Obituary of Alfred "Fred" L. Pieretti

Alfred "Fred" L. Pieretti, long-time Madison resident, passed away on March 20, 2017 at the Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. He was 60. Fred was born and raised in San Francisco. He attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate where he majored in political science and German. It was during that time, while he studied abroad in Goettingen, Germany, that he met his beloved wife, Marie-Pascale. Shortly after, Fred and Marie-Pascale moved to Washington D.C. where he completed his first Master's degree in Russian area studies at Georgetown University. Fred earned his second Master's degree in Journalism from the Journalism School of Columbia University in New York City. The two eventually moved to Madison where they settled and have lived with their family since. Most recently, Fred worked for MetLife as an assistant vice president in global communications. Including his time at Metlife, Fred had spent more than twenty years working as a PR and communications specialist for a number of industry leading consultancies before transitioning to his role as an in-house communications expert first at Siemens, and then Metlife. Previously he worked as a journalist for ten years covering state level politics with Central New Jersey Home News before working as an editor for the international desk for the Associated Press in New York City. Outside of the office, Fred had a wide and diverse array of skills and interests. A first-degree sommelier, Fred had most recently launched an online platform for wine consumers, a project which reflected decades of dedication to the study and appreciation of wine and which he had planned to expand as he transitioned into retirement. Fred was a passionate and dedicated student of the martial arts, and had obtained a black belt in Okinawan karate and also studied Kung Fu. Fred was also an accomplished linguist; in addition to having achieved fluency in German and French, Fred had also formally studied Russian and Japanese at various intervals in his career, and most recently taken up Italian and Gaelic. Last but certainly not least, he was a devoted San Francisco Giants fan and avid reader of detective novels. Fred was predeceased by his father, George Pieretti of San Francisco. He leaves behind his mother, Ann Pieretti of San Francisco; his beloved wife, Marie-Pascale Pieretti (born Fritz), his son, Damien Pieretti of New York City, his daughter, Marina Pieretti of Austin, TX; three brothers, John Pieretti of San Francisco, Joseph Pieretti of Chicago and his wife Claudia, and Kevin Pieretti of San Francisco; one sister, Joann Jacovides of Chicago and her husband Jim; six nieces and nephews; and his dog, Chouquette. A Memorial Service to celebrate Fred’s life will be held on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 1:00PM at Craig Chapel at Drew University, Madison. Refreshments will be served after the service. Arrangements are under the direction of the Madison Memorial Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Fred's memory to Weill Cornell Medical College, Office of External Affairs, 1300 York Avenue, Box 314, New York, NY 10065. Please ensure the checks include the following information: GI Oncology Research, c/o Dr. Manish Shah, Fund # 61504571. To share a memory, a photograph, or to write an online condolence to Fred's family, visit his memorial page at www.madisonmemorialhome.com