Gino Fioriti, age 91, of Mechanicsburg, passed away at home on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, following a long illness.He was born on Nov. 7, 1925, in Scranton, to Italian immigrants, Nazzareno and Teresa (Sonni) Fioriti. His father worked as a coal miner and his mother took in laundry, boarders and raised rabbits to make ends meet. He was a child of the Depression and worked and learned responsibility at a young age. He learned how to speak English at school and was bilingual his whole life.He was part of "the Greatest Generation," a young man drafted into the Army in 1943, sent to basic training by train in Ft. Hood, Texas, with a stop in New Cumberland, and then to Camp Shelby, Miss., for tank and amphibious landing training. From there, it was on to Seattle, Wash., with a drive through Glacier National Park before moving to Honolulu via an overcrowded rusted bucket of a boat. In Honolulu, he and others in his group unloaded materials from ships until they were sent to the Pacific. He was part of the invasion of Saipan and of Okinawa, dropping Marines and materials on the beaches. He was preparing for the invasion of Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped.Following the war, he returned to Scranton, and graduated from the Johnson School of Technology as a machinist, courtesy of the GI bill. He became a civil service employee, moved to Mechanicsburg in 1959, and began working at the Mechanicsburg Naval Depot. He completed his career there and retired in 1985. Gino enjoyed movies, especially war movies, good food and dirty jokes. He loved to read the newspaper on Sunday mornings, history books and enjoyed picnics at the lake.Surviving is his loving wife of 60 years, Elisa (Luciani) Fioriti; his son, Walter Fioriti and wife, Britt, of Mechanicburg; his daughter, Dr. Gina Fioriti, of Morristown, N.J.; and his brother, Ivo Fioriti, of Huddleston, Va.The family would like to take this opportunity to thank our neighbors of many years, especially Earl and Sandy Fertenbaugh, as well as Joseph Rapaish and James Bulzoni, for being there to help our parents when needed, for being loyal and devoted friends and for keeping our father company and giving him encouragement and hope through his illness. Thank you.Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, at St. Ann's Parish, 1250 St. Ann's St., Scranton. Burial will take place in Cathedral Cemetery. There will be a visitation from 2 to 4 p.m. followed by a prayer service on Thursday, Dec. 1, at Malpezzi Funeral Home, 8 Market Plaza Way, Mechanicsburg. Memorial contributions may be made to Kindred Hospice, 4660 Trindle Road, Suite 204, Camp Hill, PA 17011.To sign the online guest book, visit
www.malpezzifuneralhome.com.
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