100-Year-Old WWII Veteran Who Battled COVID And Cancer Dies

JOLIET, IL — Felix Pasteris, a soft-spoken centenarian who battled COVID-19, cancer and the Nazis, died Monday at age 100, a family friend confirmed to Patch.

Pasteris, who spent most of his hundred years in Joliet before moving to Ohio to be with family, was born June 11, 1921. He graduated from Joliet Township High School in 1940, and three weeks later joined the US Army Air Force. He served for the entirety of World War II, and spent much of his time as a crew chief for a P-38 plane called “Lightning,” according to a profile written by family friend Erin Gallagher. For years, Pasteris guarded the plane, even sleeping next to it each night to ensure that it was ready to go at a moment’s notice. During his six years of service, his crew never lost a pilot, he told Gallagher.

Pasteris lived for three years in Europe, and served in invasions in North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. He was awarded three Presidential Citations and a Bronze Star for his bravery.

Photo courtesy Erin Gallagher

After the war, Pasteris married his wife Helen, who served as a nurse for the US Army Cadet Corps and later at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The two were married for 70 years, and raised four children together in Joliet, according to Helen’s 2019 obituary. They were both active in the Joliet community, with Felix serving as an active member of Joliet’s Stone City VFW, and Helen volunteering for several local charities.

Photo courtesy Erin Gallagher

As Felix inched closer to 100 years old, the Joliet community honored him for his life of service to his country and community. On Flag Day of 2020, close to when he and his close friend Attilio (Ted) Micci both celebrated their 99th birthdays, the Stone City VFW honored both veterans with a parade and tailgating party with a full bar, grill and DJ.

Over the past few years, Pasteris battled both prostate cancer, and in 2020, he contracted COVID-19. Pasteris spent several weeks hospice care at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, hooked up to an oxygen tank and confined to a wheelchair. Against all odds, Pasteris recovered, and even learned to walk again.

“I hung my head over the bed and the nurses all came in and started hollering,” Pasteris told Cleveland’s WKYC News. “I said, ‘I’m okay, don’t worry. But then I said, ‘I was going to die.’ But then, I sort of woke up.”

He woke up, and turned 100. When he got out of the hospital, the clinic’s volunteer services honored him with a special veteran’s salute. “Having the honor and privilege to hear his stories and to sit across from what I consider a true American hero, although he would never use those words because he’s so humble and genuine.” Cleveland Clinic Volunteer Services Director Christine Hinman said.

In June, scores of people from Joliet and beyond showed up to honor the centennial of a man who had served his community for years with quiet good humor. The event featured testimonial speeches, and an interview from Erin Gallagher.

When asked the key to a long and happy life, Pasteris’s answer was simple: “If you’re happy on what you’re doing, keep it up. It might be the simplest thing in the world, but you’re happy doing it. That’s the key.”

Pasteris is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. He will be buried next to his wife at Abraham Lincoln National Ceremony in Elwood.