Donald F. Armento, 78, physician
Donald F. Armento, 78, of Huntingdon Valley, past president of the medical staff at Holy Redeemer Hospital, died March 9 of adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder at the St. Joseph's Manor hospice in Meadowbrook.
Donald F. Armento, 78, of Huntingdon Valley, past president of the medical staff at Holy Redeemer Hospital, died March 9 of adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder at the St. Joseph's Manor hospice in Meadowbrook.
Dr. Armento graduated from East Orange (N.J.) High School in 1949, earned a bachelor's degree in premedicine from Georgetown University in 1953, and graduated from Georgetown's School of Medicine in 1957.
While an undergraduate at Georgetown, he was an accomplished enough pianist to help support himself by playing at jazz bars in Washington.
"He sent all his money home and his parents gave him what he needed," said his daughter, Felisa Armento. "They were pretty strict."
On a spring break in Bermuda from medical school, he met Ann Donaldson of Detroit, a student at Trinity College in Washington.
Married in 1955, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a Caribbean cruise accompanied by their extended family.
After completing his residency at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Dr. Armento served in the Michigan National Guard in 1962 and 1963.
Trained as a urologist, he joined Holy Redeemer in 1964 and was a surgeon there and at Nazareth Hospital until he retired in 2000. In addition to his office near Holy Redeemer, he maintained an office near Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
Holy Redeemer named him to a two-year term as its medical staff president in April 1989.
Dr. Armento was a board member of the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association and the Abington YMCA and a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Philadelphia Medical Society, and the Philadelphia Urologic Society.
He was a member of the Huntingdon Valley Country Club and the Roosevelt Racquet Club there.
In addition to his wife and daughter, Dr. Armento is survived by sons David and Donald F. Jr.; daughter Anina Pfeiffer; a brother; and 14 grandchildren.
Visitation is from 9 to 11 a.m. tomorrow at Immaculate Conception Church, 602 West Ave., Jenkintown, before an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass there.