Remains of WWII soldier return home to Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. — After being buried for 79 years in an unmarked grave in a U.S. military cemetery in Luxembourg, the remains of PFC Bartholomew Loschiavo have returned home to Buffalo.

He was killed in action in Luxembourg on October 1, 1944. Loschiavo served in Company A, 1st Battalion, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division.

“He served 65 days before he was killed,” said Donald Loschiavo, one of Bartholomew’s many nephews. “But he served in the National Guard since 1939.”

Loschiavo was initially listed as missing in action, according to his family. He was found by locals in Luxembourg and buried in a parish cemetery. Eventually, once the Germans withdrew from Luxembourg and the Allies established a secure base in Europe, his remains were transferred to the American military cemetery.

According to family members, formal research began in the late 1990s, when Bartholomew’s nephew, Augustine Loschiavo, began researching his military service.

A casket carrying PFC Loschiavo arrived in Buffalo shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, watched by hundreds of people in the airport terminal.

An honor guard and motorcycle escort guided Loschiavo and his family to Lakeside Funeral Home in West Seneca, where his casket will be prepared for a formal service.

The Loschiavo family, numbering hundreds, sees the outpouring of support and their uncle’s return as a moment of closure.

“His death brought the family together,” said Bartholomew “Bart” D’Angelo, a nephew. “He died for a reason. That’s what I thought about when I was there, I thought there were a lot of Uncle Barts who gave their lives.”

A formal service will be held there June 1 at 10 a.m., at Lakeside Funeral Home, and Loschiavo will be buried in a family plot at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Buffalo.