Rich, Frank J.

Description

Frank Joseph Rich was born on September 10, 1888, in Castelfranco in Miscano, in the province of Benevento, Italy, the son of Joseph and Maria L. Pacific Rich. He immigrated to the United States in the early twentieth century and became part of the growing Italian-American community in Rye, New York.

By 1917, he was living at 704 North Street in Rye and working as a machine operator in nearby Port Chester. He later married Henrietta Elizabeth Cocola in Rye in 1920 and would go on to spend more than seventy years as a resident of the community.

World War I Service

Rich entered military service on June 24, 1918, when he was inducted in Westchester County, New York, into the United States Army. He was initially assigned to the 152nd Depot Brigade, a training and processing unit responsible for preparing soldiers for overseas service.

He was later transferred to Headquarters Company of the 345th Infantry Regiment, part of the 87th Infantry Division.

The 87th Division was composed largely of drafted soldiers and trained for deployment during the final phase of World War I. Although the division did not engage in combat as a complete unit, many of its soldiers were sent overseas as replacements and support personnel within the American Expeditionary Forces, reinforcing front-line units during the closing offensives of 1918.

Rich served overseas from August 24, 1918, to January 5, 1919, placing him in France during the final months of the war. He served in the rank of Private and sustained no wounds or injuries in action.

He was honorably discharged on January 21, 1919.

Life After Service

Following his return from military service, Rich remained in Rye, where he became a long-time and well-known member of the community. He worked for many years in municipal service, eventually serving as Superintendent of Highways for the City of Rye, a position he held for more than two decades.

He was a parishioner of the Church of the Resurrection and an active member of the Holy Name Society. He also maintained strong ties to the veteran community as a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7550 in Rye.

Frank J. Rich died on December 25, 1960, at his home at 5 Walnut Street in Rye at the age of 73.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Coccola Rich; his brothers, Michael and Joseph Rich of Rye and Fred Rich of Harrison; and his sisters, Mrs. Anna Izzo of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Mrs. Jennie Izzo of Rye.