Anthony Battillo

HYDE PARK - Anthony Battillo, 92, of Hyde Park, died Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck. He was born June 7, 1917, in Brooklyn of parents Anthony and Rose Raffaele Battillo. Attended schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Graduated from National Technical Institute in New York City, in 1947. Attended classes at the Art Students League of New York. Took classes in technical writing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1970. Military: Enlisted in Brooklyn's 14th Regiment National Guard in 1941, right after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Transferred to the regular U.S. Army in 1942. Trained in the U.S., served in North Africa, and was actively engaged in three major campaigns in Italy - The Rome-Arno Campaign, The North Apennines Campaign, and the Po Valley Campaign - With IV Corps, Fifth Army. Entered Rome when that city fell to the Allies. During the war, worked primarily on map overlays in the Engineer Section of Hq. IV Corps. Later in the war, he was assigned as a combat artist, to record the final campaign in Italy, which ended at the French - Swiss bor?der in May, 1945. The German surrender netted 150,000 prisoners of war. Also witnessed the bodies of ex-dictator Benito Mussolini, his mistress and five fascist officials, who were captured trying to escape into Switzerland, and tried and shot by Italian partisans. After the war, he stayed in Italy six extra months in order to complete the illustrations and production of a book titled, The Final Campaign Across Northwest Italy, which is still the official record of the last campaign in Italy. The book is on file with the U.S. Army Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Other war paintings are located in Gettysburg, PA, Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, MO, the New York Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY, and in the Army Reserve Command in Birmingham, AL. Upon his discharge from military service, Battillo worked in hy�draulic design for military and civilian aircraft. Later, he joined IBM Corporation, where he was involved in making technical illus�trations for customer manuals. For more than 25 years he managed the art and production departments in IBM Poughkeepsie and King�ston - responsible for the production of art, page layout and printing of customer manuals. Running parallel with his career in IBM, Battillo also wrote and illustrated historical articles for national, special interest magazines and newspapers. His articles appeared in American History Magazine, Civil War Times mag�azine, U.S. Naval Proceedings, and various newspapers. Right after World War II, he was awarded the North African, Middle East, European medal with four battle stars, in addition to the New York State medal for merit in combat. He has been a member of the American Legion (and past commander) since WWII. Battillo was also a member of the IBM Quarter Century Club, and the Elks Lodge, Poughkeepsie. Battillo joined IBM in 1951, when computer technology was in its infancy, and through the years watched it grow until and after his retirement from IBM in 1977. However, since his retirement, he continues to pursue his work in magazines and newspapers. Battillo married Lillian Margiotta of Brooklyn in 1948. Mrs. Battillo survives at home. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Robert A. Battillo of Hyde Park; daughter, Diana Heupler and husband, Stephen, of Red Hook; three grandchildren, Melanie Lewis and husband, Eric, of Albany, Kristin Lemaster and husband, Kelsey, of Boston, MA, and Matthew Heupler of Red Hook; nephew, Stephen Bialousz and wife, Marilyn, of Salt Point; and two nieces, Enas Meyen and husband, Bob, of Salt Point, and Helene Gallagher of Millbrook. He was predeceased by his two brothers and two sisters. Calling hours will be from 6 to 8 pm, Friday, August 7, 2009 at Sweet�s Funeral Home, Inc., Rte. 9, Hyde Park. Funeral services will be at 9 am, Saturday, August 8, 2009 at the funeral home. Entombment with military honors will follow in the Community Mausoleum at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. To send a condolence or for directions, please visit www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.