Mario Runco

1921 - 2016

Runco, Mario

Mario Runco (94) passed away at on 9/6 at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, NY with his son, Mario Jr., by his side. His parents gave him the middle name Ernesto but he never used it. Born the youngest of 7 siblings in Aria Di Lupi, Lago, Italy on 11/22/1921 to Ferdinando & Maria (nee: Posteraro) Runco, he immigrated to America at 16 aboard the SS Roma, arriving in NY 10/7/1938. While residing in Harlem with his oldest brother, Tomaso, & his wife, Onorina, he met the love of his life & future wife, Filomena (Wanda) Ragusa. With US entry into WWII as a non-Citizen, he was faced with the choice of returning to Italy or entering the Army, he chose the latter. Inducted into the Army at Fort Jay, NY exactly 4 years after his US arrival, PFC Runco served on active duty from 10/21/42 through 3/29/46, separating at Fort Dix, NJ. Assigned to the 3707th QM Trucking Company/81st QM Battalion, he was naturalized as a U.S. Citizen for his service on 11/12/1943 & then deployed to England, arriving on 11/23/1943. He remained there until his unit's embarkation for Normandy on 5/28/1944, eventually landing on D-Day+28. Driving Truck 22, he drove under fire in convoys & blackouts in the European Theater of Operations from Omaha Beach to Germany. He received 5 battle stars for the Normandy, Northern France, Central Europe, Ardennes, & Rhineland campaigns & was awarded the WWII, American, & European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medals. He also earned the Good Conduct medal & Rifle Marksman badge. He returned home aboard the Liberty Ship Wilson Victory on 3/22/1946 & was honorably discharged 7 days later. He married his sweetheart on a rainy May 12th Sunday & resided in Sacred Heart parish in Highbridge, the Bronx until 4/1965 when they moved to Yonkers, NY. Mario started a business with two partners & remained with the business until September 1963 when he went to work as a salesman for the Alpine Wine & Liquor Co/Peerless Importers, Brooklyn, NY. He achieved great success & was salesman of the month &/or quarter numerous times during his career. He retired on 7/1/1994 at the age of 73 & then was better able to enjoy his long time passions for hunting & the NY Yankees. A member of the DAV & VFW and a loving, caring, & dedicated husband & father, and loyal American he is survived by his wife, Wanda, his sons, Anthony Mario & Mario Jr., his grandchildren, Maria Margaret & Carl Christopher by Mario Jr., and Anthony Mario Jr. & John Joseph by Anthony Mario. He was predeceased by all of his siblings (Tomaso, Teresa, Rosa, Luisa, Fiorina, & Franceso). The family will be present on 9/18, 14:00-16:00 & 19:00-21:00 at F. Ruggiero & Sons, Inc.-732 Yonkers Ave.,Yonkers, NY- (914)375-1400. Funeral Mass will be held on 9/19, 09:30 at St. John the Baptist Church, Yonkers, NY. Entombment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY.