Born in Elmira, New York in 1926, Paul C. “Digger” Vendetti joined the United States Navy in 1944, before completing high school.

Seaman First Class Vendetti admirably served our nation in the South Pacific during World War II. He was the recipient of numerous military awards including the Asiatic Pacific Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, American Theater Medal, and the Victory Medal.

Honorably discharged from U.S. Navy service in 1946, Seaman Vendetti returned to the Elmira area, settled in Horseheads, and raised a family with his beloved wife of 72 years, Rosemary.

Across all of the 40 years of a dedicated career as a caretaker, Seaman Vendetti, with honor and dignity, proudly tended to the final resting places of thousands of his fellow veterans at the Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira.

Seaman Vendetti was a member of American Legion Post #442 and a great fan of the New York Yankees. Family, friends, neighbors, and fellow veterans recall the joy he brought to living with an always-ready sense of humor and an unforgettable laugh.

The Horseheads Central School District presented Seaman Vendetti with a high school diploma during a Veterans Day ceremony in November 2017. “I got a diploma and who knows, maybe I’ll use it, maybe I won’t,” Seaman Vendetti said with a trademark smile on that day. “But I’ve got one, and I can always say I have one.”

Seaman First Class Vendetti was laid to rest in Woodlawn National Cemetery, with Military Honors, on August 30, 2018.