Arcangelo “Arc” Carosi, 100, of Butler, passed away Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Born May 14, 1924, in Ellwood City, he was the eldest of six children of northern Italian immigrants Umberto Carosi, Sr., and Josephina Maggi Carosi.
Shortly after graduating from Lincoln High School at age 19 in June, 1943, Arc was drafted into the U.S. Army.
After completing medical quartermaster training at Fort Pickett, Virginia, Arc was deployed overseas as the first of the four Carosi brothers to serve in World War II.
His assignment took him on an 8,000-mile journey to the remote Chabua Air Station in India, home to the 59th Medical Supply Depot. Chabua served as a critical supply hub for U.S. military operations in China and Burma, and their work included the construction of the Ledo Road by 17,000 U.S. troops. Arcangelo spent much of 1944 and 1945 in Chabua, enduring harsh and primitive conditions. War correspondent Eric Sevareid famously described Chabua as “…a dread and dismal place”.
Following Japan’s surrender in September, 1945, Arc embarked on a convoy over the 1,034-mile Ledo Road to deliver supplies to Kunming, China. He was honorably discharged from the Army in January, 1946.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1946, Arc began working as an X-ray technician at the Butler Veterans Administration Hospital.
In 1950, he transferred to the Erie VA Hospital. It was around this time that he met Ledia “Lee” Granati at a Sons of Italy dance. They married on July 7, 1951.
Soon after, Arc left the Erie VA to settle in Beaver Falls with his new wife, where they raised three sons—Paul, John, and James. During his time in Beaver Falls, Arcangelo worked at Providence Hospital in X-ray while also starting the Falls City Lumber Company.
In 1961, Arc returned to the Butler VA Hospital, where he was promoted to Chief X-ray Technician in 1962, a role he held for 27 years until his retirement.
To support his growing family, Arc supplemented his income as a home remodeler, working evenings and weekends.
In retirement, Arc remained active in his community, helping to construct the American Legion Post 778 Hall in Butler, where he served as Sergeant-at-Arms. He and Lee were regulars at the weekly dances held at the Legion, where they formed lasting friendships.
Through his 31 months of service in the China-Burma-India Theater, his 27-year career at the Veterans Administration, and his lifelong dedication to the American Legion, Arcangelo Carosi exemplified a life of service, camaraderie, and devotion to fellow veterans and their families.
He was a member of All Saints Parish, St. Conrad Roman Catholic Church.
He enjoyed many hobbies, including woodworking, bowling, camping, stamp collecting, and gardening.
A centenarian, Arc lived a full and fruitful life.
He is survived by his sons, Paul Carosi and his wife, Mary Ann, of Mt. Lebanon, Pa., and John Carosi and his wife, Carla, of Butler; two sisters, Josephine Minicucci and her husband, John, of Clinton Township, Mich., and Caroline Ottavio, of Ellwood City; five grandchildren, Matthew, Mia, Peter, Phillip, and Bryan; two great-grandchildren, Ledia and Dorian; and a number of nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Ledia C. “Lee” Granati Carosi, who passed away April 18, 2018, after 67 years of marriage; a son, James Carosi, who passed away April 30, 1983; and brothers Emil Carosi, Lawrence Carosi, and Umberto “Birdy” Carosi, Jr.
Friends will be received in the Martin Funeral Home, 429 Center Ave., Butler, on Monday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at All Saints Parish, St. Conrad Roman Catholic Church, 125 Buttercup Rd., Butler, with Rev. John J. Baver officiating.
Military Honors will be accorded at the church by American Legion Post 778, VFW Post 249, and VFW Post 499.
Burial will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Beaver Falls, Pa.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 1 N. Linden St., Duquesne, PA 15110, or www.pittsburghfoodbank.org
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