Julius Spigarelli Jr.
submitted by: Julius Spigarelli
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My great grandpa Julius was born on January 13, 1923, and died on October 15, 1997. My great grandpa was born in Helper, Utah, and he was the oldest child in his family. Julius had one sister, Mary. I am really glad he lived there because that is where I was born to.
My great grandpa worked in the coal mine like his dad. One day trucks drove through the coal camp. Young boys were jumping in the back to join the army. His dad didn’t want him to go so he took him to SLC to work at Remington Arms for two years to help the war effort. When he came back, he joined the Navy anyway. For four years, he was working in Chicago as a diesel mechanic and was part of the Magic Carpet mission. My dad worked in the coal mine too.
Julius would trap shoot. Every year he traveled east to trap shoot. He also liked archery. Some days he and his neighbor would make bow and arrows. He was also a gunsmith with a gunsmithing shop in his basement. It is so cool to learn that he likes some of the stuff I like.
Julius wasn’t alive for any of my life, but for some of my dad’s. He would take him to my cabin and hang out with him in his gun shop and help fix guns and reload ammo. Some days he would pick my dad up from school and go watch the old Clint Eastwood movies. My dad and him would also build model cars and airplanes; his favorite was a F-16 fighter jet. The really cool thing is that I still have most of the model cars and airplanes.
You have probably noticed we have the same name. I was so happy to learn that I have the same name as someone so cool.