Former TribLive reporter William P. Modoono, known by colleagues for his exceptional writing and lighthearted nature, died in his home April 12 at age 77.
Modoono, born in June 1948 in Malden, Mass., covered sports for the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before becoming a senior writer for UPMC Health Plan.
Modoono is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary, whom he met while a student at Lexington High School.
Their first date took place on Modoono’s 18th birthday, Mary said.
“We were lucky,” she said. “We were fortunate to have so many years.”
Modoono worked at the Manchester Journal in Vermont for about a year following the closure of the Pittsburgh Press in 1992, Mary said. She and their three children remained hundreds of miles away in Pittsburgh’s Edgewood neighborhood.
“It was such a tumultuous time with the paper closing,” she said. “Those are the tough times when places go out of business.”
The family considered moving out to Vermont with him. But Modoono couldn’t part with Pittsburgh permanently, Mary said.
Despite her husband’s love of sports, it was never an interest the couple shared, Mary said.
“Sports was not what brought us together or kept us together,” she said. “That’s what he did, and I could appreciate that.”
The couple enjoyed playing Bridge together, discussing the books they had recently read and going to the Manor Theatre in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood to catch movies.
“He was a very interesting person. He had a great sense of humor, a great wit, great intelligence. He was curious about people, curious about things,” Mary said. “People would say ‘Oh, he must regale you with great stories.’ But when he met new people, he wanted to hear their story.”
‘He had a way to turn a phrase’
Modoono was known around the newsroom for his quips, said Jerry DiPaola, who worked at the Press with the Rutgers University graduate until the paper’s closure. The two worked together at the Trib for several years after that.
“He was a fun guy, because he was always a guy you could joke with,” DiPaola said. “And he was a really, really good writer.”
DiPaola admired Modoono’s natural writing style and ability to spot stories in his surroundings.
“He would write pretty much the way he spoke,” DiPaola said. “It was always something where you’d go ‘Oh boy, Bill, that’s pretty neat. Thanks for making me feel good today.’”
Former Trib sports reporter Joe Rutter believed the newsroom gained instant credibility when Modoono was hired.
“He was a talented writer. He was very gifted,” Rutter said. “You could throw him in any assignment and he would come out with a good story. He was marvelous that way. He had a way to turn a phrase, and he was a very positive individual.”
Modoono is survived by his siblings, John and Edward Modoono and Carol Hemming; children Emily Sadler, Elizabeth Yennie and Jesse Modoono; and grandchildren Lucas Sadler and Santiago and Mats Modoono.
Funeral arrangements are being managed by Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home & Crematory in East Pittsburgh Borough. A celebration of life will be held on Modoono’s birthday, June 4, Mary said.