Two men killed in Boggs Township crash

[DaveM55]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/vall.../s_648657.html

Two men died Saturday in a two-vehicle accident on Route 28/66 in Armstrong County.

Armstrong County Coroner Robert Bower identified the victims as William Weiler Jr., 53, of Mars and Robert Girdano, 53, of Apollo. He said neither was wearing a seat belt when their car was hit by with an out-of-control SUV.

State police said the accident happened in Boggs Township, just north of Kittaning.

State police at the Kittanning barracks said an unidentified 16-year-old girl driving a 2001 GMC Yukon north went off the roadway about 5:10 p.m., struck an embankment, then crossed over into the southbound lane and struck a 2004 Infiniti containing the two men.

The girl, whose name was not released, had moderate injuries, police said.


The PGR has been invited to pay honors and respect to USN VietNam (era) Veteran and PGR Member Robert V. Girdano, 53 of Apollo, PA who was killed in an auto accident on 10/17/09.

Mr. Girdano is the father of 2LT Michael Girdano who was Killed In Action in Afghanistan on August 1, 2008. Mr. Girdano was an employee of the Pittsburgh VA Health System as a plasterer and was an avid Harley Davidson rider and PGR member.

Visitation: Wednesday, 10/21/09 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Staging at 1:00 PM in the gravel parking lot of Apollo First Baptist Church (which is behind the funeral home).

Curran-Shaffer Funeral Home (Route 56 next to Glenn Bush Ford dealership)
100 Owens View Drive
Apollo, PA 15613


Church Services will be conducted on Thursday, 10/22/09 at 10:00 AM with an escort to the Plum Creek Cemetery in Plum Boro (approx 20 miles) immediately following the church services. Staging will be at 9:00 AM in the above mentioned funeral home parking lot. The church is located just up the road from the funeral home.

St. James Catholic Church
109 Owens Drive
Apollo, PA 15513

Please dress accordingly to the weather and please follow this thread for any changes or updates.



Kiski Township's Girdano dies in a car crash 14 months after son killed in combat

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/vall.../s_648751.html

After his son was killed in Afghanistan in 2008, it would have been easy for Bob Girdano to shut himself off to the world, his friend Al Pulice said Sunday.

Instead, Girdano, 53, of Kiski Township walked across the state from Philadelphia to Valley High School with Pulice in July as part of the first PA Hero Walk, which Pulice organized to raise money and awareness for injured soldiers and their families.

At the time, Girdano said it was something his son, Army 2nd Lt. Mike Girdano, 23, would have wanted him to do.

About 14 months after his son's death, Bob Girdano was killed in a car crash Saturday in Armstrong County.

Pulice, 53, of Murrysville, said he and Girdano were going to meet today to plan for next year's walk. The walk will now be dedicated to him.

"He wanted to show the country that if this happened to you, if you lost a loved one, you can't give up," Pulice said at a memorial to soldiers in Allegheny Township, where he met Bob Girdano on Veterans Day 2008. The memorial features a block in Mike Girdano's memory.

The crash happened around 5 p.m. Saturday on routes 28/66 in Boggs Township, about six miles north of Kittanning. Girdano was a passenger in a car driven by William Weiler Jr., 53, of Mars.

Best buddies growing up, the men were driving south, coming home from a trip to look at a hunting camp site they were thinking about buying in Clarion County, according to Bob Girdano's son, Nunzio Girdano, 27, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

"They like to hunt. That's their hobby," Nunzio Girdano said. "Deer, duck -- anything you can hunt for, they'll hunt."

According to state police and the Armstrong County coroner, a 16-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was driving north and lost control of her sport utility vehicle on wet pavement. Her vehicle crossed over the center line and slid sideways into the car carrying Weiler and Bob Girdano. The front of their car hit the passenger side of the SUV.

Weiler was pronounced dead at the scene, and Girdano at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital in East Franklin. The coroner said both died from head and chest injuries. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

The girl suffered a moderate injury, state police said.

Michael Girdano was one of four soldiers killed Aug. 1, 2008, by a homemade bomb in the Chowkay Valley area of Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. He was a 2003 graduate of Apollo-Ridge High School and a 2007 graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Pulice said Bob Girdano's wife, Cynthia Girdano, was devastated.

"She said, 'Bob is going to get to see Michael before me,'" he said.

A retired Navy officer, Bob Girdano worked as a plasterer for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.

While many people took part in July's walk, Bob Girdano and Pulice were the only ones to walk every mile, every step over 14 days. Pulice said he got to know the man much better in that time.

With his size, his thick, white handlebar moustache and tattoos, Bob Girdano looked like a professional wrestler, and was sometimes compared to -- and mistaken for -- Hulk Hogan. He also looked like a biker, which he was, owning and loving a Harley-Davidson.

But the image didn't quite fit, Pulice said.

"He was a very gentle guy, caring and really quiet," Pulice said. "He never had a bad word to say about anybody."

In addition to Mike and Nunzio, Bob Girdano has a daughter, Tina Girdano, 22, of Kansas who is in the Air Force.

"My dad was always really proud of Michael's accomplishments. Getting into West Point is quite an accomplishment for anybody. My dad was extremely proud of that," Nunzio Girdano said.

Mike's death took a toll, Nunzio Girdano said.

"At first it was real stressful. It was for all of us," he said. "I also think my dad knew he had two other kids and a wife, and he had to be strong."

He also wanted to help other soldiers. At his son's funeral, Bob Girdano suggested donations be made to Fisher House Foundation, which provides housing to families of hospitalized service members, Nunzio Girdano said.

Nunzio Girdano said the Hero Walk was something his dad wanted to do. Pulice said during the walk, Bob Girdano would sometimes be off by himself, and say he was talking with Mike.

Nunzio Girdano said his dad called him every day during the walk.

"I'd never seen him be as active as he was when he did that. He was walking everywhere, everyday, miles and miles just to get ready for that," Nunzio Girdano said.

Curran-Shaffer Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Nunzio Girdano said his father will be buried at Plum Creek Cemetery in Plum, next to Mike.

[bogey1]

very sad....