Joseph Folino was the last of a generation.
Folino, of Jeannette, died Thursday at age 103. He is believed to among the last surviving veterans who fought in Battle of the Bulge, the last German offensive during World War II.
“He came from our greatest generation and we should all try to emulate him,” said longtime friend George “GC” Kleckner, 78 of Greensburg. “His spirit, energy and heroism, that doesn’t die.”
Friends and fellow veterans shared their memories of Folino on Saturday. They recalled how he eagerly spoke about his experiences during what was a critical battle in the Ardennes Forest as the Germans mounted their largest and last offensive of the war.
The battle lasted from mid-December 1944 through end of January 1945.
Folino’s tank destroyer unit was stationed on Elsenborn Ridge in Belgium, assigned to hold off a German attack that was part of the offensive.
“The bigger enemy was the cold. It was below zero, and there was no shelter for us. You were not allowed to build a fire because of the (German) artillery,” Folino told TribLive in 2019.
Kleckner said it was important to Folino that he continue to share his story.
“He was an iconic figure for what he gave up for us,” Kleckner said. “They were the greatest generation with what they went through and how they handled it. His stories live on through us now.”
Alisha D’Astolfo, 48, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 33 in Greensburg, said for years Folino was a presence at the club where he often told his story.
“It’s an end of an era, definitely. He’s part of our history. What they went though, they were amazing people,” D’Astolfo said. “He for sure made an impact on all of us veterans, especially those of us who followed behind him.”
As of last September, just more than 45,000 veterans from the war remained alive, according to the World War II Museum in New Orleans. Of those about 2,600 resided in Pennsylvania.
Local veterans believe Folino was likely the last surviving World War II veteran in Westmoreland County.
D’Astolfo’s post honors World War II veterans every year, including a ceremony each December to commemorate the Battle of the Bulge. Until just a few years ago Folino was a regular participant in those events.
In 2022, veterans paraded in front of Folino’s home to help him mark his 100th birthday.
Mike Penzera, 90, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Greensburg is a member of the post’s Honor Guard and has known Folino for years.
“He was like a hero to me,” Penzera said.
In 2018, Folino told TribLive he was 20 in 1942. He worked on the railroads when he was drafted, traveled to Kansas, Texas and Louisiana before he was deployed to Europe.
He was discharged from the Army in 1945.
In 2018, Folino was awarded the French Legion of Honor award, France’s highest decoration.
Rae Ann Sheedy, 65, of Hunker said she’s known Folino since childhood; she’s now a bartender at the Greensburg VFW.
“Everyone brags about him here. He was a larger-than-life figure and everyone here knows Joe Folino,” Sheedy said. “What those people did was amazing. It is a completely different world today than it was in their day.”
According to his obituary, Folino was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Maryland, to whom he was married to for 75 years; three sisters and two brothers.
He is survived by: his children, Rita Gochenaur (Dwight) of York Springs and John Folino (Karin) of Gibsonia; his grandchildren, Lauren, Kyle, Meghan (Cory Hylton), Amanda and Blair (Alex); and his great grandchildren, Maryn, John and Ellis. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. at the Mason-Gelder Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ascension Church in Jeannette.