Local lawmakers earlier this month issued a proclamation to a Fresh Meadows centenarian and World War II veteran to mark the beginning of Senior Month.
Senators John Liu and Toby Ann Stavisky presented the NYS Senate proclamation to 102-year-old James Lisa on Sept. 3, in celebration of his Aug. 25 birthday.
Lisa was born in Corona in 1919 to his parents James and Inez Roman Lisa. In his early 20s, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. The Christian Science Monitor reported that Lisa was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division and went on to train in Camp Shelby in Mississippi and West Virginia.
His time in the war brought him to the Pacific and New Guinea, but he became injured by shrapnel when the enemy attacked as he was repairing communications lines. He was discharged in 1946 and received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
A year after leaving the Army, Lisa got a job as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, where he was eventually promoted to director of customer service. He retired in 1979 Rafter 30 years with the USPS.
Following his retirement, Lisa started working as a tax preparer for H&R Block and Tetron Carls Tax Group, which led him to open his own tax preparation businesses. At 102 year old, Lisa still prepares taxes for a “select few” during tax season.
In 1950, Lisa married his wife Amelia and the couple had three daughters, Annmarie Kern, Inez Regan and Janet Lisa, and five grandchildren. They were married for over 65 years until Amelia’s passing.
