Obituary of Vincent Battista

BATTISTA – Vincent “Jim,” 89, Mount Pleasant, S.C., formerly of Ebensburg, died Nov. 29, 2010, in Mechanicsville, Va. Born Oct. 2, 1921, in Ebensburg, son of Pasquale and Anna Battista. Preceded in death by wife, Phyllis (Gatto); parents; brothers, John, William, Frank, Joseph and Domenic; infant brother, Angelo; and sisters, Katherine Battista, Dominica Stiles and Mary Gray. Survived by son, Barry, and wife, Tammy, Mechanicsville, Va.; and grandchildren, Kelly and Kevin. Also survived by sister, Anne, wife of Colman Anna, Ebensburg. A graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and George Washington University. He was a percussionist in the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C., for 29 years. During that time, he composed and performed the Kennedy funeral cadance and lead the Army Band in the president’s funeral procession. The antique-style Grand Republic Drum, which he played in the funeral procession, was presented to the Smithsonian Institution and is displayed with the slain president’s memorabilia in the Smithsonian’s history branch. After retiring from the Army Band, he was employed by the Internal Revenue Service for 15 years. He also played percussion in the Charleston (South Carolinda) Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1980s. Friends and family were received at Atlee Chapel Woody Funeral Home, Mechanicsville, Va. Interment, Arlington National Cemetery.