Lt. Col. Basil L. Kuzdenyi Jr.

Lt. Col. Basil L. Kuzdenyi, Jr. April 26,1944 to Dec. 20, 2024 Basil (Larry) L. Kuzdenyi, Jr., a proud U.S. Air Force veteran, passed away on Dec. 20, 2024, at age 80. His bravery was shown as he battled cancer and unforeseen complications of bypass surgery. Larry, as he preferred to be called, was born on April 26, 1944, to Basil and Mary Kuzdenyi in Lompoc, CA. His father’s military career took the family to San Diego, CA where he attended Sweetwater High School. This started Larry’s love for the San Diego Chargers. As a teenager, Larry became an expert accordionist, entering (and winning!) many contests. He even had the honor of appearing with Myron Floren on “The Lawrence Welk Show.” The family moved to San Francisco, and Larry went on to attend college at San Francisco State University. During college, Larry worked part-time and met a fellow employee named Eda who had a list of nieces he might date. One of Eda’s nieces was Franni Mangone and, as they say, the rest is history. Larry and Franni married on Jan. 17, 1969, and began a life traveling both internationally and stateside on different military assignments. Larry’s first assignment was at Vandenberg Air Force Base, not far from where he was born. Next the couple traveled across the globe, starting at Clark Air Base in the Philippines for three years, where their son Joseph was born. Larry was an air traffic controller for the 1st Mobile Communications Group and went many times “in country,” earning a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation award. That was followed by a short assignment back to Vandenberg followed by a year stationed at Kunsan Air Base in Korea. Meanwhile, Franni and Joe traveled back to San Francisco to be with family. Upon returning stateside, Larry was assigned to Royal Air Force (RAF) Bentwaters in England. There, he served for three years with the 2164 Communications Squadron and earned the U.S. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. After England, it was the desert calling, and the family moved to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ for six years. There, Larry was a missile launch officer for the Titan II Missiles. At the end of that assignment, his daughter Jennifer was born. Larry’s last assignment before he retired was at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA, where, as Lieutenant Colonel, he was commander for the 1816 Reserve Advisor Squadron. Larry retired from his military career in April 1989, and the family moved to Calistoga, which was close to Franni’s family, as well as Larry’s family who lived nearby in Napa. He began work for Komag and was successful in his civilian career. Everyone thrived, surrounded by family and enjoyed their lives. Larry also enjoyed playing golf and became president of his local golf club. He also proudly volunteered as the Calistoga Tribune’s longtime weatherman from 2008 to 2024. Even when Larry was ill, he never missed calling in his weekly weather report. Last year, Larry and Franni celebrated 55 years of marriage, an occasion Franni, Joe, and Jennie will always treasure. Larry was truly a courageous veteran. In 2010, he battled lung cancer and won. When the cancer returned and Larry faced serious illness, God called him home to finally rest. Larry’s celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 10, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Calistoga.

Lt. Col. Basil L. Kuzdenyi Jr.

April 26, 1944 - December 20, 2024

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Lt. Col. Basil L. Kuzdenyi Jr.

April 26, 1944 - December 20, 2024

Obituary Notification

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