WASHINGTON — If you lived near Scranton, Pa. before the 1990s, you may know and have shopped at the Pagnani family stores. Long-time greater Scranton resident Joseph Pagnani, Sr. introduced many of those neighborhood grocery and gun stores to his community. For his granddaughter, Tara Kaiser, he introduced so much more.
Kaiser grew up in a single-parent home in the relatively small Pennsylvania township. She was proud to be part of the Pagnani family and legacy. She also knew she wanted to be the same revered and celebrated individual like her grandfather, a WWII veteran.
Sgt. Joseph Pagnani served nearly eight years enlisted in the United States Army, deploying into the European theater in support of WWII. After leaving the military in 1946, he took on a new trade and became a butcher. He had worked for many years for Giant Supermarkets as a supervisor before opening his own grocery store in Throop, Pa. After decades of providing fresh produce and goods to his neighbors, Pagnani opened the Pagnani Gun Shop.
Joseph and his wife Theresa spent their days managing these businesses, their home, and helping to raise a young Tara. The first-generation Americans of Italian parents taught Kaiser that anything is possible, even from their humble beginnings, through hard work and commitment.
During down time at the family's grocery store, "Papa" — Kaiser's nickname for her grandfather — would share tips and guidance he received from his commanding officer in combat. When Kaiser learned that this highly-praised officer was a U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, she finalized her plan to accomplish her dreams of becoming just like her grandfather and the servant leader he so admired.
Now, U.S. Army Military Police Officer Lt. Col. Tara Kaiser reflects on one of the proudest moments in her life: the look upon Papa's face as she received her college degree and commission into the Army. Sadly, "Grandma" Theresa did not live to see this achievement. Sgt. Joseph "Papa" Pagnani died July 12, 2016, at the age of 91.
Kaiser shares that she's the accomplished leader serving in the world's greatest military because she "was raised by the greatest generation!"
Social Sharing