WWII Veteran Bonfiglio Celebrates 99th Birthday with Family

By MONICA CALZOLARI
WORCESTER

Rosemary Summers and her daughter, Sarah Summers, are both SUNY Oneonta graduates. Sarah wanted to honor her grandfather, Vincent James Bonfiglio, who recently turned 99 years young. She and her sister, Laura Summers, flew in from Austin, Texas and joined relatives and loved ones from Kentucky and New Jersey for the celebration.

Bonfiglio is a World War II Navy veteran who lives in an assisted living facility near his son, Chris Bonfiglio, in Westchester, New York. Vincent had four children, two boys and two girls. The youngest son predeceased his father. His wife, Frances, also passed away after 35 years of marriage, at age 52.

Vincent Bonfiglio is a proud Italian of Sicilian descent. He was the youngest of his siblings and the only one born in the United States.

His daughter, Rosemary, said, “Dad was a classic Italian barber in New York City who did well as a bootlegger, too.”

“Dad is remarkably healthy except for his short-term memory,” Rosemary added.

Although her father does not talk about his war experience much, Rosemary gave him a blank book and wrote in prompts to encourage him to write down his memories.

Vincent wrote his autobiography in 2008, titled “My Journey.” His family helped him self-publish in 2009 and printed 15 copies. One chapter is about his naval service during World War II.

He wrote, “One of the most memorable experiences was escorting Battleship Missouri into Tokyo harbor for the signing of the armistice that signaled the end of WW II.”

Vincent served in the Navy for four years. He enlisted in 1942, when he was 17. He worked in the engineering department aboard U.S.S. Smalley. The war ended during his third year of service.

There are approximately 60,000 World War II veterans alive in the U.S. today. None of Vincent’s war friends are still alive.

Vincent met his first wife on a blind double date while stationed in a shipyard in Philadelphia. His daughter said her dad likes to tell the story of how he told his friend, “I want blondie.”

He and Frances eloped shortly after he returned from his first assignment at sea. They kept their marriage a secret from their parents because they were young. He was only 18.

“Dad is very romantic,” Rosemary said. “It took him a long time to get over the death of his first wife.”

He remarried a woman named Tony, who also predeceased him, and dated a third partner who also died.

In the epilogue of his autobiography, Vincent shared this sage advice:

“There will come a time when all that you hold dear will come to an end. Parents and grandparents pass away. Friends and cousins and aunts and uncles all leave you. So, I say to you that while you have them, share yourself with them, show them love and understanding and enjoy them.”

His great-granddaughter, Anais Robbins, lives in Austin, Texas.

“I only see him once or twice a year. He seemed very happy at his birthday,” she said.

Rosemary added, “He was surprisingly quiet [at his party], but seemed very content, as if he was taking it all in.”

Rosemary stayed in Oneonta for 13 years after she graduated from SUNY and knew she would always come back.

She moved around a lot. She attended high school in New York City and her career took her back there until she retired to Fly Creek in 2013. She lives in Worcester now.

“Oneonta feels the most like home of all the places I have lived. I knew when I left, I would always come back,” Rosemary said.

Sarah Summers is a PhD candidate in religious studies at The University of Texas, Austin. She plans to find a job as a professor.

Asked if she’ll return to the area, she said, “My mom is not the assisted living type. I plan to take care of her [when the time is right].”

Laura Summers also lives in Austin.

She said, “I work at a therapeutic horseback riding center that works with veterans and others with disabilities.”

“Grandpa loves that Laura works with horses and owns her own business. He is very proud of her,” Sarah said.