Sam Lopez, Sr. (white sweater) at bridge re-naming dedication

U.S. 19 bridge near Gypsy named for Sam Lopez, Sr.

Sam Lopez, Sr.

Sam Lopez, Sr., father of Linda Lopez Gandy, Monongah High Alumni Association president, will have a bridge on U.S. 19 named for him on Friday.

Linda, Class of 1965, married to Jim Gandy, explains:

“On Fri. May 2nd at 11:00 a bridge on Rt. 19 south of Shinnston by the community of Gyspy will be named in honor of Sam Lopez, Sr., a survivor of the USS Indianapolis. We his family are very proud.”

Surviving the July 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Philippine Sea after a Japanese submarine torpedoed the Indianapolis was a remarkable feat. Only 316 did, out of 1,196 on board. 

The ship sank in 12 minutes but was never missed so the crew floated in shark-infested waters with no lifeboats till they were spotted accidentally four days later.

A month later, Japan surrendered after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Linda’s mother, Joanne Vandetta Lopez, daughter of Frank and Olga Grandoni Vandetta, passed away in 2012.

Linda’s brother,  Sam Lopez Jr., lives in Fairmont.