HOUSTON – Steve Schifani remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis like it was yesterday. At the time, he was stationed in California with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Decade-old photos of Steve wearing his favorite coast guard jacket have been carefully reserved much like the jacket itself until recently.
“I’d like to think that we can just go in the closet and pull it out cause it’s a beautiful thing,” the 81-year-old Steve said Monday.
But the jacket is missing after the Schifani’s moved from their Houston home into an apartment. Family members believe the jacket was placed in a pile of donations by accident.
“I’m hoping someone will see this and say, ‘Oh I bought that jacket at Goodwill, a couple of months ago,’” said Schifani’s grandson, Kyle Vorhes.
The jacket is a family treasure for more reasons than one. At the time, Steve had his then-girlfriend’s name embroidered into the left sleeve and his name on the right sleeve.
“I remember it very well,” Mary Pat Schifani said laughing. “He brought it home and I was kinda proud of it. To take that chance to put my name on there.”
The couple was married the next year, 64 years ago.
Family members didn’t realize the jacket was missing until a few months ago, and they have searched in vain since then. They have checked Goodwill, other stores and online.
“It meant a lot to us,” Steve said. “We’d love to have it back.”
In addition to the embroidered Schifani names, the black jacket has three red stripes on the left sleeve, three white stripes around the neck flap and a zipper.
If you know where the jacket is, please email Kyle Voorhes at kylevrhs@yahoo.com.