March 4, 1944 to March 4, 2019
Vincent Meinhart, beloved grandfather, father, WWII veteran and lifelong Scrantonite, passed away peacefully on March 2 after 98 wonderful years. He was preceded in death by his wife and soul mate, Mary Harkovich Meinhart, whom he met at a dance social and was married to for 65 years; his loving son, Ronald Meinhart; and a brother and four sisters. Vince was born in North Scranton in May 1920 to Alex and Agnes Meinhart, who immigrated to Scranton from Hungary. He attended North Scranton Junior High School before leaving school at age 16 to work at the Raker Paint Factory to help support his family; his father passed away in a coal mining accident that year. Just before WWII, Vince moved to Buffalo, N.Y., where he lived with his sister and worked in a factory making airplane parts, sending the money he earned back to his mother. When he war began, his job exempted him from the draft, but he petitioned to be called up. He entered the United States Army in 1943 and deployed to Europe as part of the 315th Infantry Regiment in General Patton’s 3rd Army. He was fond of telling stories from the war and was very proud to have been a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. In the 1990s, while visiting his son who was stationed in Germany, he returned to the home in Luxembourg that sheltered him during a cold winter following the Battle of the Bulge. After WWII, he returned to North Scranton to care for his mother, whom he continued to live with after marrying his wife, Mary, in 1947. In 1968, Vince, Mary and their sons moved to a modest home in West Scranton that Vince helped build at night after work at the Scranton Plate Glass Company, where he worked for more than 30 years as a proud union member. One of his last jobs before retiring was the stained glass ceiling of the Lackawanna Train Station, now the Radisson hotel. Vince was a devoted Catholic and an active member of the former St. Stephen’s Church and later St. Ann’s Basilica. He was often found in his workshop making wooden items for family and friends. He loved sports, he golfed into his 90s, as well as reading books about WWII and driving around Scranton to reminisce, often stopping at the Glider Diner for pie. Vince lived at home until his final weeks, thanks to specialists and volunteers from the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, Visiting Angels, the Hospice of the Sacred Heart and Meals on Wheels. Vince will be missed by all who knew him, including his son, Richard and wife, Karen; his daughter-in-law, Jo Ann Meinhart; and sister-in-law, Helen Hutsko; his four grandchildren, Sarah Walsh (and husband, Philip), Elizabeth Meinhart, Lauren Meinhart and David Meinhart; and two great-grandchildren, Jeremy Walsh and Caleb Meinhart, will treasure memories of their Grandpa, who taught them to always follow their conscience. The visitation will be on Thursday, March 7 at noon at the Thomas J. Hughes Funeral Home Inc., 1240 St. Ann’s St., Scranton, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. at St. Ann’s Basilica and interment at Cathedral Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels of Northeastern Pa., 541 Wyoming Ave., Scranton, PA 18509; or Hospice of the Sacred Heart, 600 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes-Barre PA 18702.
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