Dr. Giovanni Runci, Dvm

Dr. Giovanni Runci, DVM, age 84 of Forest Hill, MD, formerly of Bel Air, passed away on January 6, 2012 at Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace, MD. Born in Letojanni, Sicily, Italy, he was the son of the late Giuseppe Runci and Carmela Celi Runci and husband of the late Nunziata "Nancy" Nicolosi DiCara Runci. He graduated from the University of Messina on June 23, 1956 and received his Specialty Certificates in Artificial Insemination from the internationally recognized Universities of Perugia and Napoli. He and his wife were married on October 30, 1960 in Italy at the church Santissima Annunciata where his brother, Msgr. Giuseppe Runci, officiated. This was the same church seen in all three of the "Godfather" movies. They then received a congratulatory telegram from Pope John 23rd. They immigrated to the United States on August 23, 1961. He worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture before joining the Maryland State Department of Agriculture where he supervised their meat and poultry inspection programs. After his retirement in 1992, he and his wife lived half the time in the United States and the other half in Sicily where they built a villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Dr. Runci is survived by his daughters, Carmela Rosetta Runci of Abingdon, MD and Nancy Brletich and her husband, Richard, of Forest Hill, MD; and four grandchildren whom he adored, Gabriella Christina Howard, William Alfred Howard V, Richard Thomas Brletich II, and John Joseph Brletich. In addition to his parents and wife, he was predeceased by his brothers, Msgr. Giuseppe Runci and Gaetano Runci.