Salida bids goodbye to Sam DeLeo, 95, as he is laid to rest at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 in graveside services.

The son of Italian immigrants, Sam was born Feb. 18, 1922 in Salida. He was seven years old when he and his two older siblings lost their parents while the family was living in upstate New York. He returned to Salida to live with his grandmother, Adeline Mazzuca. Later his uncle, Romeo Mazzuca, sent for him and he graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1941. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served from Dec. 9, 1943 to April 8, 1946 on the APC-32 as a Machinist’s Mate Second Class, stationed in the South Pacific.