Trupo Family

Uncle Nick and Bill

Uncle Nick lived in Brooklyn. He married an Irish girl and had one son, Bill. Uncle Nick had gotten his own business, a shoe-shine stand in the lobby of one of the big hotels. He had three or four men working for him. We always thought he made his money this way when we were kids. Every time he visited us he brought candy for the ladies and cigars for the men. I remember for Christmas, when I was quite small, he bought me a beautiful doll with blonde hair, blue eyes and lovely clothes.

When we were older we finally knew that he was one of the biggest bookies in Brooklyn. He loved to gamble, go to ball games and the race track. I understand when he married he was a millionaire, and gave his wife a beautiful home. But he was always running around, and she divorced him in three or four years.

She got custody of Bill, and he very seldom saw his father when he was little. Uncle Nick provided for his education, and he went to the best schools and on to college. When he graduated he worked for a bank, and married a girl named Marie.

Uncle Nick lost a lot of his money and he always said it was due to "fast women and slow horses." Tony and I used to go to the ball games with him.

He loved the Brooklyn Dodgers and was very friendly with Branch Rickey, their manager. We also went to the race track with him – he was a big bettor. He was very interesting to be with – loud, very big and strong. He told us how he had to fight to make it in Brooklyn when he first came here. But he loved America and would say, "I'm an American, not a wop like the rest of you."

He was crazy about Bill, and when Bill was older they spent a lot of time together. They used to come to the house together. Mary and Bill got along very well and corresponded when he went into the Air Force.

When the war came, married men were not drafted originally, But, Bill signed up immediately for the Air Force. He was trained as a pilot and flew a B29. He fought in the European Theater against Germany and Italy. After 25 missions airmen were usually sent back to the states for a spell. I think he was on his 23^rd or 24^th mission when his plane was lost.

He was officially declared missing for one or two years, then they finally found his plane. It had been shot down over France. All aboard were dead, and Bill was buried in France. Uncle Nick was devastated. Mary might have kept some of his letters from when he was overseas. His wife remarried about a year after he had been found.

Next: Mary and Keith