PITTSTON, PA, USA U.S. Army 1LT, COMPANY B, 3D BATTALION, 103D AR, WILLIAMSPORT, PA ABAND DISTRICT, AFGHANISTAN 05/20/2008
Jeffrey F. Deprimo grew up in camouflage. As a child, he played with GI Joes, he dragged his siblings outside to play Army and watched black-and-white war documentaries. One Valentine’s Day, he asked his parents for an autobiography of Chuck Yeager, a retired Air Force brigadier general.
Deprimo, 35, of Pittston, Pa., died May 20 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Williamsport, Pa.
DePrimo’s uncle Ronald Gitkos recalled how DePrimo earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement.” As a young child, DePrimo was curious to see what the lever next to his mother’s steering wheel did, so he proceeded to pull on it. The car went into a neighbor’s yard.
A 1991 high school graduate, he went on study music at Marywood University, where he graduated cum laude in 1996.
Family members said they’ll remember him as a brilliant, loving person who was dedicated to others and never sought the spotlight.
“He was so smart, but witty. He’d crack you up. You never were without a laugh or smile when he was around,” said his sister, Jodi Calabro.
He is survived by his parents, Joseph DePrimo and Helen Ann Gitkos DePrimo.
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