College mourns passing of professor Maurice A. Recchia

It is with sadness that the College reports the passing of Maurice A. Recchia on July 22. He was 91.

A longtime resident of New Paltz since the early 1960s, Recchia was a professor at SUNY New Paltz in the Elementary Education Department from 1962 to 1994.

Recchia was born Feb. 11, 1927 in West New York, N.J. He served in the U.S. Foreign Service on an appointment in Cambodia as part of an international team of scholars to help implement education to rural parts of the country.  Recchia had a passion for music and was an accomplished jazz guitarist in his early years. He was a member of a jazz trio in the 1960s and on many occasions, they performed at Mohonk Mountain House. Recchia also spent much of his free time on the Hudson River boating.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, and his three children: Maurice J. Recchia, Marisa Recchia and Christopher Recchia.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 10 – 11 a.m., at Copeland Funeral Home, 162 South Putt Corners Road. A mass will follow at 11:30 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church, 34 South Chestnut Street. Burial will take place at New Paltz Rural Cemetery immediately following the mass.