Silvio Dante DiLoreto died peacefully in the company of family on March 17, 2017, at age 91. He had been an active member of the Santa Barbara community for 61 years.
Silvio was born September 17, 1925, in Rochester, New York, to Venanzio and Lucia DiLoreto. He was the oldest child of four, including brothers Aldo and Lucio and sister Nella. His mother died in 1935 during childbirth, and his sister died in 1942 of leukemia. Venanzio worked in construction, and the Depression years were challenging for the family. Their father instilled a strong work ethic in his children, and they began working at a young age. Silvio attributed his father’s influence and Depression struggles to his success later in life.
The U.S. entered World War II during Silvio’s teen years. After high school graduation, he was accepted into the U.S. Army Air Cadet Program, graduating as a Navigator in 1945. Sent to the South Pacific as a Second Lieutenant just before the war ended, Silvio never saw combat. He flew the Mosquito Network (Espirito Santo, Guadalcanal, Fiji, New Zealand) in a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a C-47, relying only on a radio compass or celestial navigation. He was proud of twice flying a “zero zero” mission using only celestial navigation: right on time and right on course. Silvio took up boxing in the Army and enjoyed a 13-0 record before a self-imposed retirement from the ring.
