John Valenti helped to rescue Michael Van Growski from assault, Stratford, Connecticut, February 3, 2004. Van Growski, 27, a police officer, was assaulted by a man he was attempting to question in the parking lot of a store. They went to the pavement, where the assailant struck Van Growski repeatedly and, attempting to get his service revolver, threatened to kill him. Valenti, 66, postal service truck driver, was parked nearby and saw the men struggling. He ran to a point behind the assailant, who was atop Van Growski, pinning him, and punched him. When the assailant resumed his attempt to get at the revolver, Valenti held to him until other officers, arriving shortly, apprehended him. Van Growski was treated at the hospital for lacerations and contusions, and Valenti required medical treatment for a laceration to his hand. Both men recovered.
77505 – 8852
77505-8852Obituary
John W. Valenti, known by many as “Bupie,” died on April 3, 2013, at the age of 76. He was born to James J. Valenti, Sr., and Antoinette Francullo Valenti.
Valenti, of Branford, Conn., graduated from Notre Dame High School and was a Marine Corps veteran. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 20 years.
In 2004, Valenti was recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, the Masons, the U.S. Postal Service, and officials from Connecticut and Stratford for his heroism in assisting a Stratford police officer who was under assault.
He was buried in St. Lawrence Cemetery in West Haven, Conn.
(From information published at legacy.com.)