He attended Henry Ford Elementary school and graduated from Renton High School in 1947. Soon after graduation, he was drafted into the Army and attended Ordnance School in Maryland. He served in Japan during the Korean war from 1951 – 1956 as an Automotive Engine Rebuilder. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he returned home and began working as an auto rebuild specialist for Williams and Swansons, later sold to the current dealership Good Chevrolet.
His passions in life were his Mom, his brothers, his niece Mary Ann (me), and his nephew Todd. Vic loved the outdoors and spent a lot of his time fishing, camping, digging razor clams, and foraging for mushrooms in Cle Elum. During that time, Vic taught me and Todd how to catch fish, clean them, and prepare them to be fried for dinner. He liked to play silly games with us to entertain me and my brother while we were growing up. He taught us how to slide down a hill with cardboard when the lawn became very dry. He taught Ian and Abby, his grand-nephew and grand-niece, the same many years later.
When I was very young, he would drive me to SeaTac airport on Sundays while my parents and brother were attending Sunday Mass. I was lucky not to attend church because I would always get a donut and chocolate milk at the restaurant counter in the old original airport.
When the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, Vic surprised us after the show, dressed up as Paul McCartney with guitar (tennis racket) in hand. He bought a used bike and restored it, painted it pink and gave it to me for my birthday. It was too big for me, but I didn’t care.
There are so many things I could say about Vic, but I would need to write a book to say them all. Vic was the most generous and happy man I’ve ever known. He always put others first and his kindness touched so many people. He never married, which is a little unfortunate because he would have been a wonderful father, but in a way, sounding a bit selfish, Todd and I experienced a wonderful childhood since we had Uncle Vic all to ourselves.
Todd and I will miss him dearly, but we will always love him and keep him fondly in our hearts. I truly believe he is with Carolina (his Mom), Henry (his Dad), all the cousins, friends, and his brother Ernie in heaven.
Heaven just got a lot more fun!
Vic passed away from cancer under the care of Hospice and is survived by his 96-year-old brother Mario, nephew Todd, niece Mary Ann, grand-nephew Ian, grand-niece Abby, and sister-in-law Jean Tonda.
Vic will have a private family graveside interment per his request.
Vic supported many charities, including Children’s Hospital, Alzheimer’s research, American Diabetes Association, and the Veterans administration. Links for donations in memorium have been linked below.
