Nicholas A. DiLello Sr.

ALBANY - Nicholas A. DiLello, Sr., age 83, entered eternal rest on Sunday October 4, 2026, after a brief illness, surrounded by his family. Mr. DiLello was the son of the late Armando DiLello and Philomena (Paolucci) DiLello. He lived all of his life in Albany, NY.

Mr. DiLello graduated from Cardinal McCloskey Memorial High School where he played football and baseball, lettering in both sports all four years. For much of his adult life, Mr. DiLello was employed in the family business, an Italian restaurant called Armando’s. He worked alongside his parents and his wife, first bartending and then eventually cooking in the kitchen with his dad. The restaurant was a second home for his family, except for Monday nights when the business was closed and the large extended family gathered for weekly dinners. After selling the restaurant, Mr. DiLello worked at Albany City Hall as the City Building and Codes Director. He worked in that position until his retirement in 2011.

Mr. DiLello had many hobbies and developed a sense of mastery in each of them. He was an avid fly fisherman, hunter, golfer, gardener, and a fitness enthusiast. His favorite day of the year was Christmas Eve when he hosted a traditional Italian dinner, preparing seven types of fish and a four-tiered rum cake. For Mr. DiLello, there was no happier place than his dinner table surrounded by family, no more relaxing destination than his garden patio, no activity more beautiful than casting a fly in the Battenkill River, and no better place to golf than Albany Capital Hills.

Above all, Mr. DiLello valued his family for whom he was a loving and steady gravitational pull to the table. He especially relished his role as grandfather. He taught his grandchildren to make homemade ravioli, he attended their plays and musical performances, he told them how to improve a golf swing, and in recent years he took great pride in his granddaughter’s Christmas Eve rum cake.

Mr. DiLello is predeceased by his devoted wife, Beverly (Miller) DiLello, to whom he was married for 48 years, his beloved daughter, Joanne DiLello Wheatley, his sweet sister, Adele (DiLello) Hutton, and his parents. He is survived by his son, Nicholas A. DiLello, Jr. (Amy) of Providence, RI, his son-in-law, Donald Wheatley, of Watervliet, NY, his grandchildren: Alexandria and Connor Wheatley, and Ryan and Kieran DiLello, his long-time friend, Michele O’Neal, his brother-in-law, Thomas Hutton, a niece and two nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Monday October 12th from 9 to 11am at the Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, 490 Delaware Ave., Albany. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12pm Monday at Mater Christi Church, Albany. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Buckingham Pond Conservancy, PO Box 8352, Albany, NY 12208. Condolences can be posted at danielkeenanfuneralhome.com.