Mr. Alberto Nino Mercado passed away suddenly on October 26, 2022 at his home in Santa Barbara, CA, surrounded by his wife and family. Born in January 1940 in Turin, Italy, Alberto and his parents immigrated during World War II to his father’s native country, Bolivia. In 1957, Alberto immigrated to Los Angeles, CA where he eventually received his BSEE from Cal State Los Angeles and MSEE from UCLA while working as a Petroleum Engineer for Shell Oil and later as an Aerospace Engineer for Litton, Magnavox, and TRW. He collaborated on many landmark government projects including the Lunar Lander Module, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the International Space Station and other classified assignments.
Alberto enjoyed traveling, entertaining, playing violin, listening to opera (especially those by Puccini), drinking wine, donating to his favorite charities, and most importantly, spending time with his family. He was an avid athlete his entire life and played soccer as a center forward for UCLA and the Los Angeles Soccer League. Selected to play for the US League, Alberto traveled to Israel for the Maccabiah Olympic Games in 1965. He was preceded in death by his mother, Italia Todros Debenedetti, his father, Jose Mercado Cadima, and younger brother, Pablo Mercado. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Nelly; his three sons, Albert and his wife, Ana, Giancarlo and Franco; his grandchildren, Ryan & Gina; his great-granddaughter Adelina; sister Fiamma and her husband Gianni Canepa; sister-in-law Maria Mercado of Walnut Creek, CA; and numerous family members in Europe, North and South America. Catholic services were held on November 9, 2022 at San Roque Church in Santa Barbara, CA.
