Brothers, WWII vets die within hours of each other

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Joseph S. Macica, left, and Andrew Macica.

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Joseph, Andrew and Michael Macica were as close as brothers can be.

“We were three peas in a pod. We always stuck together and did everything together,” said Michael.

Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that when Joseph died at home last Saturday, Andrew died a little later the same day at Washington Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Argyle.

Both Joseph, 91, and Andrew, 92, were born in Saratoga Springs and attended Saratoga Springs High School. Both served during World War II with the U.S. Army.

Joseph served in the First Armored Signal Battalion in Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany and Austria. Michael said that while in Europe, Joseph worked with allied forces in a liberated concentration camp and saw for himself the harsh realities of the Holocaust. He said Joseph rarely talked about his experiences in the Army

After the war, Joseph found work as an automobile mechanic at Carroll Auto and Roth Motor. He also spent 27 years with the state Department of Transportation, where he worked as a mechanic field supervisor in Waterford.

Andrew also served with the U.S. Army. Stationed in the Philippines, he worked to destroy captured Japanese munitions. After the war, he found work as a carpenter, helping to construct many notable pieces of local infrastructure, including the BOCES building in Saratoga.

Michael described him as a skilled carpenter, serving as the foreman on many projects.

The two brothers found a passion after their respective retirements in restoring and driving antique cars. Joseph was an active member of both the Adirondack Model A Ford Club and the Plymouth Drivers Club, and both enjoyed showing their cars and attending shows out of state.

Michael said the memories he has of his brothers are all positive. He said no one moment seems to stick out for him, that they were all good.

“There’s a lot of things to remember,” he said. “I don’t know that one would come first over the others.”

The pair were laid to rest with a joint funeral Mass at Notre Dame-Visitation Church in Schuylerville on Friday. They died as they lived: together.

In place of flowers, Joseph’s family asked that donations be made to Community Hospice of Saratoga County. Andrew’s family requested memorials be made in his memory to The Washington Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare.