Obituary of Aloysius Veras

Aloysius F. Veras Age 92, of Joliet, passed away Saturday, May 15, 2010 at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center emergency room. Born August 1, 1917 in Chicago, he was the son of Alphonse and Frances (nee Brunschweiler) Veras. Al received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Armour Institute of Technology and completed post-graduate study in Business Administration at the University of Chicago. He was the first Commercial Nuclear Engineer licensed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to operate nuclear reactors in the United States. Al was the recipient of an honorary Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also served with the United States Navy during World War II. Al's career with Commonwealth Edison spanned 42 years, and included serving on the design teams for construction and operation of Dresden I and II and Braidwood nuclear facilities, as well as others throughout the country. Following retirement, he taught electrical theory and robotics at College of DuPage. Al was a member of the Elks, the American Legion, and a former member of the Moose Lodge, the Boy Scouts of America Troop 19, and Toastmasters. Al loved his family and chronicled their lives through photography, genealogy and videotaping every family event. Al is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Margaret E. (nee Backlin) Veras; five children, Richard (Teri) Veras of Chicago, Marguerite (Norman) Stoiber of Crest Hill, Edward (Mary) Veras of Aurora, Barbara (Michael) Nadeau of Plano, and Susan (Mark) Pellegrini of Danville; ten grandchildren, Sarah Veras, Tom (Jessie) Stoiber, Brian Stoiber, Andrew (Wendy) Nadeau, Scott Nadeau, Peter Nadeau, Sean Nadeau, Matthew Pellegrini, Nick Pellegrini and Adam Pellegrini; four great-grandchildren, Dominique Nadeau, Tyler Stoiber, Ryan Stoiber and Cameron Nadeau; and his nieces and nephews. Al was preceded by his parents and two brothers, Donald and Eugene Veras. Funeral Services for Aloysius F. Veras will be Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 9:15 a.m. from the funeral home to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. Interment Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Meals On Wheels or a charity of the donor's choice, would be appreciated. Visitation Tuesday, 3-8 p.m. at: FRED C. DAMES FUNERAL HOME 3200 Black at Essington Rds., Joliet For information: (815) 741-5500