A Life Remembered: Vet Made People Laugh -- And Was a Good Sport

Summary

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For John "Jack" Viele, a childhood wish came true later in life. "Jack was approaching his 50th birthday, and we didn't know what we wanted to do for it," said his wife of 53 years, Lillian. "In previous years, he had whined about how his mother never took a picture of him on a pony or in a sailor suit, both of which were popular when he was a child. He claimed everyone around him had gotten their picture taken one of those ways, but not him. So I secretly made him a white sailor suit with short pants and knee socks. While he was away for a few days with the Connecticut Foot Guard, we planned a big backyard party. When he got back, we had a pony tied in the yard waiting for him. And the sailor suit was waiting for him on the bed. He was hysterical. He put on the suit along with underwear that read 'Anchors Aweigh.' Then he walked outside, and all the partygoers went crazy. He climbed onto the pony, and everyone took pictures. We even had his mother stand next to him. We all said to him, 'Now you've gotten all your wishes.'"

It doesn't end there. "About a month later, a bunch of us took a ride on the Liberty Belle around New Haven Harbor," said his wife. "We brought along the sailor suit, which we made my husband change into once we were aboard. A woman came up to him and asked if her 7 year old son could pose for a picture with 'the captain.' And he did."

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A Life Remembered: Vet Made People Laugh -- And Was a Good Sport

Viele died April 22 at age 80.

Born May 13, 1930, in New Haven, a son of James and Mary Viele, he attended Hillhous...

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