Army Badge
  • Name: Joseph "Joe" Alex Marcella
  • Location of Birth: Nashwauk, Minnesota
  • Date of Birth: February 3, 1921
  • Date of Death: March 31, 2019
  • Parents: Frank Marcella & Dora (Sisto) Marcella
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  • Branch: Army
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    Start Date End Date Unit(s) and Location(s) Served
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  • Military Highlights:
    WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
    State: Minnesota
    Name: Joe Alex Marcella
    Race: White
    Age: 21
    Birth Date: February 3, 1921
    Birth Place: Nashwauk, Minnesota, USA
    Residence Place: Bovey, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
    Registration Date: February 16, 1942
    Employer: Danube Mine Balkan Mining Co., Bovey, Itasca, Minnesota
    Weight: 167
    Height: 5-11
    Complexion: Light brown
    Eye Color: Brown
    Hair Color: Black
    Other characteristic: Forefinger scar on right hand
    Next of Kin: Frank Marcella, Bovey, Minnesota

    Joe was in the Army and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska during World War II.

  • Wars Involved:
    World War II

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  • Civilian Life:
    Joe Marcella married Mary Lou Danielson in Minnesota in 1947. They lived in Bovey, Minnesota where he worked for the Danube Mine. He was active in the Bovey Fire Department and the Bovey City Council. In 1960, they moved with their three children to Aurora, Minnesota, where he enjoyed working with the TRC Club and the American Italian Club. He also was a board member for the Hoyt Lakes Credit Union for many years.

    Joe was a proud veteran and was a lifetime member of the VFW and a 73-year member of the American Legion. He served on the Honor Guard at the American Legion Post 241 in Aurora for many years. He was honored at a luncheon at the Legion on August 20, 2016, for being one of the two surviving members of the Last Man Standing Club formed after World War II.

    Joe retired from Erie Mining Company after 42 years. A year later, he began driving school bus in Aurora and worked another 18 years. He was also well known as a tiler and in his spare time, tiled many bathrooms in the Aurora and Hoyt Lakes area. He loved hunting and fishing, playing cards, and watching the Twins and the Vikings play. He lived with his son Joe and wife Kathy for the last six years and was able to spend many fun days with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

    Joe died at the Transitional Care Unit of the Catholic Eldercare Facility in NE Minneapolis, Minnesota and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Coleraine, Minnesota. He is survived by his children, Joe (Kathy) Marcella, Jeffrey (Amy Hartmann) Marcella, and Mary Ann Marcella; six grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 66 years, Mary Lou; and siblings, Rocky Marcella, Elizabeth (Dolly) Makie, and Mary Marsaa.

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