Dr. Mario Borelli

Dr. Mario Borelli, Ph.D., passed away peacefully on Friday, April 3, 2026, at Seabury in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Professor Borelli, as he was known to all, was born on September 7, 1934, in the small Italian town of Quarrata outside of Florence. His mother and father were the late Casimiro and Emilia Borelli, and he had one older sister, Diana Fusi, who predeceased him. Gifted in mathematics, he graduated with a B.A. from the prestigious Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa in 1956. As a scholar in the post-war Fulbright program, he traveled that same year to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Algebraic Geometry from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1961. It was while at Indiana University that he met and married the love of his life, Angela Borelli, in 1958.

Following post-doctorate work in Vancouver, Canada, Professor Borelli was hired in 1965 to the faculty of the University of Notre Dame which, after he obtained tenure, would become his home for the rest of his academic career. Later in his career, he would become the administrator of the University’s TRIO program and, through the University’s participation in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, brought first-generation college undergraduates to the Notre Dame campus to work with science faculty in preparation for their post-graduate studies. He was the regional director of the Indiana Science and Engineering Fair for many years and served in multiple roles, including lector and Eucharistic Minister, as a parishioner of St. Pius X parish in Granger. He was a devoted husband to Angela, a loving father to his son Mario, and a teacher, colleague, mentor and friend to far too many people to list here.

Professor Borelli is survived by his wife, Angela, his son and daughter-in-law Mario R. and Jennifer Borelli, his grandchildren Alyssa and Alexander, and his nephews Vieri Fusi and Danielle Fusi. Family and friends are invited to attend services to be held at St. Pius X Church in Granger, Indiana on Friday, April 17, with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. and Mass at 10:30 a.m. He will subsequently be interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery at the University of Notre Dame. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Professor Borelli to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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