Blog Entry 1 of 54
The Lakewood Lowdown
Hi, I'm Erin Feese, a community journalist here at YourHub.com.
As journalists, we are always seeking to uncover the newsy, the exciting, the weird and the heartwarming stories going on around us. The greatest part of YourHub.com is that you can be the one to tell your story. In this blog you'll find highlights of the Lakewood and Edgewater sites, as well as the musings of your friendly neighborhood journalist. So go ahead, uncover what's going on around you, and don't be afraid to share what you find.
A mystery is solved on YourHub.com
by:
Erin Feese/YourHub.com
Contributed by:
Erin Feese/YourHub.com
Article Contributed on: 1/11/2007 12:32:15 PM
When
YourHub.com user
Gerard Spicer posted a story about his quest to find Army Private
Bill Lagrotteria, I was immediately intrigued. After all, what journalist doesn't love a good mystery?
Over the holidays, Gerard visited his sister-in-law,
Melissa, who showed him an old canteen she and her father had found years ago while hiking in the jungles of Guam. The canteen was inscribed with the name "Bill Lagrotteria." The two were inspired to do what they could to find the canteen's long-lost owner.
About a week after Gerard posted
his story, I came across a comment left on the bottom of the story saying, "Mr. Spicer - please look no further. Private Lagrotteria was my father-in-law. We have his discharge papers with the exact serial number." I immediately picked up the phone to tell Gerard the news, anxious to see what Lagrotteria's relatives could reveal.
Gerard and Melissa's search led them to believe that Bill and his relatives may live in the New Jersey area. Melissa wrote an e-mail to the
Atlantic Highland Herald asking people to contact her with any further information.
Bill Lagrotteria's grandson, also named
Bill, heard about the
Herald article from a co-worker. Bill immediately knew, as incredible as it seemed, that it had to be his grandfather. He called his mother,
Liz, who did a quick Google search. Gerard's article on YourHub.com was one of the first things to come up.
And the rest, so they say, is history.
Talking with Liz, I could tell it had been an emotional experience for both her family and Melissa.
"It was so wonderful to talk to Melissa. It was so meaningful for both her and us," she said.
Private Bill Lagrotteria, who was in the 77th Infantry Army unit, returned from the war and married his sweetheart, Tonie. They had two children,
Paula and
Joe. Joe is married to Liz. They also have two children,
Anna and
Bill, who is named after his grandfather.
Liz said Joe and Bill were so excited that they ready to jump in the car and drive to Kansas (where Melissa lives). However, Melissa and her family are planning to take a trip to New Jersey in June, so they can safely hand over the canteen and visit with the Lagrotteria family.
Liz was pregnant with her son when the senior Bill Lagrotteria passed away in 1985, so to have found this piece of his grandfather is "pretty incredible," Bill said.
"This wasn't just a coincidence," Bill said. "It's his way of saying, even though I never met you, I'm still watching over you and I'm still proud of you."
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To read Gerard's story, click
here
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Quick bio of Bill Lagrotteria
Born Aug 31, 1919 in Amaroni, Italy
- came to the U.S. in 1928
- family settled in Long Branch, N.J.
- went to school and worked delivering ice
- drafted in 1941
- served in Hawaii, Okinawa, Saipan and Guam
- honorable discharge in Dec 1945
- worked as a civilian at Fort Monmouth, N.J. (army base) from 1946 till 1979 as a truck driver/dispatcher
- worked for Boro Buses/Holiday Travel bus company as a part-time driver from 1950 till 1985
- married Antonetta Foderaro in Sep 1946
- had two children Paula born 1947 and Joseph born 1955
- Paula has two children Felicia born 1971 and Joe born in 1975
- Joseph has two children Anna Rose born in 1981 and Bill (his namesake) in 1986.
- His wife passed away in Sep 1984 and he passed in Dec. 1985.