Rocco DiGiovanni, retired military man, 100
Rocco DiGiovanni celebrated his 100th birthday last summer with a big family gathering at a nephew's home in South Jersey.
The retired career military man died of natural causes on Tuesday, Jan. 17, while living at his winter home near Madrid.
Mr. DiGiovanni was a lifelong resident of Mifflin Street in South Philadelphia. Born July 26, 1916, to Antonio and Lucia DiGiovanni, he was the sixth of nine children.
"To dozens of nieces, nephews, and grand- and great-grand-nieces and -nephews, Uncle Rocky was a force of nature and a source of endless inspiration," said a nephew, Carl DiOrio.
Mr. DiGiovanni went to Mass daily and was an avid reader of newspapers. At holiday dinners, he loved to talk with young relatives about their lives rather than talking about himself. And while he stood only five feet tall, the younger generations looked up to him.
"He was everybody's favorite uncle," DiOrio said. "He was a very gentle soul. He was quiet and unassuming and very spiritual."
Mr. DiGiovanni attended George McCall Vocational School through seventh grade before going to work full-time in his brother Joe's tailor shop through much of the Great Depression.
As a boy, he also helped his immigrant parents with part-time jobs, like driving a horse-drawn fruit delivery cart on Passyunk Avenue. And, with his brother Dominic, he maintained the gas and oil street lamps in the area.
In 1940, Mr. DiGiovanni joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. The next year, 1941, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to the 25th Bomb Squadron, part of the Army Air Forces. Among other places, he was stationed in Panama, the Galapagos Islands, and India.
After World War II, he remained active in the Army and became part of the Air Force in 1947. After serving in England, California and Japan, he had multiple tours of duty in Vietnam as a supply sergeant.
After 32 years, he retired from the military in 1973 and bought a condo in Spain. But each summer, he returned to the family home on the 1100 block of Mifflin.
"He lived very modestly. He wouldn't spend anything on himself. His home is exactly like it was decades ago," DiOrio said.
"His television died a while back, and he didn't bother to replace it. He loved the Phillies, though, so he would listen to their games on the radio."
About 20 years ago, DiOrio went to Penn's Landing, ran into his uncle, and learned he had walked there from Mifflin Street. "When I offered him a ride back home, he said, 'No. This is my exercise. I'll walk back,' " DiOrio said.
In addition to his nephew, he is survived by a sister and dozens of nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Malvern Retreat House, 315 S. Warren Ave., Malvern, Pa. 19355.
There will be a visitation from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, 910 Watkins St. A Funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m. Burial is private.