Horace Paul Ghiringhelli

Rock Hill - Horace Paul Ghiringhelli, 74, of 1527 Maypine Commons Rock Hill, SC, died peacefully in his home on May 3 surrounded by his loving family.

Memorial service will be held at 1 pm Saturday, May 6, at St. Philip Neri Church in Fort Mill with Father John Giuliani presiding.

Horace was born to Romulo Ghiringhelli and Valentina Corujo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 30, 1943. After completing partial flight training in Argentina's Air Force, Horace immigrated to the United States in 1962, living first in Northvale, NJ, before settling with his wife, Ercilia, also an Argentinian, in Dumont, NJ. An engineer by trade with an insatiable appetite for books, Horace's sharp intellect took him from TV repairman at a small store to director of engineering at a large medical electronics corporation, where he helped develop next-generation defibrillators.

Horace was known to be an entrepreneur with an indomitable free spirit. He launched his own business, SonLife Medical Group, in the 1980s, just before he and his wife became US citizens. Designing and producing defibrillators while also exporting EKG machines he built from scratch in his garage in Closter, NJ, were dreams come true for him, and he felt proud knowing defibrillators he made decades ago are still in use in Argentina today. From the medical field, Horace worked for major aerospace and Defense Department contractors, designing electronic power supplies that operate in extreme-temperature environments, which included the V-22 Osprey, the F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, and the SR-71 reconnaissance spy plane.

But for anyone who knew him, the innumerable professional achievements meant very little to this unassuming immigrant in the context of his Christian faith and tight-knit family, two core values that informed and steered his entire life. "Jesus Never Fails" was his constant declaration, and his many successes provided his four beautiful children with precious memories, helped bring extended Argentinian family members to visit, and always drove him to spontaneously find ways to help others, especially those less fortunate. Horace's engaging personality and open-door hospitality also built him a large network of close friends who regularly laughed, drank and ate steak at his dinner table.

After nearly five decades of many personal and professional adventures in northern NJ, Horace moved with his wife to South Carolina in 2009.

Horace is survived by his wife, Ercilia Joy, Rock Hill; sons Paul Steven, Washington, DC, and Daniel James, Catonsville, MD; daughters Natalie Joy, Wyckoff, NJ, and Christina Jane, Fort Mill; sister Alicia, Buenos Aires, and brother Claudio, Buenos Aires; and 13 grandchildren: Arielle, Benjamin, Grace, Rose, Toby, Jeremiah, Ivory, Ruby, Caleb, Hannah, Emily, Jaden and Riley. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Silvia.

Whitesell Funeral Home is serving the family.