Former Westmoreland County judge David Regoli remembered as passionate, friendly, fair

David A. Regoli was in his mid-20s and fresh out of law school when he took on Frank Woiewodski as one of his first civil clients.

The pair had met while lifting weights at the then-Powerhouse Gym in the Parnassus section of New Kensington. Right away, Woiewodski was struck by Regoli’s amicable personality and positive energy. He figured Regoli would make a solid attorney despite only recently passing the bar — and grateful to be right.

“Of course he low-balled me on the price,” recalled Woiewodski, 67, of Lower Burrell, who would go on to seek Regoli’s legal counsel on numerous real estate and other matters over the past few decades. “He never charged top-dollar. He always gave me a fair deal.”

Regoli, a former Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court judge and Lower Burrell councilman, died Dec. 9 at age 56 from complications during what was supposed to be a routine cardiac procedure.

“He got dealt a bad hand,” Woiewodski said. “He died way, way too young. Dave was a great guy. Smart. A good lawmaker. A good friend.”

A steady stream of visitors — former clients, colleagues, dignitaries and longtime friends — paid tribute to Regoli and gave condolences to his loved ones during a viewing held Saturday at Giunta-Bertucci Funeral Home in Arnold. Several mourners lamented how stunned and saddened they were when they learned of his unexpected death.

“They say they only take the best young. But this is … this is horrible,” said Helen Rakvic, 79, of New Kensington, who along with her husband has known Regoli’s parents, Dolly and John, for some 40 years.

Rakvic described Regoli as “sincere and just lovely.” She said every time she encountered him at family gatherings or about town, “we had a lot of fun with him.”

In a professional capacity, too, Regoli’s “personality was wonderful,” said John Scales, 89, former state senator and Westmoreland County district attorney, outside the funeral home shortly after paying his respect to family.

“There’s some people that you hate to have to spend some time with — he wasn’t one of those,” Scales said with a slight chuckle. “He was a guy who you always enjoyed working with, and he was just so friendly. If you liked something that you saw, a beautiful plant or something, he always joined in on the conversation.

“He had a great sense of humor. He loved his work. He was a good man, a solid man.”

According to his website, Regoli’s professional achievements were notable on a national scale, including participating in Michael Jackson’s 2013 wrongful death lawsuit and becoming the first attorney ever to get two presidents — Barack Obama in 2017 and Donald Trump in 2019 — to grant full and unconditional presidential pardons to the same client. He tried cases across Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, Texas, Ohio and Kentucky.

A Democrat, Regoli secured his judicial appointment from then-Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014.

In Westmoreland County, Regoli helped set up the first veterans court to offer alternatives to prison time, such as mental health treatment, to low-level offenders. He spoke about learning of the challenges of post-traumatic stress and other issues from his cousin’s combat experience in Afghanistan.

RELATED: Veterans Court in session in Westmoreland for first time

Those who knew Regoli point to his relentless passion for putting people in need above the likes of money, politics or personal gain.

“He was in it to help people,” said Alaina Cirincione of Arnold, who has worked as a paralegal at Regoli Law since 2018. “Anyone he came across in the office, he would always try to help them. And he always kept the office on its toes. He would always be joking. He was just the life of the office, so we’ll miss him.

“It’s going to be a big loss for the office, and for the community.”

Regoli’s family recalled in an obituary his “unyeidling tenacity, balanced with a keen, inherent and sophisticated understanding of the law.”

He kept attuned to the latest legal developments and posted helpful information about pending legislation and other items on his law firm’s website. Among his recent blog posts: “Radar guns in local towns? It may happen,” “Mediation by Zoom?” and “Am I liable for hosting a holiday gathering?”

Regoli left behind his wife of nearly 30 years, Anna Marie Ianuzzi Regoli, and two children: Isabella, 18, a freshman at Penn State University; and Antonio, 23, who graduated from ASU and is about to begin his second semester at Ohio Northern University’s law school — just like his dad did. They recalled how much their father enjoyed Sunday family dinners with pasta, homemade sauce and “his famous pizza oven.”

After starting his legal career as a law clerk for Allegheny County Common Pleas President Judge Paul Zavarella, Regoli pursued his dream of becoming a trial attorney by taking a position as a part-time public defender in Westmoreland County. Over the next three decades, he continued to try both criminal and civil cases as well as start his own mediation firm. Regoli Law assisted clients in criminal law, wills and estates, mediation and municipal law.

“We will make you proud. We will be okay. …We won’t let you down,” Anna Marie Ianuzzi Regoli posted to Facebook in a farewell to “the best husband, father, son and friend.”

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at Mount St. Peter Roman Catholic Church at 100 Freeport Road in New Kensington. Attendees are encouraged to wear masks.

Regoli’s burial will be private. Family members asked that in lieu of flowers, donations made to the family for a memorial fund.

RELATED: David A. Regoli, respected lawyer, former judge from Lower Burrell, dead at 56