Vincent James Amanna, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, died peacefully in his sleep on February 28, 2014 at the age of 91.

??He was a resident of Sequim for 21 years, moving to the area after living many years in Boulder and Nederland, Colorado.

He was born in New York City on May 25, 1922.

After completing public school in St. Albans, New York, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in the European Theater and was captured in the Battle of the Bulge on December 21, 1944.

He believed he fired the last mortar round before his division surrendered to the German forces. He was freed by U.S. troops in April, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. Among his many citations are the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Mr. Amanna was an educator all his life. He received his bachelors degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1949, and his masters from the University of Denver in 1953. He did graduate work toward a PhD in adult education and sociology at the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska.

He was listed in “Who’s Who in American Education.” After teaching for several years in public schools, Mr. Amanna worked as an administrator for the Bureau of Class Instruction in the University of Colorado Extension Division.

He served as director of the Adult Basic Education Project at the University of Colorado from 1968 to 1970, was Associate Director of the Rural Family Development Project at the University of Wisconsin in Madison from 1970 to 1972, and finished his career as coordinator of Veteran’s Affairs at the Community College of Denver North Campus from 1973 through 1982.

He spent the early part of his retirement building a solar-heated home in the mountains west of Boulder. While living there, he was a volunteer with the Nederland Fire Department. He and his wife, Mary, hiked and skied the Rocky Mountains for many years. He was very proud to have run the Bolder Boulder 10K race on his 70th birthday.

Shortly after moving to Sequim, Mr. Amanna joined Flotilla 42 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He took part in patrolling the Strait of Juan de Fuca for several years and was very active in the organization, serving one year as Flotilla Commander. He retired from the Auxiliary in 2008.

Mr. Amanna is survived by Mary, his wife of 40 years; daughters, Debra Kemmer and Pamela Amanna; son, Keith Amanna; his children from a previous marriage; as well as granddaughters, Amy, Emily and Ivy and several great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his oldest son, David.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. in the ballroom of the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles.