by Luis Hernandez

John J. Laspina was a family man. As such, he spent much of his life building homes for families, helping first-time homebuyers find their perfect space. The World War II veteran will always be remembered for those lives he touched. The Tulare man, who earned a street named after him, died Wednesday. He was 99. Born in San Francisco, Laspina came to Tulare when he was 10 years old. His family moved to the Central Valley and opened an Italian restaurant.

While growing up in San Francisco, Laspina worked as a newspaper boy, selling The Chronicle and The Examiner. Papers were a penny during the week and a nickel on Sunday. "Every summer, we would take vacations to San Francisco and he would tell us where he sold the papers," said Betty Hollars, Laspina's daughter. Like many of the Greatest Generation, Laspina served in WWII. He completed basic training in Louisiana and was stationed in Africa and Italy.

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Source: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/