Biography

Daniel Patrick [Tinneny] Klebes

Daniel Tinneny was the second son of Patrick Tinneny and Anna Ambrose. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 17, 1925. His mother probably lived in their home on Silverwood Street, between Hermitage and Leverington Avenue, when Danny was born. He was baptized at Holy Family Church in the Manayunk section of the city.

Danny's father died when his mother Anna was about six months pregnant with him. Sometime later his mother married Leo Klebes and moved from the house on Silverwood St. to 6801 Ditman St. in the Northeast section of Philadelphia.

Danny told stories of how as a child, when he was growing up in Manayunk before the family moved to the Northeast, he would go and steal pieces of coal for his parents to use in their stove. It was while doing this that he got into fights with neighborhood kids over the coal. One of these other kids fighting over the coal was Harold Johnson who later became a well known professional boxer in the United States. These experiences led to Danny taking up the sport of boxing. He boxed for money at the Tacony Gym in Northeast Philadelphia and his coach was Mr. Joe McClusky who was well known in the area.

Photo: Danny Klebes. Courtesy of Daniel Klebes III

Danny and his brother Wallace were formally adopted by their mother's husband, Leo George Klebes and their names were formally changed from Tinneny to Klebes as a part of that process. Thus they and their descendants are no longer known as Tinnenys. Anna and her two sons Wallace and Danny did keep a relationship with my father John Patrick Tinneny who was the son of their father Patrick's older brother James.

Danny attended and graduated from the 8th grade at Saint Leo's Grade School and attended Mastbaum High School in Philadelphia for a time. When he was 17 years old he quit school and enlisted in the Navy to serve in World War II. While in the Navy he appears to have served in both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operations. He was assigned to work on the combat landing vessels known as LSTs. These vessels landed assault troops on the beaches, usually drawing heavy fire, during invasions. Danny was involved in numerous combat invasions and landings during the war for which he was decorated. One of which was delivering the Army's 4th Armored Division onto the beaches of Normandy, France on D-day. In another incident in the Pacific, a Japanese kamikaze plane loaded with explosives is said to have struck the ship Danny was on. As the ship was sinking, Danny, who was himself wounded, heroically freed a fellow seaman who was pinned down below decks, and who otherwise probably would not have made it out, saving his life. He is believed to have been awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy's second highest medal for his actions that day. However, the award has not been verified. After the war he returned to Philadelphia and was honorable discharged from the Navy in March 1946.

Danny met Angela "Angie" Cavalier through her brother John who was a good friend of his. Angie was the daughter of Francis Cavalier and Julia Alove. Angie had been raised in Brockway, which is in western Pennsylvania.

Danny had about a month remaining on his Navy commitment when he and Angie eloped to Elkton, Maryland and were married on February 5, 1946. Four days later on February 9th they were remarried in Our Lady of Consolation Church in the Tacony section of Philadelphia. Witnesses to their marriage were Mary Klebes, Danny's half sister and John Cavalier who was Angie's brother.

About a month after their marriage Danny was discharged from the Navy. Using the GI Bill to fund his training, he worked for about a year learning the shoemaker profession under the tutelage of Frank Leonardo, a local shoemaker with his shop at Frankford Avenue and Knorr Streets. He decided that he really didn't like the work and found another job. He went to work at the Dodge Steel Mill, which was located at State Road and Leverick Streets in Philadelphia.

Photo: Dan and Angie's wedding photo. courtesy of Mary Jo Rydzewski.

Danny worked at Dodge Steel until he had to retire on disability as a result of severe back problems when he was 47 years old. He had been having problems with a slipped disk in his back and was working at the mill as a supervisor. One day he was showing some visitors around the mill when someone, as a joke, moved a transfer car and Danny fell backwards and landed on his back. This was the final blow to his already damaged spine. He had 7 operations on his back but was never able to go back to work and was permanently retired. After his retirement he kept busy by tinkering about the house and doing little jobs that he could do at his own pace.

Danny and Angie lived and raised their family primarily in Northeast Philadelphia and moved to New York State for a short time. In Philadelphia they first had an apartment at 7109 Torresdale Avenue then bought their first house which was on Ashville Street. Needing more room they next bought a home on Unruh Street. This was followed by a move to another home on Algard Street. Then they made a big move and left Philadelphia and moved to the little town of Brushton, Franklin County in upstate New York. It turned out that the town was a poverty area and Danny and Angie were worried about its effect on their children so they moved back to Philadelphia after living there about 15 months. They then bought their final home at 8602 Gillespie Street in the northeast section of Philadelphia in 1974.

Danny and Angie had four children. They were Daniel Patrick, Juliann "Judy", Lisa Marie, and Mary Jo.

After fighting a long battle with lung cancer, Danny died at Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia on August 3, 1993. He was buried at Resurrection Cemetery, Trevose, Pennsylvania following a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint Dominic's Catholic Church in northeast Philadelphia.

As of January 1997 Angie remained employed in the finance office of the U.S. Navy Depot in Northeast Philadelphia where she had worked since the mid 1970s. Following Danny’s death she kept in close contact with her children and grandchildren. In 1998, her son Danny and his wife Wanda came to live with her in the family home at 8602 Gillespie St., Philadelphia, PA 19136.

In 2000, she moved to Warrminster, Bucks County Pennsylvania to live with her Mary Jo. She lived there until she passed away on January 18, 2004. Following Mass at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, Warminister, Pennsylvania she was buried with Danny in Resurrection Cemetery.

Note: Dan's descendants included children Daniel, Julian "Judy", Lisa and Mary Jo and their Klebes, Manning, D'Asgenzo and Rydzewski descendents.