Joseph E Vigeant II
Vigeant was born in Hudson on Sept. 7, 1926, the only child of Clarence and Marie (O’Grady) Vigeant. Later in life, he would become the stepson to J. Leo McDermott, living on New Turnpike Road in North Troy. He attended St. Peter’s Elementary School, Hillside School and Troy High School, and on Sept. 7, 1942, enlisted in the U. S. Navy, completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois.
In early September 1944, Aviation Ordnance Second Class Vigeant was serving as a gunner aboard the “Damn Yankee”, a PB4Y-1 Liberator aircraft, along with nine fellow crew members, when it had a forced landing in the North Atlantic off the west coast of Ireland after losing radio contact in heavy fog. Vigeant survived several hours adrift in a life raft with five crew members before coming ashore in Aillebrach and Clifden in County Galway, Ireland.
Vigeant was honorably discharged Aug. 22, 1946, at Shoemaker, California, and was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Good Conduct Medal. He went on to serve another 40 years in the U. S. Naval Reserve, retiring in 1986.
After his discharge, Vigeant attended neon school in New York City and, in 1947, founded the Troy Neon Sign Co. He served as president of the company until his retirement in 1988.
Vigeant married Dorothy Aspland on Nov. 27, 1949, at St. Patrick’s Church in Troy, and together they raised two sons and two daughters. Vigeant was very active in his community and enjoyed making and f lying model airplanes, playing the banjo and restroring old cars.
Vigeant died April 30, 1992, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.