Michael Vulcano

Beloved husband of the late Phyllis. Loving father of Denise Winters and Michele Vulcano. Cherished grandfather of Ashley Vulcano. Adored great grandfather of Kalani and Keanu.

Michael Louis Vulcano served in the United States Marines and achieved the rank of Corporal. Michael was a native New Yorker and the son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria, Italy, who settled in Brooklyn with him and his eight siblings. A proud family man, he is a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother and uncle.

A member of the Greatest Generation, Vulcano is also a proud World War II veteran. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Vulcano answered his nation’s call at the age of 19. From Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, as a member of the 2nd Marine Battalion Company B, he boarded a ship that would take him and his fellow soldiers to islands he had never heard of in the Pacific.

Vulcano fought in two of the fiercest battles of WWII, the Battle of Okinawa, and the Battle of Tarawa Island. The number of souls lost in those two battles was staggering. Vulcano achieved the rank of Corporal before being honorably discharged and returning to his home in Brooklyn to once again join his parents and eight other siblings.

He never talks about the war, or of his journey on ships that were tossed and turned in tumultuous storms at sea. Recently his usual happy-go-lucky attitude turned somber, saying that often he awakes in the middle of the night to memories of the horror of war and the faces of friends that he lost. He goes back to sleep hoping that those thoughts and the sadness they bring will disappear. And when they do, they are replaced by the happiness that his family gives him. Vulcano married Phyllis Russo to whom he was happily married for 64 years. They had two daughters, Denise and Michele, and he is the proud grandfather of Ashley, and great-grandfather of Kalani and Keanu. The family grew up in Bayside, in their 3-family home surrounded by extended family.

On April 23, 2023, Mr. Vulcano hit a major milestone when he turned 100 years old and achieved centenarian status. Today, he lives in Flushing with his daughter, Denise.

A visitation for Michael will be held Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Frederick Funeral Home, 192-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11358. A visitation will occur Wednesday, October 30, 2024 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, 192-15 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11358. A mass of christian burial will occur Thursday, October 31, 2024 from 9:45 AM to 10:45 AM at Mary's Nativity - St. Ann Parish, 4602 Parsons Blvd, New York, NY 11355. An interment will occur Thursday, October 31, 2024 from 11:15 AM to 11:45 AM at Mount St. Mary Cemetery, 172-00 Booth Memorial Ave, New York, NY 11365.