Vincent Ross Miranti

Vincent Miranti was reunited with his beloved Elsie on May 30, 2026, a week shy of his 91st birthday, in Great Falls, Montana.

Vincent was born on June 6, 1935, in Cicero, Illinois, a small-town west of Chicago with a robust Italian culture and storied history, to Rosario “Sal” and Josephine Miranti. His brother, Joseph, was born four years later.

He attended Crane Technical High School, a prestigious institution that educated students desiring careers in skilled trades or engineering. In his teens, he often worked for his uncle, who owned a furniture business in the city and delivered goods cross-country prior to the development of the interstate highway system.

After graduation, he received a partial scholarship to Northwestern University to play baseball, but during his first year of spring ball, he sustained a traumatic Achilles tendon injury. Although the initial thought was that it would permanently impact his ability to walk, a revolutionary surgery repaired the injury, and his career path shifted to the U.S. Army.

Initially a corporal in the Army, Vincent specialized in the M14, a rifle he could disassemble and reassemble blindfolded, and was tasked with traveling throughout the country to certify the military police in its use.

During a visit to Malmstrom Air Force Base, he met Elsie Rossi. Upon his return to his base, he requested and was granted a transfer from the Army to the Air Force, stationed at MAFB, presumably due to a favor his uncle asked of a Montana state official. He began as an Airman First Class and earned Master Sargeant.

Much of his military work did not follow typical military duties, and much remains unknown; yet in 1960, Vincent received commendation from President John F. Kennedy for a highly confidential mission receiving the Meritorious Service Award from the United States of America.

Vincent and Elsie wed in 1960. He became proficient in radar and air traffic control and was stationed at multiple duty stations across the country, including New Jersey, Georgia, Texas, Alaska, and Oklahoma, throughout his career. In 1967, he was sent to Thailand during the Vietnam War to serve as military air traffic control. Yet, 1971 was his more curious mission. The official narrative was that he was sent to Air Traffic Command in Wilmington, NC, while his family remained in Great Falls. Even though his correspondence home was always marked as coming from North Carolina, he was actually in West Berlin for 13 months to keep an eye on the Soviets during this tense period in the Cold War. After wrapping up his Air Force career, he joined the National Guard, where he served as an OSHA safety inspector.

Using his radar talents, he became a civilian air traffic controller before shifting gears to a completely different career, or rather a series of vocations. Those who knew him know that Vincent could never sit still. He installed fences at Northwest Fence Company from its early days, plus, worked at Weissman’s, sold windows, custom-made frames, and as a final testament to his work ethic, Vincent spent 27 years with Staples, finally retiring in 2025 at the age of 90.

As much as he worked, he enjoyed a myriad of hobbies, including hunting and fishing, decoupage, and collecting coins and baseball cards. He played softball for a time and has long been known as the number one fan of the Pioneer League baseball teams. For decades, he supported the Great Falls’ baseball teams by sometimes helping to prepare the field before a game and always cheering them from the stands, ringing his cowbell, and firing up everyone around him to root for the players. He was also a fan of the Americans Hockey Team, and spent the winters cheering them on with the same enthusiasm.

One of his greatest joys was spending time at their cabin in Neihart. He and Elsie would sometimes cross-country ski into the toasty lodge in the winter, and they spent endless hours watching Belt Creek in the summer, always welcoming family and friends to join them. They also enjoyed a week at their timeshare cabin at Glacier Wilderness Resort in Essex, where they skied or snowshoed in Glacier National Park and the Essex area every winter.

Vincent and Elsie were avid hikers, taking many trips with what was then the Montana Wilderness Association, as well as with friends throughout Glacier, Waterton, and Montana, hiking well into their mid-70s. They were always doing something together.

While we grieve his loss, his family and friends are comforted to know that he and Elsie are together once more, laughing and undoubtedly looking down upon us all with the love and caring they showed everyone during their lives. And while he is no longer here to remind us, never forget, take your hat off at the table!

Vincent was preceded in death by his cherished wife, Elsie; parents, Rosario and Josephine Miranti; brother, Joseph; and nephew, Paul Joseph Miranti. He is survived by his son, Scott (Darci) Miranti; daughter, Michele Miranti; grandson, Ross (Sarah) Miranti; granddaughters, Gina (Sunil) Mistry and Cara Miranti; and great-grandchildren, Teo, Avi, and Veda Mistry, Soli and Yuna Uribe, Lucy and Silvio Miranti, and Samuel and John Grisak.

A memorial service including Military Honors will be held at Schnider Funeral Home Hospitality Room on June 19, at 11 a.m. with inurnment to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.