Erminelli is survived by his wife, Valerie.
William Erminelli, who trained at Rockingham Park and Tampa Bay Downs, died Jan, 22 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 56.Born in Providence, R.I., Erminelli began his career as a hotwalker at Lincoln Downs, eventually becoming a groom and then a trainer. He raced mostly at Rockingham and Tampa Bay Downs, although he came to New York as an assistant to Jud Van Worp in 1995. That year, Van Worp won the Vosburgh Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park with Not Surprising, who would run fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I).