Oscar White Muscarella, Phd

Oscar White Muscarella, PhD, 91, of Philadelphia and formerly of New York City, died Sunday, November 27, 2022.  He was the husband of Grace (Freed) Muscarella, his wife of 66 years.

Born March 26, 1931 in Manhattan, he was the son of the late Salvatore and Anna (Falkin) Muscarella.

For many decades the Curator of Ancient Near Eastern Art at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dr. Muscarella was an expert on forgeries, and a lifelong crusader against the looting and smuggling of artifacts.

The author of many scholarly articles, books and other publications, and already multi-lingual, he taught himself German in his 80s, in order to publish an article in that language.

Dr. Muscarella was a graduate of The City College of New York, where he later returned as a Professor. He received his Masters and PhD degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, where he met his wife. Both Fulbright Scholars, they travelled together to Gordion, the capital city of Ancient Phrygia, with a team from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, and continued to excavate sites, primarily in Iran and Turkey into his 70s.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Daphne M. Dennis (Daniel Boehmcke) of North Wales, PA, and Lawrence F. Muscarella, PhD, of Lansdale, PA; his granddaughter, Eliza J. Dennis; sister, Arline Croce (Frank) of Holbrook, NY; and brother, Ronald Muscarella (Mary) of The Bronx, NY, as well as several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Robert Muscarella, of New York.

Relatives and friends may call after 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home, 701 Derstine Ave., Lansdale, followed by the Funeral Service at 6:00 p.m. Burial will be private in Greenlawn Cemetery, North Wales.

Details for a memorial service to be held in New York City will be announced at a later date.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his memory to the Humane Society of the United States in order to continue his legacy and lifelong love of animals.