102-year-old World War II US Navy veteran Bob Persichitti passed away peacefully while en route to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Despite being on his way to Normandy, where the Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944, he had served in the Pacific as a radioman aboard the USS Eldorado. His time in the Navy included deployments to Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guam.
Persichitti was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in 2020. During a stop in Germany before reaching Normandy, he became ill and was airlifted to a hospital. Despite the efforts to save him, he passed away peacefully while listening to his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra. Although he had battled heart problems in the past, Persichitti was considered to be in excellent health for his age.
Born in a coal mining town near Pittsburgh, he rose from humble beginnings to become a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York, after the war. In 1972, he earned a degree from SUNY Buffalo. His presence will be dearly missed by those who knew him as they remember him as a wonderful and humble individual who never sought recognition for his service.
