WARREN — Victor J. Gaston Jr., 81, of Warren, passed away Friday morning, Feb. 4, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

Victor was born March 13, 1940, in Warren, to Victor Sr. and Mary Tufa Gaston and was raised in the Romanian Orthodox faith.

He was a graduate of the Howland School system and went on to serve in the United States Air Force.

Victor enjoyed fishing on Lake Erie and was an accomplished harmonica player; he enjoyed playing for SCOPE and nursing homes around Warren. He was a member of the Chardon Harmonica Club in Chardon and the Fort Myers Harmonica Band in Fort Myers, Fla., where they played for nursing homes and the Salvation Army. He also was a member of the Mecca Moose Club and Cushman Motor Scooters Club. He mastered building four motorbikes from odd boxes of pieces he collected all around the countryside. He would ride them in the parade at the Cortland Street Fair.

Victor will always be remembered by his wife, the former Bernadette "Dolly" Schaffer, whom he married in 1987; three stepdaughters, Lorie and Joe Cassavechia of Palm Coast, Fla., Jennifer and Scott Stewart of Linden, Texas, and Bridgette and Jerry Poremba of Greensboro, Ga.; three grandchildren, Emery Stewart, Chase Kappeler and Dane Kappeler; brother, Jack; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Stanley, Phillip and Basil Gaston; and sisters, Vera Black and Rosemary Williams.

Professional services have been entrusted to the Peter Rossi & Son Memorial Chapel of Warren.

Funeral services will take place at a later date.