Bruno Talevi in his WWII Navy uniform, which fit him all his life.
ONEONTA – Bruno A. Talevi, still looking fit in his World War II Navy uniform, departed this life and went to grasp the hand of the Lord on April 3, 2021.
“Paw-Paw”, as his beloved grandchildren dubbed him, was born in New York City on Aug. 16, 1925, the son of Peter and Rose Talevi. He grew up on the streets of New York and Long Island, playing stickball, Johnny-on-the-Pony, and pinball, and eventually graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School at 16.
After graduation, he worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), formed to obtain information to sabotage the military efforts of enemy nations during World War II.