Michael Cassavino
| Date and Place of Birth: | April 24, 1915 Lyons, NY |
| Date and Place of Death: | September 15, 1943 Salerno, Italy |
| Baseball Experience: | Semi-Pro |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Company C, 389th Port Battalion, 36th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Michael A. Cassavino was born in 1915 in Lyons, New York. A
three-sport star on the Lyons High School championship squads between
1931 and 1934, Cassavino went on to play with baseball and basketball
with the St. Michael’s Ramblers. He was also catcher and manager for the
Lyons team that won the Powers & Vail League titles in 1939 and 1940.
Employed by the New York Central Railroad, Cassavino entered military
service with the Army on April 9, 1942. Based initially at Fort Niagara,
he was then at Fort McClellan, Alabama and Fort Dix, New Jersey, where
he was attached to Company C, 389th Port Battalion. The 389th then left
for Canada where the y loaded supplies onto ships in Hudson Bay. After a
time stationed at Fort Miles Standish, Massachusetts, the 389th went
overseas to North Africa, loading and unloading ships at Oran.
Following North Africa he was at Sicily and then Italy. Sergeant Michael
Cassavino was killed in action during the landing operations at Salerno
on September 15, 1943.
In 1948, Cassavino’s body was returned to New York. Services were held
at St. Michael’s Church in Lyons on July 29. He is buried at South
Cemetery in Lyons.
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with information for this biography.
Date Added: June 17, 2012. Updated August 4, 2017
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