Salvatore Calebrese
Early Life
Salvatore Calabrese was born on November 30, 1894, in Sicily, Italy, the son of Salvatore Calabrese and Ida Labrecha. He spent his early years in Italy before immigrating to the United States as part of the large wave of Italian migration to New York in the early twentieth century.
He later settled in Rye, New York, residing at 75 Maple Avenue, where he became part of the growing Italian-American community contributing to the local workforce and civic life.
World War I Service
Calabrese entered military service on July 1, 1918, when he was inducted at Port Chester, New York. He was assigned to Company H, Training Detachment at Technical High School in Buffalo, New York, before being transferred to the 7th Casual Company, 1st Provisional Regiment, Ordnance Training Camp.
These units were part of the Army’s ordnance and training system, responsible for preparing soldiers in the handling, maintenance, and distribution of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment. Ordnance personnel played a critical logistical role in sustaining front-line combat operations, ensuring that artillery, small arms, and supplies were properly maintained and delivered to combat units serving overseas.
Calabrese served overseas from October 5, 1918, to June 19, 1919, during the final phase of World War I and the subsequent occupation period following the Armistice. His service likely involved support functions tied to supply and equipment management for forces of the American Expeditionary Forces operating in France.
He held the rank of Private and sustained no wounds in action. He was honorably discharged on June 30, 1919, upon demobilization.
Life After Service
Following the war, Calabrese returned to Rye and later settled in Port Chester, New York, where he was employed as a public works employee for the Town of Rye. His work reflects a steady postwar career in municipal service, contributing to local infrastructure and community development.
He married Margaret Gast, and together they raised four children: three sons, Salvatore, John, and Daniel, and one daughter, Mrs. Anthony (Ida) Roberta.
In later years, he relocated to Florida, where he lived for approximately two decades, joining a broader migration of retirees to the region in the mid-twentieth century.
Salvatore Calabrese died on January 30, 1978, at his home in Opa-locka, Florida, at the age of eighty-one.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his sons, Salvatore of Port Chester, and John and Daniel of Hollywood, Florida; his daughter, Mrs. Anthony (Ida) Roberta of Greenwich; his sister, Mrs. Lillian Morano of Port Chester; his brothers, Joseph of Port Chester and Frank of Trumbull, Connecticut; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.