Gaetano J. "Gus" Leccese of Melrose, died peacefully at his home in Melrose surrounded by his family at the age of 93. Gus was born in Cambridge, MA on July 22, 1921. He was the son of Joseph & Anna (Nardella) Leccese, both were hard-working Italian immigrants who instilled many values in their children. Gus was a product of the Great Depression, and as a result of living through those times, he learned the value of a hard day's work and appreciated everything he had, including his strong and loving family. There was a company two doors down from his house called Bancroft Barrel Company. Gus started working at Bancroft Barrel when he was 11 years old and he continued to work there for over 78 years. He attended Catholic school at St. Francis School near Lechmere on Cambridge Street, and then he studied at Wellington School on Windsor Street. He finished 9th grade in 1937 from Cambridge Rindge Technical School and then worked full time at the Bancroft Barrel Company. Gus also had a passion for music, and his Cousin Mary's husband, Tony Mancini, taught Gus how to play the violin. To earn extra money, Gus played the violin at clubs and weddings on the weekends. Gus entered active duty on September 4, 1942, for the United States Army. Because Gus was trained in high school as a mechanic, they sent him for more training at Camp Lee Virginia for 4 weeks to continue his training in auto mechanics. Gus was deployed to Alaska's Aleutian Islands for two years. Gus was honorably discharged with Asiatic Pacific Weeks Theater Ribbon and a Bronze Good Conduct Medal of Honor on October 27th, 1945, from Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Gus met the love of his love, Rita Rigano, while on leave from the Army. They kept in contact throughout the war writing many letters back and forth. They continued their relationship after Gus was discharged from the Army and got engaged on December 14, 1945, on Rita's 21st birthday. Rita and Gus got married on August 11, 1946. Rita was 21 year's old and Gus was 24 year's old. They honeymooned in the White Mountains in North Conway, New Hampshire. In addition to the family enjoying vacations at Booth Bay Harbor, Maine and to Cape Cod, Rita and Gus had lots of friends. Gus enjoyed bowling and playing cards in his spare time as well as socializing with his many friends. After Rita's death in 1990, Gus reunited with his first girlfriend, Mary Caruso Coakley. They were companions and friends for over 20 years until her death. Gus & Rita are survived by Joseph G. Leccese & his wife Elaine of Woburn, Richard P. Leccese & his wife Joan of Melrose, and Marylou Leccese Graham and her husband Robert of Melrose. Gus was also the grandfather to Richard, Kerry, Jenine, Joseph, Angela, Kirby and Sarah. He was also the great-grandfather to Nicolas, Anthony and Avianna. Gus was the brother of Vinnie Scarfo and her late husband, Edmund, his late brother Phillip and his late wife, Louise. He was the son-in-law of the late Santi & Louise Rigano; brother-in-law to the late Basil & Nancy Rigano, Louis & Josephine "Jo" Miele, and James & Marie DiGiovanni all of Malden. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass will be held at the Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 1155 Main St., Wakefield on Thursday, Oct. 9th at 10:30 AM. Relatives & friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours on Wednesday at the Gately Funeral Home 79 W. Foster St., Melrose from 4-8 PM. There will be no additional visiting hours prior to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 220 N. Main St., Natick, MA 01760 http://www.cff.org. WWII Army Veteran.