Donald Sylvester Modarelli was born on May 11, 1919, in Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio. He was the son of Sylvester James Joseph Modarelli Sr. and Philomena "Minnie" Schettine Modarelli. He was married to Shirley McGowen. He enlisted in the United States Air Force on May 16, 1942. He attended local schools in Youngstown and completed his high school education, and later worked as a stock clerk at the Strouss-Hirschberg department store. He was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS) and later trained as a navigator. In addition to his navigation duties, he also underwent gunnery training, as required of all B-17 crew members. He served in the 561st Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-17G #42-37867 nicknamed 'Berlin Ambassador' during World War II.

On January 11, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress Berlin Ambassador, assigned to the 561st Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, departed England as part of an Eighth Air Force mission targeting the heavily defended industrial city of Braunschweig, Germany. As the formation entered enemy airspace, it came under intense attack from German fighters, and the Berlin Ambassador sustained severe damage that compromised its structure and critical systems. Unable to maintain formation and struggling to stay aloft, the crippled bomber attempted to withdraw, but the damage proved fatal. While crossing the Netherlands near Berkum, close to Zwolle, the aircraft became uncontrollable, forcing the crew to bail out as it descended. Moments later, the B-17 crashed near Berkum, bringing its final mission to an end. Of the ten-man crew, four were killed in the crash, five were captured and became prisoners of war, and one evaded capture temporarily before later being captured.

2Lt Modarelli was Killed in Action and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

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