Don Richard Bucci Sr., 90, died Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, at River Region Medical Center.

Visitation will be held today, Nov. 23, from 6 until 8 p.m. at Frank J. Fisher Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 11 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church with visitation from 10 a.m. until the hour of the service. The Rev. P.J. Curley will be the celebrant. Mass will be followed by a burial service at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Don was born Oct. 9, 1920, in Vicksburg to Christine Cavallo Bucci and Andrew Bucci Sr. He attended elementary and high school at St. Aloysius and graduated in 1938. He then attended Louisiana State University and studied civil engineering from 1938 to 1942.

At the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the military and went on to serve in the Eighth Air Force, 466th Bomb Group stationed at Attlebridge Airfield in England. He was a tailgunner on a B-24 bomber and flew 25 missions. In later years, Don and his wife attended several reunions of his bomber crew and enjoyed spending time with friends made during the war.

After the war he attended Mississippi State University and finished his degree in civil engineering. He returned to Vicksburg and began working for Waterways Experiment Station.

On Oct. 15, 1949, he married Margaret Frances Salmon of Vicksburg, and this year the couple celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary.

During the Korean War, he served as master sergeant in an engineering battalion along with fellow employees from Waterways Experiment Station. He retired from WES in 1977.

In his youth, Don was a charter member of Boy Scout Troop No. 7 and was a special guest during the troop’s 75th anniversary celebration on Feb. 8, 2009. He was a member of St. Michael Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, Mississippi Society of Professional Engineers and National Society of Professional Engineers.

He served as president of the St. Aloysius “A” Club from 1971-72 and, in the early 1980s, he and his wife, Margaret, worked concessions during St. Al basketball games. He was an avid fan of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Don always maintained a sense of curiosity about the world and was a lifelong learner, reader and observer. He was also a natural conversationalist whose lively storytelling, sharp wit and sense of humor never failed to entertain.

Above all, Don was a devoted family man who loved nothing more than spending time at home with his wife, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret; son, Don Richard Bucci Jr. and daughter-in-law Irene Holt Bucci of Harrison, Tenn.; son, Phillip Andrew Bucci of Vicksburg; daughters, Carolyn Rose Bucci Lindigrin and Christine Elizabeth Bucci of Vicksburg and Margaret Ann Bucci of Jackson; brothers, Andrew Bucci of Oxon Hill, Md., and Robert Bucci of Canyon Lake, Texas; first cousin, Marie Pantoliano of Vicksburg; granddaughters, Veronica Bucci and Andrea Bucci; grandson, John Lindigrin Jr.; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are John Cesare, Dunaway Rooks, Greg Evans, Kevin Mahoney, David Hosemann, Mike George, Joe Coccaro and Terry Winschel. Honorary pallbearer is Billy Riddle.

Memorials may be made to St. Michael Catholic Church or Vicksburg Catholic School.