SCHOHARIE — Victor A. Santore was a husband, a father, a veteran, and a man who knew how to get things done. He died peacefully at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, in the loving presence of his family. He was 102.

“Even though he was a boxer, he was probably the most gentle person you’d ever meet,” said Mr. Santore’s daughter, Ann Santore. 

Mr. Santore was born on Sept. 9, 1917, in Ossining (Westchester County), New York, the son of Nazarene (née Forcucci) and Anselmo Santore, and the brother of Italia, John, Olga, Viola, Josephine, and Anselm.

Mr. Santore always liked working with his hands. “He was gifted,” said Ms. Santore. After graduating from Draper High School, he received technical training during his time in the United States Army Air Forces, where he was a sergeant stationed in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

Mr. Santore also enjoyed athletics. During his service, he boxed and played baseball for the Air Force team. It’s one of the few memories he shared from that period of his life. 

“He only told us the good things,” said Ms. Santore. “He never told us the bad things.”   

After his honorable discharge, Mr. Santore eventually started his own business, Guilderland Radio and Television, handling all the necessary building renovations himself. He owned and operated the business for 25 years. He was a wingman on the snowplow for the Guilderland Highway Department and worked as a greenskeeper for a local golf course. 

It was as greenskeeper that Mr. Santore met his wife of 70 years, Elizabeth. Elizabeth liked to walk her dog on the greens, near the farmstand she operated for her father in the summers. They married in 1948, their union ending only with her death on June 20.

His handiness was a service in domestic life, too. “You name it, he’d fix it,” said Ms. Santore, whether it was broken dolls or a leaky faucet.

“He enjoyed work projects, mending stone walls, reading westerns, playing golf, and smoking a good cigar,” his family wrote in a tribute.   

When asked what she’d learned from her father, Ms. Santore chuckled. “Always pay your bills,” she said. “Treat people decently and bend over backwards to be fair.”  

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Victor A. Santore is survived by his five children: George Santore and his wife, Normita, of Cobleskill; Ann Santore, of Schoharie; James Santore and his wife, Elaine, of Schoharie; Victor Santore and his wife, Kim, of Ft. Plain; Elizabeth Santore and Robert Ramey, of Duanesburg; as well as five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. 

His wife, Elizabeth B. Santore, died before him. 

The family extends “special thanks to Dr. Joseph Luz, M.D., for his care and guidance of our mother and father.” 

A graveside memorial service with military honors were held on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 10 at the Middleburgh Cemetery with Father Jeff L’Arche officiating.

Mourners may leave condolences online at altamontenterpise.com/milestones.  

Memorial contributions may be made to the Schoharie County American Legion Honor Guard, care of Myron Kniskern, 144 Court St. Richmondville, NY, 12149.