Pearl Lonardo

Pearl Ann Porter Lonardo, 75, of Las Vegas, passed away Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, after a short bout with metastatic cancer. Pearl was born July 3, 1940, in Youngstown, Ohio, to the late Bill and Mary Porter. She was the eldest of eight children. She graduated from Youngstown's East High School in 1958, and married her high school sweetheart, Gene "Gino" Lonardo Sr. after graduation. They moved to Las Vegas in 1960, when Gino was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. Pearl, also known as "Mini Pearl," worked at Sunrise Hospital, in Las Vegas for 24 years as a medical secretary in day surgery and the ER. She enjoyed traveling and camping in her motorhome, fishing and loved spending time with her family. Her favorite camping spot was Eagle Valley, where many family reunions were shared. Pearl was an angel to all who knew her and made every person she talked to feel like they were most important person in the whole world. She always provided words of wisdom that were not always what you wanted to hear, but what you needed to hear. She was famous for her "Pearl" sayings, among our favorites, "Before you speak, ask yourself is it kind, is it true, is it necessary and if you cannot answer yes to all three, then don't say it!" and "Do the next right thing." Pearl was preceded in death by her brother, Thomas Porter. She is survived by her husband, Gino Lonardo Sr.; six children, Gene (MerryLou) Lonardo Jr. of Reno, Loretta (Mike) Moses of Las Vegas, Nick (Lynn) Lonardo of Salt Lake City, Diana (Gary) Bearden of Las Vegas, Jeff (Yvette) Lonardo of Salt Lake City, and Tony (Sharyn) Lonardo of Las Vegas; two daughters-in-law, Bonnie Lonardo and Peggy Sarceda; 16 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren, with two more on the way; and many brothers and sisters, Betty Covarrubias of Las Vegas, William "Bill" Porter; Patricia "Pat" (Steve) Brincko, John (Lois) Porter, Bobby (Charlie) Porter and Mary Ellen Porter. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at Bunkers Mortuary, 925 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, 1111 Michael Way, Las Vegas. Burial service following at noon at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City, NV 89005. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Pete Zucker Foundation (ALS Therapy Development Institute), 15 Headland Court, Danville, CA 94506, www.petezuckerfoundation.org/ or The Marfan Foundation, 22 Manhasset Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050, in memory of family members who have passed with these diseases. The family would like to thank all of all of Pearl's family and friends for their generosity and kindness.

---