The Vince Bencriscutto
&
Jane Hadley Family
The great war that consumed the world in 1941 had its way disrupting the lives of millions of people. There were, however, some stories of a lifetime of good that came from the ashes of that evil era. For Mrs. Gregorio Bencriscutto, mother of five sons of military service age, the war was a time of desperate concern over the safety of her sons. During one period, all five of her boys were in uniform. The prospect of losing one of her beloved sons had her in constant, tearful, penitent prayer. Her son Vince was stationed at Shepard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.
He was serving in an important capacity as support personnel for the front line troops. One of the reasons America is such a formidable military foe involves our organization and supply lines. The compound where Vince worked had 17 men in the unit. Jane Hadley, Vince's wife to be, was working at the Carnation Milk Company in the same town and staying at a boarding house where 17 young women lived. Some of the girls were working and some were going to school. Alma, one of the secretaries on the base, lived with Jane in the boarding house. Alma organized a dance to be attended by the 17 women from the boarding house and the 17 men from the base.
The dance was being held in an upscale nightclub. Jane's prearranged date did nothing but talk about his girl back home. Vince and his date were not at all attracted to each other. Vince's commanding officer, a Major, attended the affair with his wife. The Major's wife noticed Vince and asked him to dance, and at the same time the Major asked Jane to dance. When the band took a break the Major and his wife returned to their table leaving Vince and Jane standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. They began talking and before long they were dancing, arm in arm, while the band played a still favorite song, "That Old Black Magic."
Soon after that initial meeting, Vince asked Alma, the secretary at the base, to arrange a date for him with Jane. They met in the spring, were engaged by October, and married on November 27, 1943 in a Texas chapel on the base. The marriage took place but not without some difficulties.
Jane was raised as a Southern Baptist. Vince was an Italian Roman Catholic. The priest, at first, would not allow the union to take place with the blessing of the Catholic Church. The determined young couple went back a second time and convinced the priest that theirs would be a home where God came first. The priest changed his position and agreed to marry them. On April 20, 1945, their first child, a son, Greg, was born. Shortly thereafter, Vince was relocated to Keester Field in Mississippi. Jane and son Greg moved back home with her parents. Vince came to spend his furlough time with them whenever possible. When the war finally ended and his father was discharged from the service, young son Greg was nine months old.
Decisions had to be made. Where would the couple set up housekeeping? They decided to move back to Wisconsin so that Vince could work in the family business. After his brother Loui was discharged from the Navy, he hitchhiked through Texas on his way to Florida and stopped in the town of Antelope where Vince and Jane were living. Jane was ill and in a gesture of concern for their family, Loui agreed to help Vince drive back to Wisconsin. Upon their arrival, Vince and Jane and their son moved into the Bencriscutto home.
The family was so happy to have all of their sons safely home from the war that no one complained about the crowded cramped conditions. The living room was converted into a bedroom for Vince, Jane and Greg. All the other Bencriscutto boys slept in one room upstairs. All the girls in another. A boarder, Uncle Frank, slept in a upper center room, the only room in the house with a bathtub. This went on for six months until the family purchased Prima Vera, a tavern on the east side of town.
Vince and Jane moved into an apartment above Prima Vera in 1946 and finally had some space and privacy. Although the whole experience was grueling for Jane who came from a small family, a small town, and had never been around people who spoke a foreign language, adapting was easier because she was surrounded by such wonderful people, the Bencriscutto clan. Their daughter, Janet, was born on May 21, 1956, in Racine. By 1957 they were able to build a home on Westwood Drive in Racine.
Greg began high school at St. Catherine's in Racine before graduating from Horlick High School in 1963. He went on to college at the University Extension Center and took further courses at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He married Patricia Lund in Racine before relocating to Texas. Janet seemed to be influenced by her mother's excellent taste in clothes and went on to involve herself in fashion and fashion merchandising.
