member of the Mahoning County Medical Society, the Ohio Medical Society, the Ohio Medical Society, and the American Medical Association.  He was a diplomat in the American Academy of Ophthalmology, was board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and the International College of Surgeons.  He was on staff of all Youngstown area hospitals.  He served as Chief of Ophthalmology at YHA (now Valley Care) for several years until 1996.

      During his Youngstown years, Dr. Cinelli served on the board of Children’s and Family Services (now Compass), where he also served as its president.  He was on the board of the Youngstown Society for the Blind and a consultant for the Melvin E. Jones Eye Bank.  He was a consultant with Easter Seals and was on the allocations committee for the Youngstown United Way.  He served for 17 years as a trustee of the Butler Institute of Art and also served as president of the Board for two years, following Joseph Butler III & Carl Dennison.  He also chaired the board of advisors for the McDonough Museum of Contemporary Art at Youngstown State University.  Dr. Cinelli served on fund raising committees for the Youngstown Opera Guild, Opera Western Reserve, the Renaissance Center, and Neil Kennedy Recovery Center.  He served on the board for Neil Kennedy for several years, and later became its president.  In April 2017, Dr. Cinelli and his partners opened the Pugh, Cinelli, Wang and Gerberry “Vision House”, a home for women in recovery through the Neil Kennedy Recovery Center.

      He served on the board of Neighborhood Ministries and Gateway Rehabilitation Center of Pittsburgh and on the advisory board of the Mahoning County Juvenile Center.  He was a member of the 1989 Leadership Youngstown class, which gave him an opportunity to better understand the Valley and its needs and direction.  Dr. Cinelli received the “Man of the Year” award from the Y. W. C. A. in 1991.

      Dr. Cinelli was a long-time member of St. John’s Episcopal Church where he had served on the Vestry and several committees.  He received the Community Citizens Award from the church in 1972, and again in 2013.

      Dr. Cinelli was married in 1963 to the former Suzanne Louise Vacha of Cleveland, Ohio.  He leaves two daughters, Jennifer (Peter) Cinelli-Kickbush of Virginia and Pamela (Philip) Saloom of Ohio.  He also leaves six grandsons, Hayden, Lincoln, Dorin, Tristan, Rohan, and Marin of Virginia; and a sister, Dorothy (Thomas) Powers of Florida.

      There will be no calling hours.  Memorial services are being planned for Saturday, June 9, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church and will be announced at a later date.  Arrangements are being made through the L. E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.

      In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 323 Wick Ave., Youngstown, Ohio 44503, or Neil Kennedy Recovery Center, 2151 Rush Blvd., Youngstown Ohio 44507.

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