Adolph Autenrieth, 86, radio fan

Adolph "Ade" Autenrieth, 86, a tool-and-die-maker and a spirited Wing Bowl devotee, who after being run over by a pig-shape float at Wing Bowl 12 did not let a bandaged head injury keep him from the debauchery, died of heart failure Sunday at Sunrise Assisted Living in Mount Laurel, where he had lived for three years.

Mr. Autenrieth, who had hoped to live long enough to enjoy today's Wing Bowl 17 at the Wachovia Center, had been a longtime resident of the Mayfair section of the Northeast.

"I looked over in the stands, and there was Ade with a bloody bandage around his head, but he was still taking it all in with his binoculars. After that, we made sure he was taken care of at the Wing Bowl," said his son-in-law, Angelo Cataldi, a host on WIP-AM (610) radio.

"Ade knew how to get the most fun out of life," Cataldi said. "Everybody had a better time if he was there."

"My father went to all WIP events - Wing Bowl, Miss WIP, Eagles pregame shows," daughter Gail Cataldi said. "When we first started dating, Angelo had an on-air topic of 'What is the worst thing that your child could tell you?' My father, whom Angelo did not know at the time, called and said the worst thing is that his daughter is dating Angelo Cataldi. That was my dad."

Mr. Autenrieth was born in Winnenden, Germany. His mother left her toddler son with an aunt and came to the United States in 1925, earning money as a house cleaner to pay for the passage of Mr. Autenrieth and his father. In 1930, the family moved to Olney, where his father was a chef in German restaurants.

After graduating from Olney High School in 1940, Mr. Autenrieth apprenticed for Veit & Young, a tool-and-die company in Huntingdon Valley. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944, but before he was shipped overseas, the Navy realized that he was not a U.S. citizen and kept him stateside. He was stationed at Corpus Christi, Texas, and discharged in 1946.

"I don't think my father knew he was not a citizen," his daughter said. "He became a citizen that year."

Mr. Autenrieth married Carol Murphy in 1946, and they raised two children in Mayfair. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Drexel Institute of Technology in 1950 and continued to work for Veit & Young until the firm shut down in 1993. Mr. Autenrieth remained a faithful member of the Drexel Golden Dragon Club.

"My parents belonged to the Friday Nighters social group," his son Karl said. "Some of their friendships went back 75 years. They put on themed parties with staging and lighting. Their friendships are the envy of our generation."

In addition to his daughter and son, Mr. Autenrieth is survived by another son, Marc, and nine grandchildren. His wife died in 2004, and his son Paul died in 2007.

Friends may call after 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 5900 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia 19120, to whose endowment fund donations may be made. A memorial service will begin at 11.