Walsh, Harris, Mosley, DiSilvio, Wagner, Jonas, Unico, Agras

Larry Walsh, 84
Larry Walsh was a big man with a big heart and a booming voice and laugh, which rang out often. He was a consummate newspaper reporter, covering City Hall and the County Courts for The Pittsburgh Press, seeming to know everyone in town and eager to help young reporters. He was a 6-foot, 3-inch outdoorsman, enjoying helicopter skiing on western slopes (and writing a local ski column for years) and whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Youghiogheny River, where he was a tireless booster of Confluence, PA, for decades.

Darlene Harris, 72
During her 13 years on City Council, Harris represented the North Side, where she was born and lived her whole life, and parts of Downtown from 2006 until 2019. Harris fought hard for her constituents and she was fined once for throwing the gavel at a fellow council member. Minor controversies dogged her — complaints that she drove her Jeep on pedestrian paths in the park and stole items from Council cabinets — but she was credited with saving the city’s pension fund and starting the free spay/neuter program..

Thaddeus Mosley, 99
A self-taught artist who received international acclaim for his wood sculptures, the New Castle native remained a humble and endearing man. Though his work was featured in the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, among others, Mosley worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 40 years after a stint as a Pittsburgh Courier reporter. He used his vacation time for decades to teach art at the Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, PA. Mosley’s many awards included the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Artist of the Year in 1999, the Arts and Letters Award in Art from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Isamu Noguchi Award, and an Honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters from Pitt.

Dom DiSilvio, 86
As the owner of the legendary Decade bar in Oakland, DiSilvio was considered the godfather of Pittsburgh music. From 1978 until 1995, it was the most important place for both local and national bands to play. Though small, it hosted U2, The Ramones, The Pretenders and The Police, among others. But it was DiSilvio’s nurturing of Pittsburgh bands that made him beloved. He treated them fairly and filled the place with live music seven nights a week. Bruce Springsteen played there with the Iron City Houserockers every time he was in town, and Jack Nicholson stopped by to hear Billy Price, as the famous mixed with Pitt students. DiSilvio made everyone feel welcome.

Mike Wagner, 76
An unsung hero of the great Steelers Super Bowl teams of the 1970s, Wagner was the quarterback of the defensive backfield — a safety with 36 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries in his 119 games. He won four Super Bowl rings and was a two-time Pro Bowler during his 10-season career. He later earned an MBA from Pitt and became a vice president at First National Bank.

Hans Jonas, 99
Born in Vienna, Jonas came to Pittsburgh in 1939 with his mother and sister. When his father joined them later, Jonas Studio was established with financial assistance from The Hebrew Free Loan Association. As a third-generation portrait photographer, Jonas spent nearly 80 years documenting Pittsburgh’s society and was considered the premiere photographer. In 1967, he was enrolled as a Fellow in The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, and he joined the Kodak Pro Team in the 1990s. One of his greatest joys was sharing his knowledge and mentoring young photographers.

Daniel Unico, 99
Unico built a family business making pizza and bakery boxes, but his claim to fame was attending almost every men’s home basketball game at Duquesne for more than 40 years. He rarely missed a women’s basketball game in three decades and hosted an annual Christmas dinner for foreign players on the women’s team. A Duquesne graduate, he donated the Unico Family Pavilion event space and was awarded the Presidential Medal last year in recognition of his loyalty. He was also inducted into Duquesne’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

James Agras, 96
In 1974, Agras took over Triangle Tech, a small for-profit technical school with four instructors and 40 students. He went on to become its owner and CEO, expanding to six locations. His first date with Electra, his wife of 70 years, was at the Pittsburgh Symphony and they became lifelong patrons of the arts, including the symphony. Agras served on the Pittsburgh Opera board and was appointed by Gov. Tom Ridge in 1996 to serve on the state Board of Education. He remained on the board for a record 27 years.