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Ralph Joseph "RJ" Cacciutti, 39, co-owner of W. Philadelphia Bronze Corp.

Ralph Joseph "RJ" Cacciutti, 39, of Gladwyne, president of the Freedom Council of Valley Forge and co-owner and operator of a bronze foundry, died of an aortic aneurysm on Friday, Nov. 25, at Lankenau Hospital.

Ralph Joseph "RJ" Cacciutti, 39, of Gladwyne, president of the Freedom Council of Valley Forge and co-owner and operator of a bronze foundry, died of an aortic aneurysm on Friday, Nov. 25, at Lankenau Hospital.

Mr. Cacciutti and his brother, Chuck, operated West Philadelphia Bronze Corp. The firm was founded in 1947 in West Philadelphia by their grandfather, Ralph, and relocated to Chester in 1986.

The foundry produces metal castings for the shipbuilding industry and supplies pressure release valves for nuclear reactors aboard submarines and aircraft carriers.

"RJ loved the company. We have 70 employees. He knew their birthdays and personal information about their families," his brother said.

Since 2003, Mr. Cacciutti had been president of the Freedom Council of Valley Forge, a nonpartisan public-affairs organization established in 1989.

The council awards a Patriot Medal, cast by West Philadelphia Bronze and embossed with the profiles of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan. Recipients have included decorated Army veterans of Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Afghanistan, and the honorary Romanian consul to Philadelphia. The award will now be called the RJ Cacciutti Patriot Medal.

Mr. Cacciutti attended the Haverford School from kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating in 1990.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1995 from Gettysburg College, where he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. While in college he attended an international relations program at Regents College in London. In high school and college, he was a goalie on the lacrosse and ice hockey teams.

Mr. Cacciutti, an active fund-raiser for charities, was recently named to the board of Goodwill Industries of Philadelphia.

He traveled frequently to Europe and enjoyed boating with his brother in Avalon, N.J. He was a member of the Avalon Yacht Club, the Union League of Philadelphia, and the Racquet Club.

In addition to his brother, Mr. Cacciutti is survived by his parents, Ralph and Amelia; sisters Alison Centrone, Jennifer O'Connell, and Pamela Cholden; and 16 nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, 31 Pennswood Rd., Bryn Mawr. Friends may call from 9. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.

Donations may be made to the Haverford School, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa. 19041.