IN MEMORIAM OF DAVID GEMELLI

July 8, 1947 - Dec 10, 2018

Gem Gravure's CEO & Owner

GEMELLI, David J. 71, of Hanover, passed away on Monday, Dec 10, 2018. David was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Ford) Gemelli. He was born in Boston on July 8, 1947. David graduated from Archbishop Williams High School in 1965. He played football for legendary Coach Armond Colombo. He regarded Coach Colombo as a second father to him and stayed in touch with him for his entire life. Coach Colombo passed away very recently at age 87. David did a postgraduate year at Choate School in CT and graduated in 1966 and attended University of Vermont and graduated in 1970. He was a member of the football team and ROTC, and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He had the "David Gemelli Chapter Room" named after him at the Sig Ep house. David recently helped bring back football at UVM on the Club Level after the university dropped the football program in the mid-1970s. He later attended University of Arizona and graduated with an MBA in 1972. David won a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006 for his successes in business and dedication to the university. He worked at American Optical Corporation and Polaroid before joining the family business, Gem Gravure, in 1976.

David worked alongside his father and Gem founder, Joseph Gemelli, until his passing in 1989. David was very active in the Wire & Cable industry and won just about every award in the industry. He was elected President of Wire Association International (WAI) in 1994 and traveled the globe representing the industry, including trips to China, South America, and all across Europe. He won the Wire and Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA) Distinguished Career Award in 1999 and the Donnellan Award from WAI, given annually to recognize one individual for his contributions to the industry and was honored with a lifetime membership in the WAI. David was beloved in the industry and was well-known for his generosity, kindness, and dedication to the industry and his many friends and colleagues. He always loved that he was in a position to give people opportunities and help them succeed, it was what he enjoyed most about his career.

David was very involved with the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted in 2004. He created the Armond Colombo Scholarship Fund at Boston College to honor Coach Colombo and the impact that he had on so many players that he coached. He was a devoted father and loved following his children's sports pursuits, attending nearly every game, despite his busy travel and professional schedule. Paul played baseball at Trinity College in CT, Brian played football and baseball at Pomfret School in CT. David was a huge sports fan, Gem Gravure has proudly had Red Sox season tickets since 1962, and he had a near encyclopedic knowledge of sports history, especially boxing and football at all levels, high school, college, and pro.

David was the beloved husband of Carol A. (Gagne) Gemelli, devoted father of Brian Gemelli and his wife Amie of Braintree, Elizabeth "Beth" Gemelli of Quincy, Paul Gemelli and his wife Anna of Norwell. Loving grandfather of Evan, Ezra, and Caroline. He was the brother of Nancy Dwyer of Plymouth, Mark Gemelli of Marshfield and the late Diane Kolson. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.