Every day the Obituary section in the Kansas City Star seems to include yet another "Greatest Generation" member who has left us. Today was no exception.
Salvatore G. Ottaviano was born in Kansas City, MO to parents who migrated to America. He graduated from Cearns High School, a school in the north end of Kansas City in the area inhabited by Italian immigrants. His parents owned the Bellini Theater close by, at 5th and Troost.
Upon graduation, Salvatore became a Marine and was sent overseas. As with many servicemen of the day, he met his future bride, Ruby Jean, before he departed.
Salvatore survived his stint in the Marines and returned home to marry Ruby. The couple lived life to the fullest--traveling often and exercising their love of gambling, making Las Vegas a frequent stop on their journeys. Salvatore and Ruby spent 62 years together before her death earlier this month.
Salvatore soon followed his wife in death as, according to his obit, "he could not live another day without her."
Members of the "Greatest Generation," like Salvatore, are dying at a rapid pace. Obits like this could be found, I'm sure, in every major American newspaper this weekend. Let's be sure and give thanks, on this special holiday weekend devoted to those who have passed, to members of the "Greatest Generation" who served their country so nobly. R.I.P. Salvatore.
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