Mario Bonaparte of Riverside, CT. passed away peacefully after a long, beautiful life at the age of 98 on July 17th, 2023, at Nathaniel Witherell Nursing Home. He was born on May 3, 1925, in Brooklyn, NY to Macrino and Immacolata (nee Piscioneri) Bonaparte. He is predeceased by his loving wife of 56 years Frances, his daughter Ellen, and his siblings, Joseph, Nick, Otto, and Gilda.
Mario is survived by his four children: Paul Bonaparte-Krogh (Anne) of Concord, NH, Kate Wilen (Richard) of Yoncalla, OR., Michael Bonaparte (Lori) of Riverside, CT., David Bonaparte (Heather) of Ridgefield, CT., and South Carolina, his eight grandchildren: Mary, Kate, Kelsey, Phoebe, Will, Charlie, Claudia, Matthew, and his great-grandson John Joseph (JJ). He is also survived by several nieces and nephews and many great nieces and nephews with whom he shared a special bond.
His parents emigrated from Italy to the US via Ellis Island in 1924 on the ship Verdi. His father Macrino fell ill with pneumonia and passed away in 1928 when Mario was three years old, leaving his mother to raise the 5 children. The family moved settled on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn.
Mario and his siblings, along with his cousin Nicky, were very active kids playing stickball at a young age along with baseball and football. He went to Lafayette High School in Brooklyn where he was a very good student and an avid reader. High school graduation came in June, 1943 and Mario enlisted in the Navy.
After boot camp he was sent to Aviation Machinist Mate School at Norman, Oklahoma. He was selected for air crew and aerial gunnery training and eventually ended up in the crew of a patrol reconnaissance plane a Privateer, PBY42. It had a crew of 12, three flight officers and six enlisted men, six of whom were gunners manning six turrets of twin 50 caliber machine guns. The plane was designed for use over water at low altitudes. During his service the crew routinely encountered enemy contact including two successful crash landings. He was awarded the Navy Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Mario was discharged in 1946 and through the GI Bill went to college at Champlain College in upstate NY quickly followed by NYU. Mario graduated from NYU in 1951 and then went on to complete his Masters Degree at Fordham University. Mario worked at the Greenwich Center for Child and Family Service and Catholic Charities of the Bridgeport Diocese.
On September 4th, 1954Mario married Frances Boratyn, whom he met while at Fordham. They moved to Greenwich in 1955 where Mario resided until his passing. They both had fulfilling careers as social workers until retirement. Mario enjoyed many hobbies including photography and reading. However, his two greatest interests were sailing and woodworking.
Mario developed a love of being on the water and sailing on Long Island Sound. As his family grew, he frequently raced sailboats, and even built a small boat in the basement of their family home. He eventually graduated from his homemade boat and traded it for an International 14. Ultimately, he bought a more family friendly Flying Scot, a 19 foot racing sailboat named Patriot. He had a long successful run winning races out of the Old Greenwich Yacht Club of which he would eventually become Commodore.
Mario was active in the Greenwich Men’s Retirement Association and a beloved member of the community. He will be missed tremendously as he made a significant impact on everyone’s lives through his kindness and thoughtfulness.