Carmin F. Yannotta

Carmin Yannotta, beloved father, grandfather, great and great-great grandfather, proud World War II combat veteran, gifted storyteller and perhaps the best giver of hugs in the history of hugs, passed away at the age of 101 on the morning of February 11, 2026 in the hospice unit of the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

It may be fitting that Carmin died on the 81st anniversary of the conclusion of the 1945 Yalta Conference, when Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin established definitive guidelines for the end of World War II in Europe. Corporal Carmin Yannotta risked his life to help bring about that conclusion, serving with the Combat Engineers in Patton’s Third Army. He fought in several battles including the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and his unit liberated the notorious Vocklabruck concentration camp in 1945.

Like many other World War II veterans, Carmin did not speak to anyone of his war service for decades. But when he was invited to take an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. in 2015, it opened something up in him. He began to proudly wear his WWII Veteran cap, and for the next ten years, he shared stories and memories that helped his family and friends - and his wider community - understand the sacrifice and heroism of his “greatest generation.” Carmin spoke at many schools and other venues in South Florida about his service in World War II, and became a public champion of the ongoing Honor Flight project and other veterans’ organizations. As recently as September 2025, Carmin was honored by the Gary Sinise Foundation with a trip (accompanied by his daughter Kim) to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Carmin Francis Yannotta was born on August 14, 1924 in Summit New Jersey, he was one of eight children of Pasquale and Maria Rosa, who had both immigrated to the United States from Italy. The family lived in a three-room cold-water flat, and Carmin remembered sharing one bed with his two older brothers, sleeping head-to-toe in order to make space for all three. Carmin’s work-ethic was forged very early in life; as a boy he had a newspaper route and then a milk delivery route, both completed before school. Later, he worked as a mason, laying bricks on the job all day long and then spending his evenings building a house for his family in Berkley Heights, New Jersey.

Carmin was a talented athlete in high school; a good enough shortstop to draw the attention of scouts for the New York Yankees. They invited him to play for a farm team after his high school graduation, but the U.S. Army offered an even more compelling invitation in the form of a draft notice, and Carmin proudly answered the call.

After returning from his heroic - and harrowing - combat service in Europe, Carmin remembered a period of aimlessness, during which he struggled to find a direction for his life. That direction came in the form of Bernice Wittstock, a divorcee with two young daughters. Carmin met and fell in love with the woman he called Bunny; they married in March 1951, and Carmin embraced and adopted those two little girls, Kathy and Lana, as his daughters. Together, Carmin and Bunny created their precious daughter Kim, who arrived in 1956.

Bunny and Carmin had honeymooned in Florida, which triggered a desire on her part to move there. It happened in 1960, when they moved first to Dania, then Hollywood, and finally West Palm Beach, where they lived together until Bunny’s passing in 2012. After her death, Carmin routinely visited - and decorated - Bunny’s grave, and continued living in the home they had shared, surrounded by hundreds of treasured photos and mementos.

Carmin spent most of his professional career as a regional manager for the Honeywell Corporation, where he was consistently one of the highest performers in their alarm division. After his retirement from Honeywell, this man with the ferocious work ethic continued to do just that, working in commercial property management, retail warehouse shipping and delivery, and finally as a revered greeter at the Home Depot on Northlake Boulevard. Carmin did that job into his mid 90’s, and became a local legend who was much loved by colleagues and customers alike.

Family meant everything to Carmin Yannotta. From beginning to end, for more than a century, his life revolved around his parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. He was particularly devoted, of course, to his beloved wife Bunny. He treasured his daughters Kim, Lana, and Kathy (who passed away in 2025), and was grateful for their spouses Allen, Jim, and Joe. His grandchildren – Kevin (Sarah), Eric (Michele), Karen (Carson), Kris, Mitzi, Michael, Rick (Crystal), Tami (Mike), Kimberly (Max) - had his completely unconditional love, as did his still-growing group of great and great-great grandchildren.

His was an extraordinary American life, lived with loyalty, courage, service, passion, compassion, and - especially - love.

In Iieu of flowers, to remember and honor Carmin, you can make a donation to Southeast Florida Honor Flight using this link: honorflightsefl.org

A visitation will be held at Quattlebaum Funeral, Cremation and Event Center, located at 5411 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL, 33417, United States. The visitation is scheduled for February 19, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Funeral services and burial will be private.

Attached is the audio of the service which begins 23:45 into the recording.

https://1drv.ms/u/c/b370f28aa2afbb7c/IQAdvYWqTZYJTL5gjH7i_C0sARcJ5IbYNP20Cbfkt3WyF64?e=AmTwf!

Zoom Service

https://1drv.ms/v/c/b370f28aa2afbb7c/IQDKElk5MRiGRYFBYYZTzic8AR0vF5Z2hq1A0I0fwlD9k2I?e=CypAHh