Donato Vecchiollo
Early Life
Donato “Daniel” Vecchiollo was born on March 25, 1898, in Italy. He immigrated to the United States in 1915 as a young man, part of the wave of Italian immigration that helped shape communities in Westchester County.
He first settled in the region with family connections and soon established ties to Rye, New York, residing at 134 Maple Avenue. By the time of the First World War, he was working as a butcher, reflecting the skilled trades that supported local communities.
World War I Service
Vecchiollo entered military service on April 26, 1918, when he was inducted at Local Board No. 6 in Port Chester, New York, into the United States Army.
He was first assigned to Company F of the 304th Infantry Regiment, part of the 76th Infantry Division. He was later transferred through several units, including Company G of the 163rd Infantry Regiment and ultimately Company G of the 58th Infantry Regiment, reflecting the fluid reassignment of soldiers during wartime mobilization.
He served overseas in France from July 8, 1918, to August 1, 1919, a period that encompassed the major offensives of the final year of the war as well as the occupation period following the Armistice.
Vecchiollo advanced from Private to Private First Class on December 21, 1918, and was later promoted to Corporal on August 1, 1919, demonstrating steady progression in responsibility during his service.
His service record notes no wounds or injuries in action. He was honorably discharged on August 6, 1919.
Life After Service
Following the war, Vecchiollo returned to Westchester County, where he married Pasqualina “Lena” Tropeano in Port Chester in 1923. The couple raised a family and remained in the area for many years.
He later moved to the Bronx, New York, where he became the owner and operator of the Savoy Bar, a business he ran for nearly four decades. His long career reflects the entrepreneurial path taken by many immigrants who built stable livelihoods in New York.
Donato Vecchiollo died on March 1, 1991, in the Bronx, New York, at the age of 92.
He was survived by his wife, his daughters Catherine, Antoinette, and Jean, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and extended family.