'Mr. Mt. Pleasant' Gerald Lucia, longtime mayor and fire chief, dies unexpectedly

There wasn’t much in Mt. Pleasant that didn’t bear Jerry Lucia’s fingerprints.

Some say he was the lifeblood of the small town at the foot of the Laurel Highlands.

Gerald Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief, died unexpectedly Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in his home. He was 76.

Lucia, who was a volunteer firefighter for 46 years, the last 31 of them as chief, had responded to a fire call late Thursday night. Joe Bauer, president of the Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department, said Lucia’s death is being treated as a line-of-duty death because it occurred within 24 hours of a fire call.

The longtime fire chief’s impact as a first responder and the respect firefighters across the region had for the burly chief with a ready smile was apparent when nearly three dozen fire trucks lined up in Mt. Pleasant to escort Lucia’s body to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Forensic Center in Greensburg. County Coroner Ken Bacha said the cause of death is undetermined, pending autopsy results.

Lucia was in his ninth term as mayor, an office he had held since 1985. He served on borough council for six years, from 1979-85.

“I used to call him Mr. Mt. Pleasant,” Bauer said.

Bauer, who also served on borough council with Lucia, said his friend seemed fine when he last saw him Thursday night. He said Lucia leaves a hole that will be hard to fill.

“Anything for the community” was Lucia’s motto.

Bauer said Lucia, who served on the Frick Hospital Board, fought to keep the facility a viable hospital after it merged into what was to become the Excela Health System two decades ago.

Excela Frick Hospital, the Mt. Pleasant Glass & Ethnic Festival, the Volunteer Fire Department, the Mt. Pleasant Glass Museum, the Coal and Coke Trail, Mt. Pleasant youth sports leagues, and the Westmoreland County Boroughs Association are just a handful of the enterprises Lucia worked diligently to promote.

Last month, officials named the square around the borough building the Jerry Lucia Campus.

“He loved the town. He was a one of a kind person, and I can’t believe anyone can fill his shoes,” Bauer said.

Lucia, the father of two and grandfather of six, often could be found coaching or cheering for children playing in the town’s youth sports league. While he put in many years as a coach, in more recent years he often could be found in the stands with his wife, Diane, cheering on young athletes.

Sue Ruszkowski, president of Mt. Pleasant Borough Council, said she was proud to call Lucia a friend.

“We share in the outpouring of sadness expressed by our neighbors in the borough of Mt. Pleasant and its surrounding communities,” Ruszkowski said.”He was a person of the people and for the people.”

Lucia dedicated himself to making the community a better place, Roger Eckels said. The retired magisterial district judge, who once served as a local police officer and later county detective, saw a side of Lucia few others had a chance to see.

“You would be surprised how many young adults that would be sent his way for tutelage and mentoring from the criminal justice system. He never hesitated in accepting and helping out in any community service project,” Eckels said. “He was really the lifeblood of the community. He helped everyone, whether you needed help of not.”

Bauer said Lucia’s death was a “shocker” that has stunned the community.

“But you keep your Christmas faith and go on, knowing that he is in a better place,” he said.

Lucia is survived by his wife, Diane, a son, Gerald Jr., a daughter, Nicole, and six grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.