Obituary of Azio Baldassari

Azio A. "Ace" Baldassari, 89, of Mountainhome, died unexpectedly Tuesday, November 30 at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ. He was the husband of Marie (Garibaldi) Baldassari, with whom he celebrated 60 years of marriage this year. Born in Jersey City, NJ, he was the son of the late Costantino and Maria (Cervellieri) Baldassari. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant in the 31st Signal Corp Heavy Construction Battalion deployed in North Africa and the China-Burma-India theater. He was one of the survivors of the November 26, 1943 attack on the British Troop Transport HMT Rohna. The ship was part of convoy KMF-26 travelling east from Oran to the Far East via the Suez Canal and was attacked by a German HS293 glider bomb dropped by a Henkel 177 bomber which hit the Rohna. The device blew open a huge hole near the aft end of the engine room. Hundreds died upon impact. Of the 1,138 men lost, 1,015 were American. The attack constituted the largest ever loss of U.S. troops at sea in a single incident in U.S. History. The survivors of this attack were ordered to keep it a secret by the Allied command. The details of the loss were revealed slowly over time and were only released in full following the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act. In 1995, over fifty years after the attack, a group of survivors, next-of-kin and rescuers, informally came together for the sole purpose of enabling the creation and dedication of a Rohna Memorial. On Memorial Day, 1996, a monument was dedicated to the memory of the 1,015 men who lost their lives in this incident, at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seales, Alabama. Ace was very active in the HMT Rohna Survivors Memorial Association, telling his story to everyone that he knew so that the 1,015 American troops who perished would never be forgotten. After serving in the Army, Ace worked as a printing apprentice and eventually became a Master Printer and Linotype operator at Terminal Printing in Hoboken, NJ. Before retiring to the Poconos in 1989, he owned and operated National Typesetting in Teaneck, NJ. When he arrived in the Poconos, Ace worked at the Paradise Trout Hatchery, Pocono Manor and Skytop Lodge, before retiring for the second time at the age of 88. For over forty years, Ace was a member of the Pope John XXIII Assembly, Benedict XV Council of the Knights of Columbus in Cliffside Park, NJ. He was a Past Grand Knight, Regimental Commander of the NJ Color Guard and had the honor of guarding two different Popes during their visits to the U.S. Once in the Poconos, Ace became a charter and founding member of the Knights of Columbus, St. Bernadette's Council 12447 where he was also an active member of the church. In addition to his wife Marie, Ace is survived by his three children: Lynn Baer and her husband David of Scotch Plains, NJ, Robert Baldassari and his wife Victoria of Canadensis, and Janis Baldassari of Mountainhome; six grandchildren: Sara Farrell, Erin Baer, Robert Baldassari, Jr., Tori Baldassari and Michael and Daniel Tafuri; and one great granddaughter: Charlotte Grace Farrell. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his two brothers: Remo and Vincent Baldassari. There will be a viewing on Friday, December 3 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Bolock Funeral Home, corner of routes 940 & 390, Cresco. The Reverend Father Joseph Kopacz will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, December 4 at 11:00 am at The Church of St. Bernadette, Route 390 in Canadensis. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Ace Baldassari can be made to the HMT Rohna Survivors Memorial Association c/o Janet Delude, 42924 Deep Forest Drive, Coarsegold CA 93614 or to the Knights of Columbus, St. Bernadette's Council 12447, P.O. Box 589, Canadensis, PA 18325.