Louis J. "Lou" Venier

Louis J. “Lou” Venier, 90, of Camp Hill passed away in his sleep on October 31, 2021 after a brief illness which followed a lengthy decline. Lou was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 60 years, Virginia “Ginny” (Conway) Venier, his parents, Luigi and Theresa (Cafiero) Venier(o), two brothers, and three sisters. He was a devout Catholic and member of St. Theresa Catholic Church in New Cumberland for nearly 60 years.

He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Hardy (Todd) of Boiling Springs, his granddaughter, Patricia “Trish-y” Tilton of Mechanicsburg, grandson John Tilton (Nina) of Utah, and great-grandson, Bodhi. He also leaves behind numerous extended family members, nieces and nephews who affectionately referred to him as “Chubby”, “Uncle Lou”, or “Uncle Chub”.

Lou was born in Brooklyn, NY, and took enormous pride in his Italian heritage. Following his cousins, George and Joe Paterno, Lou went to high school at Brooklyn Prep and lettered in football. He graduated from Prep in 1950 and continued his phenomenal football career at Mississippi State on a football scholarship. While in college, he married his high school sweetheart, Ginny, in 1954.

After graduating in 1956 with a BS in business, Lou fulfilled his 2-year ROTC obligation and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army and was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division “Tropic Lightning” Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii. He was honorably discharged in 1958 as a 1st lieutenant, after which he and Ginny moved back home to Brooklyn.

In 1959, Lou was attending summer drill in the Army Reserves when he impressed a senior officer who happened to work for Pfizer. Lou was asked to come for an interview and was subsequently offered a position as a pharmaceutical salesman in Pfizer’s agricultural division in Harrisburg. He worked for Pfizer for almost 34 years, retiring in 1993 as a regional manager. In his retirement, Lou enjoyed golfing and became an avid cook. Being Italian, Lou believed that “food was love” and enjoyed sharing his famous spaghetti sauce with all of his family and friends.

Lou will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He was the embodiment of what it meant to be a family man and cherished his family above all else. Lou was definitely a “people person” and his many friends were priceless to him. He was an eternal optimist who looked for the good in everybody and never had a bad word to say about anyone (even if they weren’t Italian). He was generous (to a fault) and utterly incapable of holding a grudge. Lou felt truly blessed to have been given such great opportunities over the years and he never took direct credit for his success. He believed that his talents were gifts from God and his sole responsibility in life was to use those God-given talents to their fullest. He also firmly believed that the only purpose of his success was to share it with everyone around him. Lastly, he loved America with every fiber of his being and felt truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to grow up in this great country as a first generation Italian-American.

His daughter would like to express her deepest appreciation for the many friends and neighbors who helped care for Lou over the years. Despite all of her efforts, she still feels as if she didn’t do enough. So in Lou’s memory, she asks that you take time to reach out to an old friend, neighbor, or family member whom you haven’t seen in a while. The meaning of life is that it ends, and you may never be given another opportunity to tell someone that you love them.

At his daughter’s request, there will be no service and burial will be private. To send messages of condolence, please visit www.parthemore.com.