Santi Mirabelli, 96; Eldest Member of World War I Drum, Bugle Corps

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. â€”  Santi (Sammy) Mirabelli, the oldest member of the Soo World War I Drum and Bugle Corps, who with a small handful of his remaining fellow veterans went to France 10 years ago to help keep the memory of the Armistice alive, died Friday in a nearby veterans hospital. He was 96.

A native of Italy, Mirabelli served with the Army in Europe during World War I as, as he often put it, “a much unappreciated cook.�

“Sammy was the spirit of our outfit,� said drum corps Cmdr. Oral LaCombe. “He was the only one who knew all of the old military drum tunes; not just drum rolls and signals, but actual tunes.�

The Drum and Bugle Corps originally numbered more than 20. In 1978, the 16 still living at that time paid a nostalgic return visit to some French battlefields. With Mirabelli’s death, the corps now numbers five.