George Washington VERCOLI

22 FEB 1909 - 22 DEC 2003

• BIRTH: 22 FEB 1909, Frontenac, Crawford, Kansas
• DEATH: 22 DEC 2003, South Bend, St Joseph, IN

1.  Georgiana VERCOLIO

INDEX

[N28208] George Washington Vercolio, a man, who in this earthly life, has been known as:
A son,
A brother,
A cousin,
An uncle,
A husband,
A father,
A grandfather,
A great grandfather,
and a friend.

Born on February 22, 1909, to his Italian immigrant parents, Mary Lencio Corgiat and Genesio Bernard Vercoglio, in Frontenac, Kansas; George was blessed with a long life and departed from us on December 22, 2003. George: robust, jovial, funny, friendly, and big hearted. He seemed to light up any room he walked into, with his big smile, and his charismatic personality. He was was coal miner, worked for the Civilian Conservation Corp, owned the restaurant: "Vercolio's Grill," and he worked for twenty-seven years, as a spray painter at Bendix Corportation. He did a little bit of everything, all the while pursuing his first love, his passion … music. George loved to sing, dance, and play the drums. In his day, he belonged to many local big bands, and played all around Indiana, and the Midwest. 94 years 10 months … spent here on earth. When he began his life the majority of the people were born in small homes, and raised in small communities. They worked hard, really hard, just to maintain their day to day lives. News was carried by letter, or word of mouth. People stayed close to home. When they needed to go somewhere, they walked, or traveled by horse and carriage. A lot happened in his 95 years ...
Indoor plumbing, automobiles, radios, television, paved roads from coast to coast, automatic washing machines, refrigerators, air travel, air conditioning, vaccines, test tube babies, organ transplants, microwaves, VCR'S, ATM machines, Wal-Mart's, computers, The Internet, and cell phones. At the end of his life, humans were traveling by rocket into outer space, and taking up residence in orbit, around the earth. George lived ... he really lived, and he saw a great many things. He took those priceless, precious memories with him. The memory of his favorite schoolteacher, the smell of his mother's bread baking in a wood stove. His first kiss. The sunrises and sunsets he saw, while hoboing across country on a train. The taste of President Hoover's pie. The joy he felt when he performed his songs, or told jokes, and made throngs of people laugh. He took with him, the memory of holding his daughter for the very first time, dancing in big ballrooms, playing with his granddaughter in the snow. Gone too are his memories of traveling across the country in his camper truck called "Georgie Boy," planting his garden in the spring, and walking his favorite dog, "Buddy." All the experiences of his life's joys and sorrows, now rest with him. To those that loved him, he left happy, funny stories, and precious memories, in the hearts of those he touched. No one will ever forget that George Washington Vercolio was once among us. At the the end of his life, his memories seemed to fade with each passing day, but his core personality remained. George enjoyed sitting in the living room listening to big band music, having his favorite meal, and sitting out on the porch swing eating Dilly Bars. It was on such an occasion that I asked George, my grandpa, if he ever thought about how long he would live, or if he ever thought about living until the twenty-first century. " I don't worry about such things … don't worry about tomorrow!" George said. "Tomorrow takes care of itself. You have to worry about today, the here, and the now, because that is all we truly have." As we sat there swinging, Grandpa had a question for me. "Do you believe in reincarnation?" " I don't know. Why?" I asked. "Well I do" he said. "So, you can start looking for me about eighteen years after I die, in Daytona Beach. I"ll be on Spring Break!" Grandpa George always had a way of getting a a smile, or a chuckle out of me, even when the conversation was about to turn serious. "I want you to do something for me ... when I finally do leave this world, simply tell everyone, that I know and love, that George said: ‘Good-Bye!'"

Excerpt from the eulogy of
~ George Washington Vercolio ~
written by his only grand child,
Deanna L. Rodecki
copyright-2003

George always said that he wanted a big neon sign, flashing over his tombstone, with the word's "Here's George, Here's George," pointing down to his grave. Striking it upon stone, was the best we could do. His epitaph reads: "Here's George" and "Beloved Daddy and Grandpa"