Rocky may have been born with the name Roczi or Rocco. Most legal documents show Roczi. A Los Angeles City Directory of 1938 lists him as Rozzi.
The California Death Index has his date of birth October 14, 1922, the Social Security Death Index says he was born in 1920. The birth certificate of one of his children says 1920. His burial record says he was born in 1923, censuses imply 1921.
March of 2007 we finally found him in the California Birth Index by using wildcards for key letters in the spelling of Fragassi.
He was listed as Roccke Fragessi, born 10/14/1920.
I ordered his military records back in September 06, you can make your own requests by filling out the form online. Well, we got what we sent for! It was a little disappointing because there was nothing about Roczi's parents, but then again, I didn't realize I was only getting his separation papers, which means his discharge. You have to send away for medical and active duty service details separately.
What we now know, according to the discharge papers from the Department of the Navy, United States Government is:
Yet another birthdate, albeit more likely correct from the looks of the 1930 census. That is October 14, 1921, in Norwalk, California. He is/was a US citizen.
Caucasian, dark brown hair, brown eyes, 66.5" tall (5 foot 5 1/2), 135 pounds.
His service number was 563-27-54, was rated ET3 in the US Navy. His specialty was ET-1502-65 a Radio Mechanic II
Date of RE-enlistment was (his birthday) October 14, 1948 in Los Angeles, CA.
Home address at the time of reenlistment was 733 S. Boyle Ave, Los Angeles, he was married, with 8 years of grammar school, 4 years high school, 1 year of college. Majored in Electronics.
Discharged according to Article C-10308 BuPers Manual 1948 in USN SepAct SuBase, New London, Connecticut on September 26, 1951 after serving 2 years, 11 months, 12 days. He served 3 years, 8 months, 6 days PREVIOUSLY with 6 months foreign service/ at sea.
He had no decorations at this time.
He served mostly at the US Naval Receiving Station in Long Beach, CA. His last civilian employment, before reenlisting, was in the planning department of Western Electric Co., LA, CA- that was 1 year of employment.
His permanent address for mailing after his seperation was 1830 E. 2nd St. Los Angeles 33, California. We don't know whose address this is yet.
Little is known of him before he had children and their memories of him as an adult are too much for this blog. He had problems with monogamy, among other character flaws. We'll leave it at that for now.
Rocky and Lucy had six children together. At right is the informational part of a birth certificate for one of his children.
A few years after seperation from Lucy, he met and married Patsy Ruth Fain, having one son with her, and passing on two family names, before she left him. Anthony P. Fragassi never met his half-brother and sisters (at least, not yet) nor did he have any ties with his own father after his mother moved on with life. When adulthood reconciliations came along for most of his children, at various times, the general message was that he had moved on with his life and if they could not, he had no time for them.
Rocky met and married another woman, Dorothy Shue, who was born on the 21st of April 1918 in Missouri. She died in December of 1977, was cremated, and placed in a niche Rocky would later share with her at Glendale's Forest Lawn.
Rocky at that point only shared his home with his sister until he died. He left everything, it seems, to her. According to Angela, he said he would "take care of her".
We are looking for more information, especially positive or factual information...
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