WWII veteran Robert Persichitti passes away at 102 during visit to France for the 80th D-Day anniversary.
Bob Persichitti was a "wonderful, pleasant, humble man" who was "easy to know and easy to talk to," said Honor Flight Rochester President and CEO Richard Stewart, who shared the news of his friend's passing on Friday with CNN.
"We miss him," said Stewart.
Persichitti served as a radioman aboard the USS Eldorado in the Pacific during World War II. He saw action at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guam, according to Stewart and the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame, where Persichitti was inducted in 2020.
While en route to Normandy, where the Allied forces' landing on June 6, 1944, paved the way for the defeat of Nazi Germany, Persichitti took ill in Germany. His friend Al DeCarlo, who was with him at the time, informed CNN affiliate WHAM that Persichitti was airlifted to the hospital and passed away shortly afterwards.
DeCarlo recounted that the doctor had been with Persichitti, keeping him company during his final moments. To comfort him, the doctor played his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone.
"He was not alone, he was at peace, and he was comfortable," said DeCarlo.
Stewart noted that Persichitti had experienced heart issues in the past but described him as "in superb health" considering his age.
Born in a Pennsylvania mining town outside Pittsburgh, Persichitti's life began humbly, Stewart recalled. After the war, Persichitti worked as a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York, earning a degree from SUNY Buffalo in 1972.
Passionate about traveling and sharing his experiences, Persichitti often visited schools to tell students about World War II, according to Pastor William Leone, another friend of the deceased.
"It was a privilege to know him, and I will miss him," Leone expressed sorrowfully to the station.
Read also:
Despite his age and past health issues, Robert Persichitti was in good spirits during his visit to France for the 80th D-Day anniversary. It was a dream for us, his friends and family, to see him honored and recognized for his service during World War II.
