Lindy Scialla
March 17, 1927 - August 17, 2025
Lindy was born in Amsterdam, New York in 1927 to Italian immigrant parents, Rosina and Aniello Scialla. His older brother Johnny nicknamed the baby, "Lindy", after Charles Lindbergh, who had just completed his famous flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Lindy witnessed quite a bit of history as he grew up. His parents moved the family to Patterson, New Jersey during the years of the Great Depression. Lindy saw labor strikes, poverty and discrimination. He walked a picket line with his mother when he was four years old. However, he also witnessed community, cooperation and compassion in his neighborhood and these values stayed with him until the end.
His greatest loves as a teenager were sports and big band music. When he was sixteen, he took the train into New York City to start drum lessons with the renowned Henry Adler. Henry never took on a pupil who didn't exhibit talent and taught such greats as Buddy Rich. Lindy's drumming career would span his entire life.
Before his eighteenth birthday, Lindy enlisted in the Marine Corp. in March of 1945. Eventually, he was sent with the First Marine Division to Peking and Tientsin China. The exposure to a foreign culture impacted him greatly, making him socially and culturally aware. He had a appreciation for the Chinese people and never forgot them. During this time, Lindy befriended another young Marine named Ed Whitfield. He started to correspond with Ed's sister Margaret, who lived in Denver.
When he returned to the States, he dropped in to see Ed in Denver and met Margaret. She was a very pretty red head with blue eyes and she loved sports and big band music! They were married at St. Joseph's on 2 Sept. 1950.
Because both Margaret and Lindy had moved so much as kids, it was important to have a home they could call their own. They bought five acres of land in S.E. Denver, near Cherry Creek Schools. At the time, it was desolate country with few amenities. Lindy started to build the house on weekends, working in construction during the week. It was tough going, but they made it work. Son Paul and daughter Dianne were small when they moved in and later on came son Michael and daughter Nancy.
Lindy worked in construction for most of his adult life. If you look around Denver, you'll see many buildings he helped to build. The Writer buildings, Park Central, first National Bank of Englewood, Cherry Creek High School, Cherry Creek and University Hills Shopping Centers, Denver University and Cinderella City Shopping Mall. He was instrumental in creating the Pension Fund for the Cement Mason Union.
Along with this, Lindy continued to play the drums. He was an original member of the Queen City Jazz Band and went on to play with many Denver musicians. in different bands. His last band was called "Memories" and he played with these friends until July of this year.
Dear wife Margaret passed away in April of 2020 after 70 years of marriage. Treasured daughter-in-law Nancy Devita passed in Dec. 2024. Lindy is survived by son Paul, daughter Dianne (Roy), son Michael (Nancy) and daughter Nancy (Nancy deceased) and three grandsons, Kylen, Brenden and Landon.
He brought us such great joy and laughter and had a generous and open heart. We will never forget him and will miss him always.
Donations
Donations may be made in Lindy’s honor to:
Wild Animal Sanctuary
