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Joseph "Seppe" Ficerai Family Support

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Joseph Anthony Ficerai, of Austin, TX, known affectionately by many as “Seppe,” tragically passed away on July 4, 2020, at the age of 29, leaving behind his loving partner Allison “Allie” Elizabeth Pound, their beautiful daughter Harley Lana Ficerai (2 years old), and their second child due in December.

Seppe was the eldest son of Joseph R. and Edna “Chico” Ficerai and the cherished brother of Mia (Amir) Hegazy and Andre (John Walsh).

He will be lovingly remembered by many, including his extended family in Pittsburgh, PA and in Midland, TX, his great many friends from North Allegheny High School, Solstice Recovery Foundation, Chuck and Joe’s Sober Living, and Snack Bar, and the recovery communities in Pittsburgh, Austin, Fort Lauderdale, and beyond.

Such a tragic loss brings not only emotional pain but also tremendous financial stress on Allie, Harley and Harley’s forthcoming sibling. We ask that you find it in your heart to stand with our family to provide them with much needed monetary support which the Ficerai family will match in full. We recognize that many are under financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are immensely thankful for any contribution you are able to provide.

The family also requests that you educate yourself and those in your lives about addiction, so that together we can end the shame and stigma that wrongly surrounds this disease and keeps too many affected by addiction from getting the help they need. Seppe will be remembered for his contributions to the world and for using his experience with addiction to be of service to so many others. 

UPDATE
Viewing:
The family will welcome friends on Friday, 7/10 from 2-4 p.m and 6-8 p.m. at Schellhaas & Sons Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 1600 Stone Mansion Drive, Sewickley, PA 15143, Franklin Park/Wexford.

Funeral service: Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, 7/11 at 11 a.m. in Sts. John and Paul Church. The funeral mass will have a virtual broadcast, which may be accessed through this link. Afterward, the link will remain available.

ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS ASSISTING ALLIE, HARLEY AND HARLEY’S FORTHCOMING SIBLING. This campaign has been organized by Seppe's siblings Andre and Mia on behalf of the entire Ficerai family, Allie, and Seppe and Allie's children. The family intends that the funds will be managed in a trust on behalf of Allie, Harley, and Harley's sibling due in December. Specifically, the funds will be used toward living expenses, childcare, healthcare, counseling, and education. Andre will withdraw the funds on the family's behalf for transfer into the trust.

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Seppe was a modern-day Renaissance man, and a passionate learner who always strove to better himself through the tireless pursuit of his many interests and entrepreneurial ideas. A gifted guitarist and musician, he started playing guitar at the age of 12, and some of his greatest joys were playing for Harley and sharing his great love of music with her. He cultivated an extensive record collection which he was in the process of listening to alphabetically with Allie and Harley. Seppe was the Ficerai family cultural influencer, starting the annual tradition of listening to Girl Talk remixes while decorating the Christmas Tree and introducing his family to The OC, Quentin Terentino films, Led Zeppelin, Bon Iver and classic rock (influenced by his dad), Kurt Vonnegut and Michael Chabon novels, the latest edgy stand-up comedians, and so much more. 

Seppe had a spontaneous and adventurous spirit. He loved riding his Harley Davidson and recently completed a scenic bike trip from Austin, TX to Boulder, CO and Taos, NM to visit friends. Seppe also enjoyed skydiving and was instrumental in convincing his siblings to try the experience as well (and they are glad that they did). He spent time outdoors with his dog Topo, and enjoyed playing sports of all kinds, particularly his local soccer league with Allie. He was a lifelong Steelers fan, just like his dad, and was never shy about being the loudest in the crowd.

Seppe took after his mom and enjoyed perfecting his cooking and barbecue skills, often  devoting hours, sometimes entire days, to preparing meals for the enjoyment of his family and friends. The whole Ficerai family spent Independence Day 2019 together in Austin, and Seppe stayed up all night to monitor his smoked brisket, foregoing sleep and shower to ensure that the family shared an unforgettable and delicious meal together. That was Seppe: incredibly generous, endlessly compassionate, and always willing to do whatever he could for others. During this particular visit, countless friends stopped by the house, and the Ficerai family watched as each and every visitor was greeted with open arms and a plate of food, in true Seppe fashion. He had inimitable charisma and an uncanny ability to make people laugh, especially with pranks, jokes and his memorable alter egos like The Raptor, Sabeachy, and an assortment of fake names he gave to his high school teachers. He was happy to be weird, often making requests of his mom like overalls for Christmas and affectionately referring to his loved ones by inexplicable pet names (such as “mollusk”). We will always remember Seppe’s humor and boisterous laugh. 

Seppe carried on this silly time with his daughter Harley, who inherited his zaniness, creativity and ability to bring joy to others. He loved Allie and Harley with all of his heart and was most proud to be a father. He often spoke of how lucky he was that Harley was the coolest kid, and he treasured being able to share his interests with her. He was so excited to welcome a second child with Allie, whom he lovingly described as an amazing mother, partner and support system for him, which was obvious to anyone who spent even a brief time together with them. Seppe took care of his family in every way: he was responsible, loyal and present, and he affectionately said he would do anything for “his girls.”

Seppe’s compassion, life experiences and empathy led him to work in the recovery community. He cofounded Chuck and Joe’s Sober Living alongside his best friend Charlie Moffet to provide safe homes created for men in recovery, by men in recovery. He has also contributed to the recovery community through his work at Solstice Recovery Foundation, where he helped hundreds of other young men working on their recovery from drug addiction with his close friends Tara and Cole Shiflet. Seppe also inspired and partnered with his parents, Joe and Chico, in their “Six Steps to Sanity” ministry to help the families of children struggling with addiction, which will continue in his memory.

Seppe knew how much his family and friends loved him and that we never stopped believing in him and in his recovery. He showed tremendous progress in and dedication to his sobriety since Allie and Harley came into his life nearly four years ago and until his sudden passing. We have boundless admiration for the way he fought this difficult battle. We are blessed to have had him in this world for 29 years, and take solace knowing that he struggles no more as we pray that he is now at peace in the loving embrace of God.

We are grateful that Seppe was loved by so many who will continue to remember and cherish the time they shared with him. It will be through these stories and memories that Harley and his second child will grow up knowing the love, generosity, compassion and joyous spontaneity with which Seppe lived his life.
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $200 
    • 3 yrs
  • Joe and Linda Dinges
    • $500 
    • 3 yrs
  • Sandy Zenk
    • $200 
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $300 
    • 3 yrs
  • Diane Pawlak
    • $50 
    • 3 yrs
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Fundraising team: Ficerai Family (2)

Andre Ficerai
Organizer
Pine Township, PA
Mia Hegazy
Team member

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