Vince and his brothers purchased the Spinning Wheel Restaurant in 1968 which is where Vince worked until his retirement in 1976. In 1984, Vince and Jane moved to Texas in order to take care of her ailing parents. There they lived a quiet life in good health enjoying golfing, fishing, bridge and the other things that go with life in a small Texas town. In 1989 Vince was diagnosed with cancer, the dreaded disease that claimed the lives of his father and two brothers and a sister before him. He was fortunate to have been able to live a reasonably normal life until 1994 when advancing symptoms began placing limits on his life style.
Their lives have been long, and full of blessings. Whatever the future holds, Vince and Jane will always have their friends and family, the love of their children and grandchildren, and a lifetime of wonderful memories.
VINCE AND JANE'S FAMILY VINCE Born 11-23-1916 Died 4-21-1996 Vocation Retired from running Kelly's Korner and The Spinning Wheel Restaurant Activities Enjoyed fishing, golfing, bowling, community affairs JANE Born 10-14-1922 Vocation Retired from running Kelly's Korner and The Spinning Wheel Restaurant Activities Golf, bowling, church work, community work, playing bridge Phone 806-296-0385 Address 204A S. Itasca Plainview, TX 79072
VINCE AND JANE'S CHILDREN
THE GREG BENCRISCUTTO & PAT LUND FAMILY GREG Born 4-20-1945 Vocation Owner of D.J.'s Auto Salvage Activities Golf, flying, hunting, building street rods, raise English bulldogs, bowling, Former director of the Texas Auto and Truck Parts Association, Indian artifacts Phone 806-293-7305 Address 205 S. Holiday Plainview, TX 79072 PAT Born 1-10-1945 Vocation Managing the Gift Department at Gabriels Department Store Activities Golf, bowling, sewing, crafts, CCD, Parish Council, Debutante Director Phone 806-293-7305 Address 205 S. Holiday Plainview, TX 79072
GREG & PAT'S CHILDREN
NICK Born 11-23-1976 Vocation Majoring in Computer Science Activities Baseball, football, soccer, golf, four-wheeling, skate board, fishing, video games Computers, art Phone 806-293-1007 Address 401 E. 24th St. Plainview, TX 79072
THE LISA BENCRISCUTTO & GLEN BOYER FAMILY (Married 6-15-97) LISA Born 8-31-1973 Vocation University of North Texas - Interdisciplinary Elementary Education (1996) Teaching 4th grade in Fort Worth Activities Bib Brothers-Big Sisters Program, golf, hiking, reading Phone 817-732-5571 Address 6473 Waverly Way Fort Worth, TX 76116 GLEN Born 9-9-72 Vocation University of North Texas - Geography 1996 Senior G.I.S. Analyst for Buxton Co. of Fort Worth Activities Back-packing, fishing, golfing, gardening, Big Brother Program Phone 817-383-0134 E-Mail gboyer@buxtonco.com Address 2411 E-I 35 S. Apt. 615 Denton, TX 76205
THE JANET BENCRISCUTTO & WILLIAM D. MCGEE FAMILY
JANET Born 5-21-1956 Vocation Property manager for Omega Realty Activities Travel, enjoying the Florida climate and the activities that go along with it, Love my dog, Veachie Phone Home: 813-669-0428 Work: 813-797-5999 Address: 317 Oak Crest Dr. Safety Harbor, FL 34695 DOUG Born 7-30-54 Vocation President of Omega Realty & Development Company. of Tampa Activities Fishing, boating, golf Phone Home: 813-669-0428 Work: 813-797-5999 Address: 317 Oak Crest Dr. Safety Harbor, FL 34695
THE JEANA ALBERT & WESTLEY UNDERWOOD FAMILY (Married 3-17-97)
JEANA Born: 7-10-1973 Vocation: Accountant for the State of Florida Activities: Computers, Internet Phone Home: 904-656-8187 Address: 4226 Brewster Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32308 WESTLEY Born: 7-1-68 Vocation: Regional Sales Manager for the State of Florida Activities: Basketball, coaches church basketball Phone Home: 904-656-8187 Address: 4226 Brewster Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32308
DOUG’S SONS Christopher S. McGee Born 6-18-78 Kerry D. McGee Born 8-12-80
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