World War II vet celebrates his 100th birthday

Published 3:47 pm Monday, April 22, 2024

August “Augie” Souza, a World War II veteran and Redmond resident, turned 100 on April 21.

It was a life goal achieved for Souza, who has never drank, never smoked, loves to be active and exercises often. Until he was 97 years old, Souza did 100 pushups a day.

“He always wanted to live to be 100,” said his daughter, Vickie Nelson of Eagle Crest.

Souza was born on April 21, 1924 in Taunton, Mass., the second of eight children. His family moved to San Diego, Calif., during the height of the Great Depression. When he turned 18, Souza volunteered for the Army and served in World War II from 1943-1945.

He arrived in Normandy three days after D-Day, then pushed into England and Belgium and eventually into West Germany until the war ended. His daughter said that time was among the most impactful of Souza’s long life, as he remained friends with many of his fellow veterans and talked about the experience often. His family displayed a hand-signed letter from then-president Harry Truman, thanking Souza for his service.

After the war, Souza moved back to California, where worked for a few years as a commercial tuna fisherman — his favorite job. He met his eventual wife, Madeline, and they were married for more than 60 years until her death. They had two children, Vickie and Greg, and later two grandchildren.

To spend more time with his family, Souza left the sea and took a job with Sears & Roebuck, serving for 35 years as maintenance supervisor for their suite of vehicles that delivered appliances and made house calls across the area.

Nelson said that Souza began to suffer from the effects of dementia a couple years ago, and he moved up to live with her in Eagle Crest. In the last year, Souza’s dementia has worsened and he moved to CountrySide Living, a memory care facility in Redmond. He stayed active there, too. Always an athlete, until recently Souza would jog around the facility just to keep moving and in good spirits.

On Thursday, April 21, Partners in Care and staff of CountrySide Living celebrated Souza’s century of life with a ceremony featuring Central Oregon Band of Brothers and the Redmond High School JRTOC.

Nelson said her father was a great person, who always cared for others and never chased after money or outside acclaim.

“When he was young he taught me the Golden Rule and that was the most important lesson he ever imparted,” she said.