VICTOR JOHN GERVOL SR

GERVOL SR

Victor John Gervol Sr., 90, peacefully passed away on Oct. 15, 2008.

Victor was born on Dec. 20, 1917, at Hibbing, Minn., to his parents, father John Gervol and mother Martha Slak, immigrants from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

A child of the Great Depression, Victor worked in the mining industry and other jobs in northern Minnesota until enlisting in the United States Army in 1940. While as an infantryman stationed in Fort Lewis, Wash., he was transferred to California following the attack on Pearl Harbor. While assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, he first saw action in the North African invasion of 1942, seeing combat in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. In 1943, he was with the Division when they made an amphibious assault landing on Sicily, fought its way into Palermo and then to Messina, thus ending the Sicilian campaign. Victor then transferred to the 9th Infantry Division, 39th Infantry Regiment: the famous "Fighting Falcons" of AAA-O fame ("Anything, Anywhere, Anytime-Bar Nothing.") In England they begin preparation for the Normandy amphibious landing. It was there that he was among the first to be awarded the new decoration, The Combat Infantry Badge. The 9th Division landed on Utah Beach (D+4) June 10, 1944. Victor continued with the Division as they literally walked across France and Belgium to Germany where in September 1944, he was among the first troops to breach the Siegfried Line. He then was deployed into the Hurtgen Forest area of Germany where he was wounded in October 1944. For that action he was awarded the Purple Heart, to go along with his Silver and Bronze stars.

On Aug. 4, 1945, he married his sweetheart Violet Senarighi and settled in Duluth. There they had two sons, Victor Junior in 1949 and Brian in 1953. Retiring from the United States Postal Service and the U.S. Army Reserve he and his wife then moved to Salem, Ore., in 1977, his lifelong dream.

Victor was an avid outdoorsman. Hunting, fishing and gardening being his favorite pursuits. Besides being a family man, he was also involved in the Knights of Columbus, Queen of Peace Council, no. 9263, where he occupied various posts such as Grand Knight and District Director. He was also an Endowment Lifetime Member of the National Rifle Association, a charter member of The World War Two Memorial Foundation, and a member of the DAV, VFW, and other veteran organizations.

He was preceded in death by his father, John; mother, Martha; his sisters, Lucille and Mary; brother, Anthony; and his son, Victor, Jr.

He leaves behind his wife, Violet; son, Brian; grandson, Magnus; granddaughter, Erika; two great-grandchildren, Victor and James; and his sister, Anna Dunda.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: was held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Salem, Ore.